Lightyear One and its performance
An interesting piece of information caught my attention, a new electric car called Lightyear One that runs only on solar energy and has a very long range, perhaps the largest at the moment for an electric one.
To get the information from the source I went to their official site: Light Year. One where I found out interesting information starting with their statement:
“Electric vehicles don’t have to depend so heavily on plugs and sockets. Our cars harness clean, free and renewable energy from the sun. And instead of demanding more from the power grid, our technologies and design drastically reduce energy consumption. Less, suddenly becomes more. More time, energy and freedom to travel without range anxiety or the anchor of charging infrastructure.“
For this electric car, which runs only on clean solar energy, the designers have rethought everything not only to distinguish their car from other cars, but especially to achieve performance. Lightyear was tested for endurance on Australian tundra roads at Outback, using only solar energy.
Performance for them means that Lightyear One can be charged faster, and run on solar energy.
Total energy consumption is 83 Watt Hour / Km without air conditioning. It is powered by four independent wheels, which ensures improved control, avoids energy losses by transferring torque from the engine to the wheel and reduces the total weight of the car.
Acceleration speed is 10 sec from zero to 100 km / h. The autonomy provided by one hour of charging is as follows: on solar energy, 12km, with electricity worth 3.7kW at 230 V around 35km, 22kW from the public network for 209 km, 60kW fast charging offering 570km.
The car is provided with 5 seats for adults (2+3) and the volume for luggage is 780 liters, with an extended volume of 1710 liters.
The Lightyear One model has a range of 725 kilometers, conditioned by the driving mode and the type of road. Due to the roof and its solar hood, it can add another 12 km / h during the days when it is exposed to sunlight.
The design and aesthetics
Considering the realization of a lighter electric car, which consumes less energy and especially has a greater autonomy, they used aluminum and carbon fiber as construction materials. Due to the well-designed design, Lightyear One has the best aerodynamic coefficient found in a car at the moment on the market, which is also reflected in energy consumption.
The roof and hood of it have integrated five square meters of solar cells, protected by a secure glass, that can withstand a weight of over 100kg, ensuring a charge of solar energy throughout the day.
Unlike classic solar panels, their solar cells offer 20% more energy than traditional ones and work independently in portions, which means that even if certain parts of their surface are shaded, they continue to collect solar energy.
Also the solar roof and the solar hood withstand very high temperatures during charging without losing efficiency.
Lightyear One has a backup solution for situations where you run out of energy. Through a facility provided by system, you can drive another 15-20 km without requiring technical assistance, with the help of the solar energy absorbed by its cells, but only during the day.
This solar cells gives you independence from charging stations and the chance to drive for free wherever you want, as long as the sun is by your side.
The commuting could be for free
Considering that the use of an electric car is a step in the right direction to clean mobility, the problem for this type of cars is the dependence on charging stations that are not always distributed as we would like.
Everyone who is thinking of buying an electric car wonders if it will have the necessary daily autonomy to cover the required number of kilometers.
The advantage of it is that while you are at work, the car is on charge with solar energy ensuring your way back and solar energy is still for free which means you could commute for free.
