World's first production solar-powered car can drive for months without charging
-
Loading... - Viola Bertoni
- 07 Jul 2022
- 124 Views
- 0 Like
- 0 Comment
Electric vehicle (EV) sales have ramped up tremendously in the last few years, but their overall market share is still very much tiny, negating their potential for decarbonizing the transportation sector. For instance, in the US, EV registrations have doubled over the past year, but they totaled only about 5% of all new cars.
One of the reasons why many prospective buyers in the market for a new vehicle are reluctant to switch to electric is range anxiety. Although the autonomy of EVs has improved tremendously, now regularly averaging 200 miles (360 kilometers), people either overestimate the real range they actually need from an EV or are simply wary of having to find a charging point and deal with the subsequent waiting time. In short, there’s this impression that EVs are not yet as convenient to drive as fossil-fuel vehicles, which may or may not truly be the case depending on where you live.
Lightyear, a startup from the Netherlands that raised €150 million in investment, is launching the world’s first production-ready solar-powered electric vehicle, perhaps with such prospective buyers in mind.
Their futuristic-looking vehicle, known as Lightyear 0, is covered in five square meters of sleek solar panels that are perfectly integrated with the car’s streamlined design, very radically different from the dull, blue panels you see perched on many rooftops. These solar panels charge the car’s battery while it’s either parked outdoors or driving in the burning sun.
Under optimal conditions, the solar cells covering the top of the car should be able to add up to 44 miles (70 km) a day to the battery’s 388-mile (625 kilometers) capacity, the company said. In theory at least, that’s enough to meet people’s average commutes and daily trips without ever having to plug the car in a socket.
That’s, of course, predicated on the average number of overcast days where you live. According to tests run by the startup, considering a daily 22-mile (35 kilometers) drive, the Lightyear car could be driven for two months in the Netherlands without having to be plugged in, whereas in sunny countries like Spain or Portugal the EV could charge itself in the sun reliably for seven months. When it’s too cloudy, you have to plug in the vehicle for charging just like any other regular EV. Read More...
