Dutch firm Lightyear on Thursday said it has opened the waitlist for its second production model, Lightyear 2, which is expected to start production by the end of 2025.
Lightyear 2 is a solar-powered electric vehicle (EV) that offers a driving range of over 500 miles (805 km) between charges and is estimated to cost below EUR/USD 40,000, the company says. The first launch markets include the US, the UK and the EU.
“By harnessing the power of the sun, Lightyear 2 elevates the electric driving experience and reduces reliance on strained electricity grids,” said Lightyear chief executive and co-founder Lex Hoefsloot. “In fact, while Lightyear 2 vehicles require less charging from the electricity grid than a conventional EV, they also flip the script by providing clean energy back into the grid,” added Hoefsloot.
According to the announcement, Lightyear 2 has 21,000 pre-orders from international leasing and ride sharing partners, LeasePlan, MyWheels, Arval and Athlon.
Lightyear launched a prototype in 2019. Its production-intent vehicle, the Lightyear 0, was launched in June 2022 and started limited production in November 2022. The next step is the high-volume model Lightyear 2.
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