Solar Car: Is Lightyear on the Verge of Bankruptcy?
This page is translated from the original post "Voiture solaire : Lightyear au bord de la faillite ?" in French.
- 03/02/2023 16:35
The news is not good on Lightyear’s side, which is experiencing serious financial difficulties. The future of the Dutch startup now looks compromised.
Lightyear is not doing well and can no longer hide it. In a statement on January 26, the Dutch company announced the bankruptcy of Atlas Technologies B.V., the entity that was supposed to handle the production of its solar car. This news does not mark the end of the journey, but it inevitably raises questions about Lightyear’s financial solidity. The manufacturer is already forced to abandon its first model, even before its commercialization. It is now focusing on the Lightyear 2, which is expected to be launched in 2025.
Lightyear, an electric car before being a solar car
Sold for €250,000 and limited to 1,000 units, the Lightyear 0 was clearly targeting a niche segment. This very particular positioning probably cost it dearly, although it is not enough to explain the project’s failure. The Lightyear 2, on the other hand, seems more capable of democratizing the solar car, if the concept has a real future. The company’s goal is to sell it for around €40,000. Under good conditions, the vehicle’s range could reach up to 800 km. Similar to Sono’s Sion, the battery mainly uses energy supplied by the home grid. Solar power simply allows for slightly extending the recharging intervals.
The Lightyear 2 will have a very streamlined profile to optimize aerodynamics and thus efficiency. With its first model, Lightyear recorded a consumption of 8.5 kWh during tests in Germany. For comparison, a Tesla Model 3 Long Range is rated at 16 kWh / 100 km. However, the Lightyear figure should be taken with caution, as it was measured on a circuit under optimal conditions.
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