Lightyear 0 solar-powered car with 625-km range unveiled
The Lightyear 0 gets individual motors at each wheel, making it an all-wheel-drive vehicle. The car gets a futuristic design and the maker claims it will return a maximum range of 625km on a single charge.
By Anirudh Sunil Kumar
Lightyear has unveiled the 0 solar-powered car, with a claimed range of 625km. The car stands out as the world’s first production-ready solar-powered car.
The Lightyear 0's design is quite futuristic, with a fastback-style body, aero alloy wheels, raised rear bumper section, and an LED bar at the back. Even the rear wheels come with an ‘aero cover’, which, the company claims, adds 12km of range on every charge. In addition to this, the aerodynamic design of the car provides a drag coefficient of 0.19.
The Lightyear 0 gets a solar roof and a solar bonnet, which have ‘five square metres of double-curved solar arrays’. Like most electric concepts we have seen lately, the Lightyear 0, too, uses sustainable and recycled materials for its interior, like plant-based leather and fabrics made from plastic bottles. The cabin is quite minimalistic, like a Tesla, and has a digital driver display and a sizable infotainment touchscreen.
In terms of powertrain, the car gets four independently controlled motors for improved traction. As claimed by the manufacturer, the solar panels can juice up the car to offer a maximum of 70km per day. The car also has a maximum solar yield of 11,000km in regions with bright sunlight annually. Production of the car is set to commence this fall, while customer deliveries will begin in November 2022.
