Much better than Tesla: here’s the electric car with the best range on the market

Tesla is often presented as THE reference when it comes to electric cars, especially when it comes to their range. But a car about to enter the European market has managed to push the boundaries, beating Elon Musk’s best product by nearly 100 km.

With less than a year to go before production starts, the Lightyear One has broken the world record for the longest range on a single battery charge for an electric vehicle. The car drove on the test track in Adenhoven, Germany, and took almost 9 hours to cover a distance of 709 kilometers at an average speed of 85 km/h. In comparison, the Tesla Model 3 Long Range has a range of 614 kilometers.

Extra range thanks to solar panels

The Lightyear One, designed by the Dutch company Lightyear, has a battery of 60 kWh. It also has five solar panels. These add about 12 kilometers of range per hour of charge. During the test drive under a cloudy German sky, the car was able to draw 3.4 kWh from the solar panels, giving it a natural range of almost 40 kilometers. It consumes 83Wh/km and can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in less than 10 seconds. This impressive achievement comes with a price: 150.000 euro.

Theoretically, the Lightyear One should have a range of 724 km. The developers are only a few miles away from that goal and they have several months to reach it. Production of the car will start in the first half of 2022.

Exceeded expectations

“This early test has definitely exceeded our expectations. We know we can improve, for example the aerodynamics, the drivetrain, the brakes and the suspension. So we are very happy with these first results,” says Lex Hoefsloot, CEO of Lightyear, in an interview met Electrek.

Initially, only 946 units will leave the Dutch factory. They will only be sold in Europe, mainly in Switzerland and Norway. Lightyear is already working on a second car, which will also be electric and run on solar energy.

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