Lightyear Two

Less than a month after declaring bankruptcy, the remaining team at Lightyear has announced plans for a new company entirely focused on getting its short-lived Lightyear 2 into production. The solar EV startup says it has raised a “solid capital base” from a community of investors to continue solar EV development, but at the risk of its intellectual property (IP) as collateral.

Less than two months after its official start of production, Lightyear has suddenly suspended all assembly of its flagship 0 solar EV. Instead, the Dutch company says it will shift all focus and resources on the development and production of its second model – the Lightyear 2. This comes as a bit of a shock and begs the question whether Lightyear will have the funds to get its second solar EV model into scaled production.

Less than a month after kicking off production of its flagship solar EV the 0, Lightyear has begun teasing images of its second, much more affordable model, the Lightyear 2. Following an announcement this morning, Lightyear has opened up its waitlist to pre-order the Lightyear 2, which will be sold in the US, UK, and Europe. It promises to deliver over 500 miles of range on a single charge with the help of our Sun and start at an MSRP below $40,000.

Solar EV manufacturer Lightyear has welcomed another fresh round of investment capital to help get its first vehicle – the Lightyear 0 – into production this year while furthering development of its second SEV, the Lightyear 2. The €81 million (~$80M) round is led by Invest-NL, who funds businesses and projects that are working to make the Netherlands more sustainable and innovative.

Solar EV manufacturer Lightyear has announced Swedish high-performance sports car manufacturer Koenigsegg as its latest investor. Furthermore, the latter will join Lightyear in a “technology-sharing partnership” in which both automakers will share proprietary and patented information to develop ultra-efficient vehicles like the upcoming Lightyear 2.

Solar electric vehicle (SEV) developer Lightyear has announced a partnership with The Sharing Group, whose MyWheels car sharing platform is currently the market leader in the Netherlands. As part of the agreement, Lightyear will provide 5,000 units of the Lightyear Two – its second SEV – which has yet to be revealed, in 2025. Additionally, some models of the Lightyear One SEV will join the MyWheels platform in 2023.

Lightyear, a startup known for developing an expensive solar car, announced its second vehicle, and it’s going to be a much less expensive ~$34,000 solar electric car.