Roughly six months after first
being showcased to the world, the Lightyear One Prototype has made an
appearance at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. During the
event, Roadshow had the opportunity to check it out up close.
There are a number of things
that make the Lightyear One stand out from most other electric vehicles
currently on the market or being readied for sales. For starters, it features
four small in-wheel electric motors and a 60 kWh lithium-ion battery pack and
is said to be good for a range of 725 km.
Then we come to the design of
the EV. It features an extremely sleek and aerodynamic shape that helps it cut
through the air and preliminary tests have revealed the drag coefficient to be
around 0.20. Aiding in the aerodynamics is a completely flat underbody.
The shape of the One has also
allowed Lightyear to adorn the entire roof (5 square meters worth) with solar
panels. If the car were to be parked outside somewhere where it gets a lot of
sun, the solar roof alone could add 50-70 km of range per day
during summer. When the sun isn’t enough to provide owners with the range they
need, the One also supports typical charging and can have its battery topped up
to 400 km of range by charging overnight from a 230V socket.
Lightyear plans on launching
the production-spec One in 2021. The car will not be cheap. In fact, prices
start at € 119,000 (US$ 132,520) in Europe.
