Lightyear 0 is the first production solar electric car

10 June 2022
Lightyear is a new automaker to the market with an ambitious plan - to unplug our electric cars. Is it even possible?

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Zeke, 14 Jun 2022There is actually such a thing as too underpowered. I actually appreciate the whole point and ... moreHey Zeke, thanks for your amazing comment! You are absolutely right - the car's performance is on the slow side compared to everything else out there and is a huge surprise since the car has 4 quite powerful motors. But it was programmed this way to maximize efficiency. Let's not forget 15 years ago 0-100 in 10 seconds was a hot hatch territory - we have been spoiled for the last few years really. It's possible this car is set up in a way to force the driver to pull back and ease off the throttle just to get more miles out of it, we won't really know until the first test drives.

I gotta admit that the car feels like it missed a couple of opportunities but the company was hell bent on making it as efficient as it gets, it was their focus and nothing else. And you are right - the car is a compromise, probably the most expensive compromise on the market. I just hope they got a good plan, if the technology works in real life as they say it does and it can be applied to a cheaper and faster model - we all would jump on it. For now we just have to wait and see.

Anonymous, 12 Jun 2022Looks like it was designed by Jaguar.Now you pointed that out - it cannot be unseen...

  • Zeke

There is actually such a thing as too underpowered. I actually appreciate the whole point and mentality behind not wanting to replace ICEs with electromotors, only to then turn around and continue the horsepower wars. But this vehicle veers too far in the opposite direction, based on the stated specs -- something that will become obvious with actual, accrued experience of driving it.

For example, if it takes 10 seconds to go from 0-62mph and tops out at 100 mph as the article states, then just how long does it take to accelerate from e.g. 30-50 mph, or from 50-60? Because if those values are too far below the norm and the car becomes so sluggish that any hope of realistic maneuvering in especially heavy traffic vanishes, then this ipso facto relegates the car to being good for little more than leisurely drives on a Sunday.

And, let's be realistic: while it's great that some people have the luxury of not needing to drive on weekdays, and while it's absolutely worthwhile to strive toward an eventuality where this is the norm, rather than a rare outlier, the reality of the situation -- especially here in the U.S. -- is that, with the literal alternative of not having a weekday driver being bus trips to work that can expand a 19 mile/25 minute drive into a 2-2.5 hour bus riding escapade (one way -- and yes, this is based on personal experience), a car that is nothing but a series of compromises in pursuit of an ideal is simply not something the average person can afford, at any price point.

  • Anonymous

Looks like it was designed by Jaguar.

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