Is called Lightyear 0 (Zero) and comes from the Netherlands, but it’s not a new type of tulip. Instead, it is a real solar-electric car, the evolution of a prototype presented in June 2019 and which was called Lightyear One. The car, developed by the Solar Team of the Technical University of Eindhoven, has been made official in terms of design and specifications.
Production, at contract manufacturer Valmet Automotive, is expected to begin this fall, with the first units due to be delivered in November. From a design point of view there are only a few differences with the concept from three years ago, and they focus in particular on the shape of the headlights. Technically, the team failed to achieve a range of 725 kilometers as originally planned, with a consumption of 8.3 kWh per 100 kilometers. The car will still have a remarkable range of 625 kilometers (10.5 kWh / 100 km), with the possibility of adding 70 kilometers to the calculation exclusively thanks to its panels. The electric battery will have a capacity of 60 kWh. The charging power with the nearly five square meters of solar cells in the roof and front hood is 1.05 kW.
Several factors contribute to the autonomy data. With a curb weight of 1,575 kilograms, the Lightyear 0 model is relatively light, considering its length of nearly five meters, but the most important factor is its low drag. Lightyear reaches a Cx of less than 0.19, with a roof line that does not affect the load volume (640 liters). Too bad that the car costs a blunder: 250,000 euros. Fortunately, a second project is in the pipeline, which will again combine electricity and solar: this is a car worth only 30,000 euros, presumably of small dimensions.
Lightyear 0 relies on electric motors from Elaphe, integrated into the wheels. The system converts energy by delivering torque directly to the wheel, without additional gearing, to improve overall vehicle efficiency.
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