Goodbye daily plug charges. Hello free and clean energy-driven mobility courtesy of Lightyear
Pop quiz: how many kilometres are there in a lightyear? We’ll save you the headache – if the 0 on our keyboard can take it. It’s 9,460,000,000,000 km. That’s also the same distance that all cars combined drive in a single year. If we’re to make a real impact tackling the effects of climate change, cleaning up the automotive industry is crucial; a lightyear powered by fossil fuels isn’t the answer.
Clean mobility is. And yet, many of the concerns associated with electric vehicles still exist: range anxiety, worries around charging infrastructure, and an inability to charge at home for starters. But, says Lightyear, electric vehicles don’t have to depend solely on plugs, sockets, and the grid. Instead, its Lightyear 2 harnesses the free, clean power of the sun.
Lightyear in numbers:
500 miles of range between charges
3X less charging than a conventional EV
Target starting price of less than £40,000
Lightyear 2 is solar electric, using an integrated five square metre-layer of solar cells that charge up to 70 km of range per day, reducing the need to rely on charging stations – in the right conditions it can drive for months without charging from the grid.
It’s also highly efficient, both in aerodynamic design and powertrain, which has been designed to eliminate the need for energy draining components like a gearbox or driveshafts. Sustainable manufacturing techniques have been factored in too – Lightyear 2 uses recycled carbon body panels, has a vegan interior with naturally sourced materials, and detailing made of rattan palm.