The Dutch tech company that develops the world’s first solar-electric car, Lightyear, begins the production of its first solar-electric vehicle, Lightyear 0, at Valmet Automotive’s facility in Finland, according to Innovation Origins.
It is the first automotive company to manufacture an EV generating power directly from sunlight. The company plans to produce one car weekly and gradually ramp up its production in the first quarter of next year.
According to the press release, after six years of developing its technologies, Lightyear surpassed a challenging phase for new automotive companies, taking up the market with novel technology.
One step closer to clean mobility
We have hit many milestones in recent years, from major funding achievements to great partnerships. However, today is the most significant, and probably the most challenging milestone we have reached so far. Starting production of Lightyear 0, the first solar car, brings us a big step closer to our mission of clean mobility for everyone, everywhere. We may be the first to achieve this, but I certainly hope we aren’t the last.
Lex Hoefsloot, CEO and Co-Founder of Lightyear
Lightyear 0 is the company’s first step in its attempt to change the mobility sector. The company develops an efficient vehicle with a smaller battery capacity (60 kWh). Lightyear wants to enable customers to skip the charging grid and drive more sustainably.
Six years after its founding, the company progressed into a scale-up with over 500 employees. It has established a reliable supply chain through partners like Bridgestone, Koenigsegg, and Valmet Automotive. With that, Lightyear proves that it can transform its aspiration into action.
United effort through solar mobility
We share Lightyear’s motivation for creating new, more sustainable mobility solutions and are excited to be part of this innovative development in the automotive industry. During the last few years, we have been working closely together to understand Lightyear 0’s technologies and prepare everything for smooth production of the solar electric cars for consumers.
Olaf Bongwald, CEO of Valmet Automotive
Lightyear’s production partner, Valmet Automotive, is a benchmark-setting EV manufacturer with over ten years of experience in electric vehicle production and more than 50 years of experience with well-known car brands.
