Meet a new EV manufacturer: Lightyear
CES 2023 has brought many exciting reveals, and the Lightyear 2 is one of the most intriguing. Lightyear is a Dutch EV startup company set on manufacturing solar powered cars. The goal is to produce a car that doesn’t rely on the electrical grid to even further reduce emissions.
Their first model, Lightyear 0, is in production (pictured below to the left). Lightyear claims that the 0 has a record breaking drag coefficient of just 0.175. That’s even better than the Mercedes EQS at 0.2. Its solar system adds up to 43 miles of range to the car per day. However, you’re unlikely to see many Lightyear 0’s on the road seeing as it costs over $260,000.
What we know so far about the Lightyear 2
Lightyear 0 served as a proof of concept. Now, the manufacturer has opened the waitlist for their new Lightyear 2. Preorders aren’t available yet, but joining the waitlist gets you updates on progress and dibs on the first Lightyear 2s to be produced.
What’s especially hard to believe is the projected range of 500 miles for a starting price under $40,000. That in itself would be an impressive feat. Lightyear claims they will use the lessons learned from developing the Lightyear 0 to make the Lightyear 2 work. They also claim the car’s lifetime emissions to be half those of a typical EV, and that it would need 3 times less charging annually.
Plenty of EV manufacturers have increased pricing over the last year to cover various claimed costs. If Lightyear is capable of keeping their projected price where it stands, the Lightyear 2 could be a great vehicle for many with short commutes. Stay tuned for more updates on the Lightyear 2 and everything else from CES 2023.
