Leasing company Arval has pre-ordered 10,000 units of the Lightyear 2, a solar car from Dutch start-up Lightyear. This brings the total number of pre-orders for the Lightyear 2 from business partners to over 21,000 vehicles. The Lightyear 2 is set to launch at the end of 2025 in the USA, UK, and EU at a base price of €40,000.
However, Lightyear has not disclosed how many private customers have also pre-ordered the vehicle. The reservation by Arval, a subsidiary of French bank BNP Paribas and leasing partner for companies such as Aiways and MG Motor in Germany, represents a potential sales value of €400 million.
Arval CEO Alain van Groenendael announced plans to lease 700,000 electrified vehicles, including Lightyear 2 cars, as part of the company’s global fleet by 2025. He praised Lightyear’s technology as “proven, affordable, and environmentally friendly” and stated that the goal is to support customers with an optimal solution for their energy transition needs and the infrastructure challenge in Europe.
“Next to offering our solar electric cars to individual consumers, Arval plays a crucial role as a leasing company in making our technologies available for as many people as possible,” said Lex Hoefsloot, CEO and co-founder of Lightyear. “We are grateful for their trust and being able to have their expertise and international footprint to roll out Lightyear 2.”
Little is currently known about Lightyear 2, also known as Lightyear Two, which was announced in early 2020. The company has stated that it will have the ground clearance of an SUV, an aerodynamic roofline, and a range of up to 800 kilometers.
The vehicle’s design is similar to the larger Lightyear 0, but smaller and taller. There is currently no information on battery or engine specifications, but Lightyear claims that it will have the lowest operating costs among comparable EVs and produce half the emissions of a standard electric car. Additionally, the car’s range is said to be doubled through the use of solar panels and it will require less charging according to the company.
