Solar assisted cars will be produced this year

Lightyear Announced the Production of their Solar Assisted car “O.”

Many companies are developing solar panel cars, but none are ready to hit the market. The Dutch company, Lightyear has announced the production of Lightyear O, and the first delivery could be as early as November.

The Lightyear O will have a curved solar panel in its hood, trunk, and roof that recharges the electric battery as it drives or is parked. For comparison, the car can drive a little more than the Model 3 of Tesla (374), as the company claims that the Lightyear O will drive around 388miles and will have a different range of 44miles a day from the solar panel. According to the company, each hour in the sun will add six miles of charge to the battery, which is more than other companies provide.

The company said that in a hot country like Portugal or Spain, there is no need to plug in the car for the charge for up to seven months if one’s daily commute is less than 22miles. In the cloudier climate of the Netherland, the car should be charged after two months.

But the estimated price of this model is costly. The Lightyear O will cost around $262,000, which is way more than the Model 3 Tesla ($50,000). The company hopes to launch a “people’s model” by 2025 that will cost around $31,215 in retail. They tentatively named the people’s model “Lightyear Two.”