The biggest problem with Electric vehicles is range. While a plug-in hybrid can count on gasoline as a backup, Electric Vehicles can’t.
This major obstacle needs to be addressed to ensure and enable rapid market increase of Electric vehicles.
Now, in a major Advancements in Electric Vehicle Technology, Dutch solar electric car start-up Lightyear has designed a solar-powered car that completed a whopping 441 miles (710 km) on the test track.
Lightyear One prototype car achieved this milestone on a single charge. However, Tesla Model S can travel nearly 400 miles on a single charge.
Image courtesy: Lightyear
The long test drive is a record!
https://youtu.be/lnEPjJBBjFgNever before any electric car has driven so far with such a relatively modest battery– just 60 kWh, that too on a single charge. The Lightyear One was put to test at the Aldenhoven Testing Center in Germany. It completed 710 kilometers while driving at a constant 53 miles per hour (85 Km/h).
The successful validation test is a major step not only for Lightyear but for the industry overall. Successfully lowering the energy consumption per mile means EV owners can get a lot of the range on a small battery in the future.
Batteries are the most expensive part of an electric vehicle. Smaller batteries are crucial for an electric vehicle because they reduce cost and weight.
