Lightyear receives more pre-orders from Arval

Lightyear can announce a reservation from Arval: Europe's full-service multi-brand car leasing company sees itself as one of the main players in sustainable mobility solutions and is part of the BNP Paribas Group. The leasing company has now pre-ordered 10,000 vehicles of the mass-produced Lightyear 2 model. With this, the company has a new mobility partner for corporate customers and consumers, aiming to advance solar-electric mobility in Arval's key market of Europe. The total number of Lightyear 2 pre-orders from B2B partners already amounts to 21,000 vehicles, corresponding to a revenue of almost 840 million euros. This announcement comes a week after Lightyear opened the waiting list for end users. 

A partnership with shared values 

Arval and Lightyear have, by their own account, shared ambitions regarding sustainable mobility. Arval is to support Lightyear's entry into the European market through Customer Experience Events in 2023/24. Alain van Groenendael, Chairman and CEO of Arval, explains:

“The technology of Lightyear is proven, affordable, and environmentally friendly, making it the perfect addition to our fleet."

And adds his goals:

“Our goal is to offer 700,000 electrified vehicles in our global fleet by 2025. We look forward to adding 10,000 Lightyear 2 vehicles to our portfolio to reach our goal and support our customers with an optimal solution to the infrastructural challenges in Europe."

Lex Hoefsloot, CEO and co-founder of Lightyear, is pleased because the order grows his buffer for mass production:

“In addition to offering our solar electric cars to individual customers, Arval as a leasing company plays a crucial role in making our technologies accessible to as many people as possible. We are grateful that Arval supports us in the market launch of the Lightyear 2 with their expertise and international presence." 

The Lightyear 2 is expected to achieve a range of over 800 kilometers per charge thanks to the solar cells on its roof and hood. This model should require three times fewer charging cycles than a conventional electric vehicle – all at a price of under €40,000. After Lightyear proved the feasibility of a solar-powered electric vehicle with the limited production of its first model, the Lightyear 0, the Lightyear 2 is the company's next step in making clean mobility accessible to everyone, everywhere.

What does this mean?

Lightyear continues to gain momentum: the "finger exercise" Lightyear 0 is to be followed by the mass production model Lightyear 2. This is bolstered by an Arval order of 10,000 units, providing significant momentum and a vote of confidence.