On A Single Charge, Lightyear One Solar EV Drives More Than 440 Miles

Since we first learned about Lightyear's initiatives, we've been keeping a close eye on them. The Lightyear One solar-powered electric vehicle has been getting closer and closer to completion, and it recently passed a critical milestone. The Lightyear One covered 441 miles on a single charge at the Aldenhoven Testing Center in Germany last month.

Both Lucid and Tesla have high-dollar, long-range electric vehicles capable of exceeding 400 miles. True, however, the Lightyear One achieved the same results as Tesla and Lucid, but with a significantly smaller battery pack. While Lucid's top-of-the-line Air has a 110 kWh battery pack and Tesla's Model S Plaid has a 100 kWh battery pack, the Lightyear only has a 60 kWh battery system.

That implies the business has figured out a way to give an equivalent range with a battery that's 40% smaller than the competition, resulting in a claimed efficiency of 7.35 miles per kWh. Compare this to the fairly efficient Tesla Model 3 with the 50 kWh battery, which got 5.26 miles per kWh in EPA testing (which includes both city and highway driving, rather than the steady-state 53 mph that Lightyear operated theirs at).

The test served as a proof of concept for Lightyear. They promised roughly 450 km (280 miles) on a single charge last year, and that statistic can be met with the proper foot. Real-world driving or stop-and-go traffic would reduce this figure, but it doesn't minimize the accomplishment of getting so much range from such a small battery. However, we'll have to wait for the Lightyear to undergo formal EPA or WLTP testing to get a score that's close to other EVs on the market.

Lightyear will shortly go on to the next round of testing, handing the car over to the WLTP for real-world range approval and safety checks.