Lightyear must be very proud of itself. In the Aldenhoven Testing Center in Germany, the EV startup put its first vehicle to test and achieved impressive numbers. With a 60 kWh battery pack and a full charge, the One managed to run 710 kilometers (440 miles). That gives it an energy efficiency of 11.8 km/kWh (7.3 mi/kWh), way superior to that the Lucid Air and the Mercedes-Benz EQS offer.
Those two EVs are the most efficient ones when it comes to mass-produced cars. Although the Air is yet to be delivered, it promises a range of 517 miles (832 km) with a 113 kWh battery pack. That means it achieves 4.6 mi/kWh (7.4 km/kWh). The EQS would run 770 km (479 mi) with 108 kWh, which translates into 4.4 mi/kWh (7.1 km/kWh) of energy efficiency.
The Lightyear One achieves those incredible numbers with lightweight construction, a small battery pack compared to those in its competitors, and a lot of work to reduce its drag coefficient (less than 0.20). According to Lex Hoefsloot, Lightyear’s CEO, they are also pursuing efficiency gains with the powertrain, inverters, and solar panels. Yes, the Lightyear One recovers energy just by being under the sun.
The sedan presents 5 square meters of solar panels all over its body, which helps it get enough energy to run up to 70 km in a single day or up to 12 km in only an hour. The in-wheel motors help the vehicle save weight, but it is not clear how they influence unsprung mass behavior.
The first deliveries for the Lightyear One are scheduled to happen in the first half of 2022 – when the company will produce 946 units of a special series. Regular deliveries should start a little after that. At €150,000 a pop, mass production volumes are probably not a concern in this first stage. If we got Hoefsloot right, the One would help the company finance other products with that goal.
The Lightyear One achieves those incredible numbers with lightweight construction, a small battery pack compared to those in its competitors, and a lot of work to reduce its drag coefficient (less than 0.20). According to Lex Hoefsloot, Lightyear’s CEO, they are also pursuing efficiency gains with the powertrain, inverters, and solar panels. Yes, the Lightyear One recovers energy just by being under the sun.
The sedan presents 5 square meters of solar panels all over its body, which helps it get enough energy to run up to 70 km in a single day or up to 12 km in only an hour. The in-wheel motors help the vehicle save weight, but it is not clear how they influence unsprung mass behavior.
The first deliveries for the Lightyear One are scheduled to happen in the first half of 2022 – when the company will produce 946 units of a special series. Regular deliveries should start a little after that. At €150,000 a pop, mass production volumes are probably not a concern in this first stage. If we got Hoefsloot right, the One would help the company finance other products with that goal.