World’s first solar-electric car in production

By Dean Murray via SWNS

The world's first solar-electric car has begun production.

Dutch company Lightyear has officially commenced assembly of its first vehicle, Lightyear 0.

The firm plans on producing one of the £216,000 ($263,906) cars a week at the Valmet Automotive facility in Finland, with plans to scale up production in the first quarter of 2023.

Lightyear say they are the first automotive company to manufacture an electric vehicle that generates power directly from sunlight.

Featuring 5sqm of curved solar arrays, the Lightyear 0 charges wherever there is daylight, whether parked up or on the move.

Lightyear claims the model can yield up to 70km of free range per day from the sun alone, explaining "with an infinite power source like that on its roof, Lightyear 0 can drive for months without charging."

Non-solar charging can be achieved by plugging into a regular home socket, which will offer over 300 km of range overnight.

A statement said: "After six years of developing its own technologies, Lightyear has surpassed one of the most challenging phases for new automotive companies: entering the market with novel technology."

Lex Hoefsloot, CEO and Co-Founder of Lightyear, said: "We have hit many milestones in recent years, from major funding achievements to great partnerships. However, today is the most significant, and probably the most challenging, milestone we have reached so far.

"Starting production of Lightyear 0, the first solar car, brings us a big step closer to our mission of clean mobility for everyone, everywhere. We may be the first to achieve this, but I certainly hope we aren’t the last."