After years of waiting on the Lightyear 0, it seems like buyers may be out of luck as Lightyear has announced they have suspended production of the model to focus on the much more affordable Lightyear 2. Lightyear had previously announced it had started production on the Lightyear 0 with an output of about one model per week with the company aiming to increase that volume over time. When it first debuted, the Lightyear's specs were something to behold. It had a stated 383-mile range out of a small 60 kWh battery pack, and many wondered could this really be done? Lightyear's plan was to use photovoltaic cells lining the roof, hood, and trunk of the car in order to add an estimated 44-miles of range a day to the battery in ideal conditions, however the exorbitant price of $264,000 proved to be too much for most buyers. Now, the company is switching gears to focus on the far more affordable Lightyear 2 amid an influx of new competition and with recent price cuts by Tesla.
The Recently Unveiled Lightyear 2 Is Far More Affordable
At the recent Consumer Electronic Showcase in Las Vegas, Lightyear gave no indication of a production suspension of the 0, but they did take the opportunity to show their next vehicle slated for production, the Lightyear 2. At CES, Lightyear announced they would begin taking preorders for the 2 model, and they were able to secure some 40,000 preorders with another 20,000 orders from fleets. Clearly that was enough for the company to decide it's time was better spent focusing on the approximately $40,000 Lightning 2 over the $250,000-plus 0 model. With Tesla's 20% price reduction on the Model 3, along with a slew of new electric vehicle manufacturers debuting in the American market - including Vietnam-based Vinfast - it was clear to Lightning that a shift in direction was necessary to survive this modern day race to electrification.
Reasoning For The Change
CEO and Co-Founder of Lightyear, Lex Hoefsloot, said development of the Lightyear 0 "provided our company many valuable learnings over the past years," but the startup will redirect "all of our energy towards building Lightyear 2 in order to make it available to clients on schedule." According to the manufacturer, the Lightyear 2 “will inherit all the innovations of Lightyear 0 at a fraction of the market price.” It should please fans of Lightyear and their revolutionary idea of putting photovoltaic cells on the roof that that idea has not gone away and will be present on the Lightyear 2, which Lightyear claims will be able to do nearly 500 miles of range on a single charge. "We hope to conclude some key investments in the coming weeks in order to scale up to Lightyear 2, an affordable solar electric vehicle available for a wider audience" Hoefsloot said.