Remember Lightyear One, an aerodynamic car concept from the Netherlands that used solar panels to extend its range? It isn’t even out yet, but the company is already happy to announce Lightyear Two, an affordable alternative for one-fifth of the flagship’s price.
Let’s recap before we proceed with the introduction. The Lightyear One, which you can see in our gallery here, debuted two years ago. It sported an unusual overall design, a quartet of electric motors and solar panels installed on the hood and the roof. The combined area of the panels was 5 square meters (53.8 square feet).
Per Lightyear, the solar array can produce enough electricity for 12 free kilometers (7.5 miles) of range every hour, as long as the day is sunny. According to their calculations, this economy could add up to 20,000 kilometers (12,427 miles) of free driving per year. The average available range amounts to 725 km (450 miles).
Production will begin with the Lightyear One Pioneer Edition in 2022, which will cost around €150,000 in Europe. In contrast, the Lightyear Two revealed this week is expected to debut in 2024 or 2025 and start as low as €30,000. It will be smaller than the One with smaller batteries; despite that, it will still need charging about five times less often than a conventional EV, the company claims.