First solar-powered car hits the market this year

Primeiro carro movido a energia solar chega ao mercado este ano

Dutch company Lightyear has announced that it will start producing the world's first solar-powered electric car, the 'Lightyear 0'. The vehicle comes with solar panels installed on the roof, hood and trunk, capable of charging the battery while parked, but also on the move.

The company guarantees that the first delivery can take place as early as November of this year.

According to information made available by the construction company in its official websiteAccording to the newspaper Económico, the car will have an autonomy of 624 km without stopping to recharge, and will have an additional range of up to 70 km per day from the solar panels.

Every hour in the sun equals an additional nine kilometers of charge to the battery, according to Lightyear. The solar range will provide an additional several kilometers of power for long trips, allowing less time to be wasted at charging points. The company says that in warm countries, such as Portugal or Spain, if your daily commute is less than 35 kilometers, you don't need to charge the car for up to seven months. In a cloudier climate, like in the Netherlands, the car has to be charged after two months.

While the whole concept of the 'Lightyear 0' revolves around efficiency and reduced charging time, it has a top speed of only 160 mph, while the time from zero to 160km per hour is ten seconds.

The price is not inviting either. One of the 946 launch models will cost €250,000, more than, for example, a Ferrari Roma, and a considerable distance from mid-cost electric vehicles like the Nissan Leaf (€25,500) or the Tesla Model 3 (€47,400).

The company also hopes to launch a "popular model" by 2025, tentatively dubbed the Lightyear Two, which will sell for about 30,000 euros.

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