The Netherlands-developed Lightyear One is a rare specimen of the SEV (Solar Electric Vehicle) breed, and it just covered 710 kilometers (441 miles) on a single charge on a raceway in Aldenhoven, Germany.
The car spent nine hours running lap after lap at 85 km/h (53 miles per hour), receiving its energy exclusively from a compact on-board battery and roof-mounted solar panels. Representatives of the Lightyear startup said they believed it was a great result, and that the system was viable enough for mass production.
The company has spent four years polishing the tech, but openly admits that solar panels alone will never be enough. To this end, it remains dedicated to researching battery cell technologies as well, introducing better control software and optimized cooling algorithms.
The traction battery on board the Lightyear One is rated at just 60 kWh, while the foor panels contribute another 22 kWh of their own on sunny days, extending the range by around 210 kilometers. Other parameters remain unannounced, but the car can sprint 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in less than ten seconds.
Lightyear plans on unveiling the production version of the car closer towards 2022 and kick things off with a First Edition limited to 946 units. Full-scale production should follow in 2024.