The Lightyear 0, an electric vehicle manufactured by Lightyear that began manufacturing three months ago for USD 270,000, will no longer be produced (via Electrek). The business will instead concentrate on producing the Lightyear 2, a car that it claims would cost under $40,000, and go into production in late 2025. The setback is part of a “strategic realignment,” according to a report.
Given that the choice will affect its employees and “investors, clients, suppliers, and the government,” the corporation claims it didn’t make a choice lightly.
It will also affect Valmet Automotive, which Lightyear hired to construct the 0. The reason Lightyear chose to suspend manufacturing is unclear; the business states that there have been a number of difficulties in recent months and that the decision is being made to “safeguard our vision.”
Additionally, Lightyear claims it is seeking the court to launch “suspension of payment procedures” against the business that created Lightyear 0; this business has a corporate structure that consists of both a holding company and another entity.
The Lightyear 0, which was unveiled in 2019, was designed to be a flagship car (as seen by its price), and it has five square meters of solar panels that, in theory, could give it a range of up to 44 miles. That’s not exactly typical for electric vehicles (EVs). The Lightyear 0 was one of the first EVs with solar power capabilities to enter production, though it’s yet to be determined how many the business really produced. It was initially intended to yield 946.
The business claims that the Lightyear 2, which was unveiled at CES this year, will “inherit all the features of Lightyear 0 for a fraction of the market pricing.” It is intended for a completely different market.
The crossover already has “20,000 pre-orders from fleet owners,” according to Monday’s statement. According to a remark from CEO and co-founder Lex Hoefsloot in the press release, creating the 0 provided the firm with “many useful learnings over the last years” that it will apply to create the 2. Given that there were probably just a few created, it would be difficult to determine whether 0 really has proven itself.
When The Verge enquired about what would happen to any Lightyear 0s that had already been created or whether its reorganization plan involved layoffs, Lightyear did not react immediately.
