Lightyear One

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

I can see where it makes sense for Europeans who live in flats and have no access to charging at home.

It's completely useless for America. Someone who can afford that car here will also be able to afford a house with solar. Too many compromises made for those rooftop solar panels.

Well, it's not really useless given that it's a very efficient, long-range electric car with CCS DCFC, that can charge while parked at work in a large open parking lot. (Like the N-S-oriented parking lot with unobstructed sun at my workplace. Car gets a good amount of sun on sunny winter days, enough that it makes a substantial difference to interior temperature.)

But I'm not in the "wealthy nerd" target demographic.

 

[cizUK]

But I'm not in the "wealthy nerd" target demographic.

Despite your name?

 

[diplomat33]

Transport Evolved has a nice breakdown video of the Light Year One.

 

[arnis]

I'm also tired of all vehicles trying to get best 0-xx numbers. It doesn't matter as soon as you are keeping up with the traffic
and you are not young&wild.
In-hub motors are questionable, but if they have them air cooled and IP67 I'm in.
Make top speed 140km/h and that is totally fine.

PS: front grill air intake area is way too big for this vehicle. This means prototype is FAR from ready. At least 1-2 years
from making first 1000 reasonable vehicles.
Rear end is artificially elongated way too much. It looks bad for no big reason.

 

[diplomat33]

Rear end is artificially elongated way too much. It looks bad for no big reason.

The long rear end might be on purpose for aerodynamic reasons.

 

[arnis]

Not good enough reason. Vehicles must be able to not only drive but also park into tight (or short) spaces.
Otherwise we go back to these impractical toys:
https://inhabitat.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2017/06/Stella-Vie-Solar-Car-11-889x592.jpg
5 people and cargo for 7 (not literally because this is not a 5 seater).

Also I bet reducing weight for 5% will reduce actual fuel economy more than microscopical gains in drag.

 

[Electric700]

€119.000

100 units scheduled for 2020 production. Plans to increase production in 2021

Thanks for posting!

For those who live in apartments / condominiums and can't easily add solar, this could be a big hit. I understand Lightyear has received over 100 reservations already. May be Tesla should buy this company and add its technology as an option on its cars. To have the ability to charge in the daytime when the car is not in use and you can't plug in, can only help. Plus, this would eliminate the daily range loss issue (and replace the problem with added range ) as long as your car is parked in the sun!

 

[diplomat33]

For those who live in apartments / condominiums and can't easily add solar, this could be a big hit. I understand Lightyear has received over 100 reservations already. May be Tesla should buy this company and add its technology as an option on its cars. To have the ability to charge in the daytime when the car is not in use (and you can't plug in) can only help. Plus, this would eliminate the daily range loss issue (and replace the problem with added range ) as long as your car is parked in the sun!

I don't think the tech is quite there yet. Light Year One has to strip down the car to reduce weight and cover the entire car with panels for a relatively small increase in range.

My idea for Tesla would be to sell foldable solar panels that you could store in the trunk and then when you are parked, you could take them out, unfold them and connect them to your car for charging. This could be great if you are at a national park or somewhere far from chargers. I bet you could design solar panels with quite a lot of surface area, much more than you could put on a car roof, that could fold into a small package when you need to store them in the trunk.

Frankly, the argument about not being able to charge at apartments is a poor excuse. You just need to get the apartment landlords to install chargers!

 

[arnis]

Frankly, the argument about not being able to charge at apartments is a poor excuse. You just need to get the apartment landlords to install chargers!

Correct. Imagine year 2039 and landlord doesn't offer any solution for charging. Next please.

It's all about "want to do it". Easy excuse "I can't".

 

[Cheburashka]

Lots of apartments in Europe don't have anything besides street parking.

 

[diplomat33]

Lots of apartments in Europe don't have anything besides street parking.

So? You can install chargers for street parking.

 

[Cheburashka]

So? You can install chargers for street parking.

Yeah that seems easily doable - just have the city install a charger in every single municipal parking spot.

 

[wws]

Yeah that seems easily doable - just have the city install a charger in every single municipal parking spot.

It's actually pretty common in northern climes - for engine block heaters.

 

[Cheburashka]

Saw it in person today.

Less ugly than in the video.

Hub motors and solar roof are still a dumb idea.

Interior sucks. Like a more ghetto gen 1 Model S interior. The aero of the car means the interior is smaller than it appears.

 

[voyager]

"To be clear: I want this car to succeed. I want this company to find enough buyers to leap into the mass market model as soon as possible. I feel like the world could use more peace and quiet, and the morning commute would be a great place to start.

