Vehicle Leasing Giant Arval Places Order for 10,000 Lightyear 2 Solar-Powered Cars

Lightyear, the Dutch high-tech company producing the world’s first solar-powered electric car, Lightyear 0, has signed a pre-order agreement with Arval, the European vehicle leasing company, owned by the BNP Paribas Group. The pre-order covers 10,000 units of Lightyear 2.

The total number of Lightyear 2 pre-orders from its partners now exceeds 21,000 units, corresponding to a revenue of nearly €840 million.

Lightyear 2 features a solar roof and hood enabling the car to double its range to more than 800 km per charge and overall three times less charging than a conventional electric vehicle (EV). 

It is being manufactured at Valmet Automotive’s facilities in Uusikaupunki, Finland.

Lex Hoefsloot, Lightyear CEO and Co-Founder, says: “Next to offering our solar electric cars to individual consumers, Arval plays a crucial role as a leasing company in making our technologies available for as many people as possible. We are grateful for their trust and being able to have their expertise and international footprint to roll out Lightyear 2.”

lain van Groenendael, Chairman and CEO of Arval, adds: “Our ambition is to lease 700,000 electrified vehicles as part of our global fleet by 2025, and we look forward to welcoming 10,000 Lightyear 2 cars, that help us to reach that goal and more importantly, further support our customers with an optimal solution that answers their energy transition needs and the infrastructure challenge in Europe.”

With the ability to harness up to 70 km of free, clean range per day from the sun alone, Lightyear 0 reduces pressure on the power grid and reliance on plugs and sockets.