Just before production began, Dutch startup Lightyear reported that official tests show the Lightyear 0 solar vehicle has a drag coefficient of 0.175. This would be a record for a production car.

According to Lightyear, the figure was confirmed after a series of extensive tests in one of the FKFS wind tunnels in Stuttgart, Germany, under conditions Globally harmonized light vehicle testing procedure (WLTP). So far, Lightyear has only reported a Cw value of less than 0.19.

The lower the drag coefficient, the higher the energy efficiency, although this also depends on the frontal area and rolling resistance. Air resistance increases squared with speed, which makes cars at high speeds less efficient and have higher energy consumption.

The Lightyear 0, until recently called one, is designed with maximum energy efficiency in mind. The lower Cw value is partly due to the car’s teardrop-shaped design. In-wheel motors are also used in place of one or two electric motors on the axle. According to the WLTP standard, the Lightyear 0 comes with a length of 625 km and a battery of 60 kWh. According to Lightyear, it is practically possible to reach 560 km at a constant speed of 110 km per hour on the highway. Solar cells with a total surface of 5 m²-Be sure to recharge the battery when the car is parked in the sun.

By the way, Lightyear 0 does not have the lowest Cw value at all. The 1980 Volkswagen ARV test car had a value of 0.15 and the Ford Probe from 1986 to 0.137 in a wind tunnel. But those were model cars, not production cars. A concept that may go into production one day is the Mercedes-Benz EQXX, which, according to Mercedes, has a Cw value of 0.17. Production vehicles that get close to the Lightyear 0 are the EV1 (0.19) from 1996, the most recent Mercedes-Benz EQS (0.20) and the Tesla Model 3 (0.21).

Lightyear 0 production should begin within two months. Tweakers posted the first last week practical impression Based on a pre-production model that basically looks like the final versions.