LEASING and mobility provider Arval has taken a bold step into sustainability mobility provision with the pre-order of 10,000 solar electric vehicles (SEVs).
Not heard of SEVs before? Well, you won’t be alone.
Solar electric vehicles use solar panels (what else?) to boost range. And the company leading the way is a Dutch business called Lightyear.
Already built is Lightyear 0 to demonstrate the feasibility of introducing solar power to assist EV range. Now it has introduced Lightyear 2 (see main picture above) which it aims to mass produce. Which is where Arval steps in.
It has pre-ordered 10,000 2 models which it says will give it a new go-to mobility partner for business clients and consumers alike to experience solar-electric mobility throughout Europe.
The Lightyear 2 has a range of over 500 miles and a starting price below £35,500. While it cannot operate on solar power alone, the photoelectric cells on the roof and the bonnet harness the sun’s energy and provide additional charge for the battery or to auxiliary items that need energy. Production is slated for 2025 so we’ll have to wait a while for this exciting new car.
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.
Arval is a committed player in the sustainable mobility sector, having championed electric cars as well as hydrogen adoption.
In June last year, Arval announced that it had doubled its electric fleet with 22,630 electric cars and electric vans on its fleet. It is also a member of the UK’s first Hydrogen Taskforce.
It has also introduced an employee e-bike scheme allowing staff to lease electric bikes, which it has now extended to its leasing clients as well.
And now it’s the turn of solar EVs as mobility provision looks to a more sustainable future.
Lakshmi Moorthy, Managing Director of Arval UK, On The New Lightyear 2
This solar powered electric vehicle comes to the UK market at the right time, when our customers have already adopted around 30,000 electric vehicles. Its range extending technology and affordable price will further accelerate the shift to sustainable mobility for fleets and individuals alike.
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