Lightyear One: The most efficient production car in the world!

Reality is catching up with Lightyear as well: Certainly, you can drive the Dutch solar car with under 10 kWh/100 km, but on the highway at 130 km/h, it reaches 14.1 kWh. This was revealed by recent test drives.

However, the results of the latest efficiency tests at Bridgestone in Aprilia, Italy, showed that it's still reasonable to expect the Lightyear One to be "the most efficient and sustainable car in the world." The tests in Aprilia, which focused on aerodynamics, tire performance, and efficiency at higher speeds, took place at the Bridgestone European Proving Ground (EUPG). During the Bridgestone track tests, the vehicle's technical data, including battery capacity, speed, energy consumption, and range, were thoroughly examined. All of this is part of a complex equation for optimal vehicle efficiency. And: According to Lightyear, the tests took place under rather "suboptimal conditions." This means cold temperatures and naturally higher highway speeds, to which electric vehicles are particularly susceptible – even more so when exceeding 120 km/h!

Significant Differences between 85 and 130 km/h

In Aprilia, the speed was now increased to 130 km/h (compared to 85 km/h in previous tests) and took place in much cooler weather conditions of around 10°C. The engineers then measured an energy consumption of only 141 watt-hours per kilometer. Such a value would make the Lightyear One the most efficient car on the market, which with its relatively small battery (60 kWh), according to Megan Parfitt, the vehicle test coordinator at Lightyear, would go around 1.5 times farther than the most efficient vehicle to date. The tests have shown that the car can travel over 400 kilometers on a single charge despite suboptimal conditions. This corresponds to a distance from Amsterdam to Luxembourg at highway speed, and in any weather. "We will gradually increase the vehicle's speed. In the end, it will reach 160 km/h," explains Megan, adding:

"We are gradually increasing the speed to ensure safety and to make sure we are satisfied with the vehicle's performance."

Both tests, in Aldenhoven and Aprilia, yielded promising numbers. At 85 km/h and in warm weather, the car drove for almost nine hours straight (710 kilometers) on a single charge. At this relatively low speed, the most efficient electric cars consume about 50% more energy.