Lightyear 0 hits production, can be yours at a quarter of a million

Lightyear did what so many car startups could not and followed up on the promise of its Zero EV, actually bringing the sun-powered model to the market. The production is running, and orders are already being processed.

The Lightyear 0 (Zero) is a liftback 5,083 mm long and 1,972 mm wide – 198.5 and 77 inches respectively for our U.S. readers. The size isn’t just for the premium positioning, though, because the car has to be large enough to accommodate five square meters of solar panels on its roof (that’s almost 54 square feet). Additional elements are located on the hood cover and the tailgate.

Aside from this remarkable achievement, the car boasts a drag ratio as low as 0.175. It is unimaginably low by production vehicle standards and actually surpasses even the Mercedes-Bens EQS with its formerly class-leading ratio of 0.2.

Most of the power for the motors comes from a 60-kWh traction battery pack rated for 625 km (388 miles) of uninterrupted driving. There are four motors joining efforts for a modest combined output of 177 PS (175 hp / 130 kW), but the torque is instant and mountain-moving at 1,720 Nm (1,269 lb-ft).

On clear days, the solar array can add around 70 kilometers (43.5 miles) to the total range per day, the manufacturer claims. The company admits all tests were done in southern Spain, so other latitudes may get different results.

The Lightyear 0 starts from a cool €250,000, but that’s one way to be environmentally responsible in a sustainable way.