Solar Electric Car from Helmond, NL

[EddMarkStarr]

The concept is realistic. Solar panels can supply electric energy to propel a vehicle but the engineering is tricky.
Solar panels require a lot of real-estate to make usable electricity, and size is an automobile's efficiency enemy.

Lightyear Automotive, Helmond, NL, is introducing the Lightyear Zero as the first practical solar electric car.

At a cool €250,000 each, the Lightyear Zero is the "wealthy testbed" for more affordable cars in the future.

Much has been made over electric vehicles with hub-mounted motors inside the wheels.
The first such car I ever heard of is the Lohner-Porsche Elektromobil of 1898.

Porsche was able to locate the only known surviving Elektromobil for a complete restoration.
It now sits proudly in the Porsche Museum, a testament to Prof. Ferdinand Porsche's engineering genius.

 

[Charon]

That's p dope.

Too bad it'll never be available to the public.

 

[Harke the Boeotarch]

There isn't much sun in The Netherlands...

 

[cityboy-stl]

Sounds great in the rain.

Wonder how it works in the Winter when the car is covered with ice and snow, and it is minus 5F outside?

 

[Rickrock]

It looks pretty cool, but isn't quite practical enough yet for everybody. It will be interesting to see what they are able to do with it in the next 10 years.

 

[72-Jay]

It does look pretty cool, and the idea is certainly cool.
The price not cool

cityboy-stl makes a good point..what happens in bitter freezing weather and/or snow. .lol.
-----
Oh and what happens to it when ( that's not if but when ) you get a hailstorm...

 

[nycguydowntown]

I like ---

 

[Harke the Boeotarch]

We call Helmond "The Hellmouth" (Buffy the Vampireslayer)...

 

[Thomas80]

There isn't much sun in The Netherlands...

The sun is always there I think, if it's cloudy that's an advantage because it diffuses the light to the solar panels on the front and on the back.

 

[Charon]

There isn't much sun in The Netherlands...

Awesome.

 

[Vannie]

I'm happy with my Edsel.

 

[EddMarkStarr]

I'm searching for any manufacturer working on multi-hybrid platforms.
The only solution in my opinion is to combine solar/petrol-electric/plugin hybrid in a single car.

But all I'm seeing looks like college science research projects.

Ford seems to have scrapped their solar/hybrid bid, the C-MAX Solar Energi Concept, from 2014.