Lightyear

Nearly 70 years ago, the idea of a viable solar car concept was introduced to the world in Chicago, Illinois. While these vehicles started small (literally), they have progressed alongside the sustainable technology segment to a point where scalable solar electric vehicles are closer than ever, but there’s still plenty of room for innovation.

As part of a recently announced restructuring plan in which defunct start-up Atlas Technologies (Lightyear) rose from the ashes of bankruptcy, it is auctioning off hundreds of assets to pay back its creditors and transition into a new business entity. Today, you can buy one of several Lightyear 0 prototypes as well as a bunch of other components used to assemble the solar EVs.

Months after officially declaring bankruptcy but vowing to continue development of its mass-market solar EV, Lightyear has restarted its business as a new company with a significantly smaller team. In order to raise additional funds to continue its quest to bring affordable SEVs to the masses, Lightyear plans to auction off the few models of the Lightyear 0 that were originally built.

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.

It’s been a real tough month for the few but extremely innovative solar EV companies out here. Having just announced a shifting of its business strategy and a request to suspend all payments to its operating company, Lightyear has officially declared bankruptcy. Sono Motors’ flagship solar EV, the Sion, is staring down a similar barrel, as the startup fights to raise more funds to keep it alive. Meanwhile, Aptera has a production-intent design, but still needs millions of dollars to get it to production.

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.

Just six years after what began as a solar vehicle competition among students, Lightyear has reached a watershed moment in clean mobility. Today, the company officially kicked off the start of production for the Lightyear 0 solar EV at Valmet Automotive in Uusikaupunki, Finland, and we were fortunate enough to be the only US media outlet in attendance. Today not only proves that solar EVs are possible, but also scalable, kicking off an even more sustainable echelon of zero-emission mobility.

As it sits mere months away from bringing its first solar EV to market, Lightyear is once again showcasing the potential of its Lightyear 0. Following a series of drag-coefficient tests in Germany under WLTP conditions, the Lightyear 0 SEV should hit the market as the most aerodynamic production car ever built. Its test numbers shatter a title held by GM’s EV1 dating back to the late ’90s.

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.

For the last decade, the cofounders at Lightyear have been working to defy one single, formidable statement – a solar EV cannot be done. Although Lightyear has work to do before its newly rebranded Lightyear 0 solar EV begins production this year, its latest production intent prototype is quite close to becoming the real deal for the naysayers, and I was lucky enough to be one of the first people outside its creators to drive it.

During an online global premiere today, solar EV startup Lightyear unveiled the final production-ready design of its first vehicle, the Lightyear 0, formerly known as the Lightyear One. After six years of development, the Lightyear 0 is available for order ahead of first deliveries this fall.

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.

Solar Electric Vehicle (SEV) startup Lightyear has updated the public on the progress of its flagship vehicle, the Lightyear One by sharing recent test footage. The tests took place at Bridgestone’s European Proving Ground (EUPG) in Aprilia, Italy, where the Lightyear One was tested in aerodynamics, tire performance, and efficiency at high speeds. The results were quite encouraging.

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.

Connected vehicle system developer Sibros has added another EV OEM to its list of collaborators by sharing that it will provide Lightyear with its proprietary technology. As the automaker looks to bring its Lightyear One SEV to production in 2022, it will come equipped with over-the-air (OTA) software update capabilities and data management from Sibros.

EV startup Lightyear has shared the progress of its upcoming Lightyear One solar electric vehicle (SEV) in the form of durability testing with its latest prototype. The video footage shows the Lightyear One prototype navigating a proving grounds track and taxing terrain to ensure the SEV is top quality when it reaches its limited series production next year.

Lightyear, a startup developing electric solar cars, has announced a significant $110 million round of financing to bring its first vehicle to market.

A lot of money is being raised in the EV sector right now.

Autonomous Class 8 EV developer Einride announced a partnership with Bridgestone to co-develop safer and more efficient solutions for commercial fleet EVs. Through the partnership, Bridgestone becomes the exclusive tire supplier to Einride’s electric and autonomous trucks in the US. In turn, Einride will provide trucks and digital services to Bridgestone’s logistic network to help electrify a majority of its transports by 2025.

EV startup Lightyear has announced a letter of intent with contract manufacturer Valmet Automotive as a production partner of its upcoming Lightyear One solar electric vehicle (SEV). Through this new partnership, prototypes of the Lightyear One will be built in January 2022, with an exclusive series production to follow in the summer.