Dutch technology company Lightyear announced on Monday morning that they are choosing the Finnish company Valmet Automotive as a partner to manufacture their first exclusive solar-powered electric car, the Lightyear One.
Choice of manufacturer
Lightyear has been working for five years on the development of the Lightyear One electric car with solar cells on the roof. Lightyear has raised around 60 million euros in the last few months to start the production, following their development stage. Choosing the manufacturer was not an easy task so it took more than a year to decide on Valmet Automotive from Finland. According to the technology company, Valmet Automotive is one of the world’s largest car manufacturers. The company has more than fifty years of experience with large and well-known car brands including Mercedes-Benz, Saab, and Porsche.
“Two years ago we announced our prototype of Lightyear One. We are very happy that we now have a manufacturing partner with whom we will produce this exclusive model”, says Lex Hoefsloot, CEO and co-founder of Lightyear.
Test drive
A prototype of the solar car model of the Lightyear One covered 710 kilometers on one battery during a test drive at a German test track. This distance was achieved with an energy consumption of 85 watt-hours per kilometer at a speed of 85 kilometers per hour. “Even the most efficient electric cars in the market today consume 50 percent more energy at this relatively low speed,” said Mr. Hoefsloot.
Industrialisation phase
Following the test phase, Lightyear is now preparing for the industrialisation phase. In co-operation with Valmet Automotive, the first prototypes of the Lightyear One model will be built in January 2022. More than a hundred customers have already applied to the Helmond-based company for the One model which might cost around 150,000 euros.
Source: Studio040.nl
Translated by: Anitha Sevugan
