The first ‘affordable’ solar-powered car will roll off Lightyear’s Helmond production line in 2025. A multimillion-dollar investment by the province of Noord-Brabant and the Brabantse Ontwikkelings Maatschappij (BOM) is done. The car will cost 30,000 euros and already has more than 10,000 reservations.
Lightyear 2
This autumn, a first Lightyear car will be on the market to a limited extent. That’s the Lightyear 0. For that, about 250,000 euros still have to be deposited. The more affordable version of this solar-powered car will be the Lightyear 2. It will be produced more massively. The Lightyear 2 gets its energy from the sunroof. It also has a battery to drive on dark days.
Fewer charging stations
The investment of the province and the BOM (Brabant business development organisation) fits in with the energy transition. The electricity grid is under pressure. The demand for charging electric vehicles is increasing. This is difficult to manage. Vehicles that are charged directly by solar energy do not need to be plugged in as often. Lightyear is also working on more energy efficient vehicles. They consume less energy per kilometer, which means that a smaller battery is enough.
Investment and expansion
In total, Lightyear will invest 81 million euros in the production of cars that drive with solar roofs. The province is investing 7.5 million and BOM is investing 5 million in it. The other millions come from investors outside Brabant. With this money, the company wants to accelerate the current growth. They take extra steps in the expansion outside Europe.
Green mobility
Lightyear was founded in 2016 by former students of the TU/e in Eindhoven.
Martijn van Gruijthuijsen, Deputy for Economy, Finance, Knowledge and Talent Development of the province is proud. “It is special that Lightyear in Brabant can grow from an ambitious startup to a forerunner in green mobility. We see a bright future for Lightyear and would like to see them grow further in Brabant. Good for Lightyear, the climate , the Netherlands and Brabant.”
Source:Omroep Brabant
Translated by: Shanthi Ramani
