Tag: Electric vehicles

When cars and solar energy meet

Lex Hoefsloot — Co-Founder

Energy is the ability to do work. It is the reason why we have progressed into a highly prosperous society within 200 years. Energy veteran Gregg Maryniak showed me this graph that puts the whole story into perspective. Looking at this timescale, it suddenly becomes clear that fossil fuels are just a blip in history. In a very short time, fossil fuels gave us prosperity and the ability to accelerate all aspects of human development. Sadly, we all know that these energy sources came with a dark-side. We will inevitably switch to a new energy source.

Fossil fuels are just a blip in history. source

Despite the fact that this ‘blip’ is associated with massive amounts of energy, scientists are in fact quite certain that we can produce the same amount of energy using solar and wind power. Isn’t it fascinating how we are heading towards a future in which we can produce many times more energy using solar and wind power than mother nature has been ca..

The seemingly impossible car

Arjo van der Ham — Co-Founder

Technology today is evolving faster than ever. When you stop and think about it, the possibilities seem endless. Every day, a lot of great (or to be honest, most of the time not-so-great) ideas pop into my, our, or your head. Although the seemingly impossible ideas are hard to achieve, it does not have to imply that they are bad ideas. That’s why at Lightyear we like to do some quick back-of-the-envelope calculations to check the feasibility of some of those ideas.

Before we founded Lightyear, we used to meet every Thursday evening to do just that. After concluding that we wanted to start a business to make this world a better place by combating climate change, we started looking for the best solution. The first step we took was to investigate the underlying causes of human induced climate change, and we quickly found the following graph:

Total greenhouse gas emissions in the Netherlands, 2014, World Resources Institute.

We were s..

Lightyear wins €100 000 in Postcode Lottery Green Challenge

Martijn Lammers — Co-Founder

We have joined the finalists on stage at the Postcode Lottery Green Challenge. The four other finalists came from all over the world to pitch their companies in front of an international jury (http://www.greenchallenge.info/info/juries). Lightyear will use the 100,000 euro cash prize to accelerate the development of their first car, the Lightyear One. Several preliminary rounds preceded the finals. Out of a total of over 500 companies the five finalists remained.

“All the problems we have had with zero emissions vehicles, those belong to the past now.” – Lex Hoefsloot, CEO of Lightyear during his pitch at the Green Challenge finals.

On June 29, 2017 the Dutch startup Lightyear officially announced their plans to bring a commercial solar car to the market in 2019. The first vehicle, the Lightyear One, is an electric four-wheel drive car that can handle rough terrain and has a battery range of 800 kilometers, charged by the sun. Production of th..

FAQ: How does a solar car work?

Arjo van der Ham — Co-Founder

A solar car is a car that uses the sun as its main source of energy. You might know some experimental solar cars from the World Solar Challenge, a biannual 3000 km challenge through the deserts of Australia.

The first known long distance solar car is The Quiet Achiever. Built by the brothers Larry and Garry Perkins, this car crossed the Australian continent from west to east in 1982. It reached an average speed of 23 km/h. Over the years, battery and solar technology have improved. A lot. In 2013 the World Solar Challenge introduced the Cruiser class for more practical family cars. Today the technology is at an adequate level to start the development of commercial solar cars.

How do solar cars work?
At its core, a solar car is an electric car – one with an unlimited, free and wireless power source which it takes anywhere it goes. Basically, a solar car consists of a solar panel, a battery and one or more electric motors. All these parts are co..

Fiat Chrysler participates in Alliance for Robot Cars

Fiat Chrysler is the first manufacturer to join the BMW Alliance for self-driving cars. This is growing the alliance against powerful IT rivals from the Silicon Valley. Fiat Chrysler boss Sergio Marchionne Wednesday, 16.08.2017 13:26 clock Fiat Chrysler wants to work with you in the future BMW and the US chip specialist Intel Assistance Systems… Continue reading Fiat Chrysler participates in Alliance for Robot Cars

BMW have less subsidies for the plant in Leipzig

BMW can claim no further subsidies from the state for the construction of electrical production at the Leipzig plant. This has been decided by the court of the European Union. BMW plant in Leipzig Tuesday, 12.09.2017 12:51 clock BMW stand for the production of electric cars in Leipzig, according to a ruling of the EU… Continue reading BMW have less subsidies for the plant in Leipzig

BMW wants to sell 100,000 electric cars

So far, electric cars have a hard time in Germany. BMW wants to change that: Next year, the car maker wants to sell 65 percent more e-cars than before. Monday, 14.11.2016 15:52 clock BMW is setting high targets for sales of electric cars: “BMW should sell 100,000 electrified cars next year,” said BMW boss Harald… Continue reading BMW wants to sell 100,000 electric cars

TriLumina appoints Brian Wong as President and Chief Executive Officer

November 16, 2016 Albuquerque NM (PRWEB) November 16, 2016 — TriLumina a leading developer of semiconductor laser illuminators for solid-state LiDAR systems that enable autonomous vehicles and new automotive safety systems, announced that Brian Wong has been named as the company’s new President and Chief Executive Officer and as a member of the board of directors. Mr. Wong is an… Continue reading TriLumina appoints Brian Wong as President and Chief Executive Officer

Panasonic Highlights Its Industry-leading Innovations at electronica 2016 #ele16

[embedded content] Munich, Germany – Panasonic Automotive & Industrial Systems Europe (PAISEU) showcases a wide range of industry-leading technologies and components at electronica 2016, taking place November 8 – 11, 2016, in Munich, Germany. At Stand 105 in Hall B6 of the Messe Munich, the company displays almost 50 different components and systems for the… Continue reading Panasonic Highlights Its Industry-leading Innovations at electronica 2016 #ele16

Charging for older and pending Taxify rides

Riders are using Taxify to make millions of rides in 15 countries. Majority of those rides are paid by bank cards via Taxify app. Out of those card payments, small fraction fail due to various reasons – not enough balance, card expired or some other reason. Client got a ride, but Taxify did not get the money.… Continue reading Charging for older and pending Taxify rides