Will this company defy the odds and deliver the most efficient EV on earth? Will they make it to mass market? Will they reach their goal of recording one lightyear of travel on solar power? Or, will they wind up among the EV Graveyard the likes of the CODA, the Aptera, or the Corbin Sparrow?"

First Ride: Lightyear One solar car gets 450 miles on 60kWh, even when sun isn’t shining - Electrek

 

[diplomat33]

"To be clear: I want this car to succeed. I want this company to find enough buyers to leap into the mass market model as soon as possible. I feel like the world could use more peace and quiet, and the morning commute would be a great place to start.

Will this company defy the odds and deliver the most efficient EV on earth? Will they make it to mass market? Will they reach their goal of recording one lightyear of travel on solar power? Or, will they wind up among the EV Graveyard the likes of the CODA, the Aptera, or the Corbin Sparrow?"

First Ride: Lightyear One solar car gets 450 miles on 60kWh, even when sun isn’t shining - Electrek

I hope they succeed too. There is a lot about the car that I love. It actually looks pretty cool too.

The efficiency is impressive. And I love the idea of solar charging. Just the concept that you could potentially drive the car for weeks or even months without plugging in thanks to the car recharging a little bit each day just by sitting outside in the sun, is very appealing.

Obviously, right now, the tech is expensive. Over time, the cost should come down.

I do think there is a benefit in the the LY1 being a sort of tech demonstrator. Maybe it never really makes it to mass market but it is able to introduce various innovations to other cars that help them be more efficient. I could see other EVs adopting some of the methods for making the car more aerodynamic and more efficient to get better range, without going all solar.

I think the biggest problem that the LY1 faces is a lack of demand because of improvements in battery tech. As batteries get better, it will probably be more effective to just put a bigger, more efficient battery in the car rather than trying to go all solar. For example, Tesla could probably do a 400 miles range Model S with a more efficient 120 KWh battery. That would probably be good enough for most drivers. So there won't be as much of a need for a solar car.

 

[voyager]

I think the biggest problem that the LY1 faces is a lack of demand because of improvements in battery tech. As batteries get better, it will probably be more effective to just put a bigger, more efficient battery in the car rather than trying to go all solar. For example, Tesla could probably do a 400 miles range Model S with a more efficient 120 KWh battery. That would probably be good enough for most drivers. So there won't be as much of a need for a solar car.

I agree. Bottom line is that it' a BEV with the solar panels attached to the car, instead of the roof of your house. So, the gadget or merit is in carrying a slow-charging source with you. But solar energy will become as ubiquitous as tap water in a few years. Like you said, what's really defining is the battery technology.

Secondly, you need a global player to make sense as far as the economy of scale and cost side of both production and distribution/sales. And those guys will probably not interested in a nice-looking sedan which only plus side is having solar cells pasted to the body. Unless those happen to be revolutionary cells.

Then again, it makes a whole lotta sense in Australia, where there's plenty solar energy, yet a lack of car plants / automotive investors.
Correct me if I am wrong.

 

[diplomat33]

I agree. Bottom line is that it' a BEV with the solar panels attached to the car, instead of the roof of your house. So, the gadget or merit is in carrying a slow-charging source with you. But solar energy will become as ubiquitous as tap water in a few years. Like you said, what's really defining is the battery technology.

Secondly, you need a global player to make sense as far as the economy of scale and cost side of both production and distribution/sales. And those guys will probably not interested in a nice-looking sedan which only plus side is having solar cells pasted to the body. Unless those happen to be revolutionary cells.

Then again, it makes a whole lotta sense in Australia, where there's plenty solar energy, yet a lack of car plants / automotive investors.
Correct me if I am wrong.

Another issue to consider is fast supercharging. When V3 supercharging becomes ubiquitous, it will make solar cars less needed. Why bother with the extra cost of putting solar on your car's roof, when you can just stop at a V3 supercharger and refill your battery in 15 minutes.

 

[voyager]

"If I have a more efficient car, if I can drive more miles with the same amount of energy than if I charge at the same charging spot, I’m actually charging faster in terms of miles per hour. So this car is about twice as efficient as a Tesla, for example.” He added, “If you are at the same charging station, you charge twice as fast, not because of supercharging but because the car uses less energy.”

The first cars are expected to ship at the end of 2021, with prices starting at $135,000. The goal is to hit around 100,000 cars sold by 2023, with the price dropping to as low as $55,000.

Lightyear One: Hands-on with a solar-powered car with 440-mile range

 

[RobStark]

So Lightyear does 60 kW fast charging. Since it is twice as efficient as Tesla that is equivalent to Tesla Gen II 120 kW speeds.

Tesla 2.5 Supercharger is 150 kW
Gen III is 250 kW

And Gen IV is coming soon.