Arval orders 10,000 Lightyear 2 solar e-cars

Leasing company Arval has pre-ordered 10,000 vehicles of the Lightyear 2 solar electric car, according to Dutch high-tech company Lightyear, maker of the world's first mass-produced solar electric car, the Lightyear 0. The Lightyear 2 is the manufacturer's much cheaper, second model. Arval is an international player in sustainable mobility solutions and is part of the BNP Paribas banking group.

This gives Lightyear another mobility partner for corporate customers and consumers, advancing solar-electric mobility in Arval's key European market. This brings the total number of Lightyear 2 pre-orders from B2B partners to 21,000 vehicles already, according to the manufacturer, which is expected to represent nearly €840 million in sales. This announcement comes a week after Lightyear opened its end-user waiting list. Unfortunately, Lightyear does not specify how many private customers have already joined the waiting list.

Arval and Lightyear share ambitions for sustainable mobility. Arval is expected to support Lightyear's entry into the European market through customer experience events in 2023/24. "Lightyear's technology is proven, affordable and environmentally friendly, making it the perfect fit for our fleet," said Alain van Groenendael, chairman and CEO of Arval. "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 achieve our goal and support our customers with an optimal solution to the infrastructure challenges in Europe."

More range thanks to solar integration

Lex Hoefsloot, CEO and co-founder of Lightyear, says, "In addition to offering our solar electric cars to individual customers, Arval plays a critical role as a leasing company in making our technologies accessible to as many people as possible. We are grateful that Arval is supporting us with their expertise and international presence as we bring the Lightyear 2 to market."

The Lightyear 2 promises to meet consumer needs for a convenient, environmentally friendly mobility solution. Thanks to solar cells on the roof and hood, the car is said to create a range of more than 800 km per charge. It is said to require three times less charging than a conventional electric car thanks to solar integration (up to an additional 70 kilometres a day is said to be made possible by the sun) - all at a price of just over 40,000 euros. After proving the viability of a solar-powered electric car 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.
The Lightyear 2 is scheduled to enter production in 2025. The full unveiling of the new model is scheduled for mid-2023.