Lightyear One Solar EV Claims A 450-Mile Range

A new electric car that can get power from the sun called the Lightyear One has been unveiled. The car is strange looking and has solar panels on its roof. The big claim for the car is that it can drive for 450 miles on a single charge. The odd design is the result of the team doing all it can for aerodynamics to allow the car to drive further.

Since the car has such low energy consumption, it can generate power using solar energy. The designers of the vehicle claim the ride can produce up to 20,000 km worth of electricity each year via its solar panels. The team claims that the car charges fast enough that an owner can get 400km of range from an overnight charge using an ordinary 230V socket.

The vehicle is a 5-seater that is powered by four in-wheel motors. The company is mum on power from those motors, but we do know this isn't one of the EVs that is meant to offer thrilling performance. The company has stated that the Lightyear one will accelerate from a stop to 100 km/h in about ten seconds.

Another mystery about the car is the exact size of the battery pack. The big feature of this car is the roof-mounted solar panels. The designers say that solar panels can function independently. That means if the car is in partial shade, the other cells work efficiently.

This key feature means that solar cells can provide 20% more energy than traditional cells. Lightyear one claims to charge at a rate of 12 km per hour. The car is aiming for deliveries in early 2021 with the first 100 units already sold; pricing starts at €149,000 or about $170,000.