Lightyear One - from solar racer to commercial product

[oil pan 4]

So whats thr difference between a car lasting 11 years vs 12 when panels last 20 plus years?
Historically and not that long ago the average car life was 8 years. If anything that's a sign of decline, cars are last g 12 years because people need them to.
Having a car that lasts 20 plus years is the exception.
Samsung guaranteed my panels for 20 years.
Clearly the car will need to be charged with grid power nearly all the time, that will charge it to 100% overnight, then after that the panel is there for show unless the car is driven.
Putting solar panels on cars should technically work, it will just be wasteful.

[Isaac Zachary]

One thing that comes to mind is what's the point of putting solar panels on my roof if nobody is home during the day. We don't have A/C, so it's not like it's going to help. And last I heard, my electric company no longer pays back for electricity. They may even charge us for the electricity at night. And even if I moved to an area that pays or credits you for excess electricity going back into the grid, if everyone started putting panels on their homes then that would stop being a benefit real soon.

The inevitable is that for solar to work there needs to be battery storage. If I'm going to buy a battery and hook a solar panel up to it, do I get a Tesla wall, or do I get a solar car? The panel is much smaller, but at least I can use the battery bank and solar panel for something other than an expensive roof ornament.

Also, we are talking about first gen solar cars here. Yes, this may be the only gen, but there's a chance that next gen they will have 20% more solar range, and the gen after 15%, and so on, or maybe even more. At some point solar cars could become grid independant. But we'll never get there if we just shurg our shoulders and say it's not worth the effort. Time to get that carburetor cleaned out since fuel injection isn't worth it either.

[freebeard]

Having a car that lasts 20 plus years is the exception.

Cars I've driven since 2016:

• 1971 Superbeetle
• 1971 Superbeetle
• 1979 Dasher diesel
• 1990 Metro XFi

Originally Posted by Isaac Zachary

Who says solar panels should last 25 years?

Aptera project a 25-year lifespan for automotive OEM pieces and parts.

[oil pan 4]

Batteries are expensive and they wear our even if you don't use them.
Most cars could last 25 years if people didn't crash them and did some maintenance on them.
My firebird is 33 years old. First I had to defeat the antitheaft system just to get it started and now I'm currently trying to Frankenstein a T56 from a 2002 camaro together for it. Just needs minor transmission surgery to make the new style T56 for the LS1 engine that I bought for dirt cheap work with the clutch setup used on the ancient small block chevy clutch and slave cylinder set up.
Actually I like the old slave cylinder set up better than the new one. The new one scks to work on.

[freebeard]

Horses are expensive and they wear our even if you don't use them.

[ME_Andy]

Nobody's going to scrap a $100,000 car after 11 years. It's too valuable. Look at the original Tesla Roadsters as an example.

I think people usually get rid of cars because the maintenance gets expensive or the interior or exterior gets dingy. The Lightyear One at least shouldn't require expensive maintenance, like most modern EVs.

It's also attractive to keep it going because the "fuel" is free. The longer you could keep a Lightyear One, the better your ROI.

[oil pan 4]

Let's say the next generation of solar cars is only 50 or 60 thousand?
And only some of the fuel is free.
My leaf only cost $7,000 and the fuel is nearly free, about like a metro with $1 a gallon gas.
What's going g to be the difference between. The light year and any other modern EV?

[ME_Andy]

Originally Posted by oil pan 4

What's going g to be the difference between. The light year and any other modern EV?

Well I think you're right, any EV is going to be kept as long as possible. Especially when gas is 5 bucks a gallon.

[Isaac Zachary]

Originally Posted by oil pan 4

Let's say the next generation of solar cars is only 50 or 60 thousand?
And only some of the fuel is free.
My leaf only cost $7,000 and the fuel is nearly free, about like a metro with $1 a gallon gas.
What's going g to be the difference between. The light year and any other modern EV?

How can you compare an 9 or 10 year old (I forget when you bought it) first gen EV with a brand new first gen solar EV?

The base model Aptera is scheduled to cost half of $50 to $60 thousand.

How much will a 10 year old Aptera or Lightyear One cost? Don't forget to factor in inflation.

[oil pan 4]

At this rate, a new $30,000 apthera will still cost $30,000 in 10 years. My $7,000 leaf 4 years later is worth at least $10,000 on a bad day.
Let's say not a leaf. Whats the lightyear going to have that tesla wont besides massively underutilized solar panels?
Tesla could be more efficient but that costs more.