The Lightyear One is claimed to be be able to drive 725 kilometres (approximately 450 miles) between charging. With that metric the Dutch car surpasses all other existing electric cars, including the Tesla, by a wide margin.

According to CEO Lex Hoefsmit, the limited range is at the moment the greatest impediment for people to purchase an electric car. That is why the company has made a great effort to make the range as large as possible.

The design, material choices, the relatively light weight all contribute to this. But also the bonnet and roof made from solar panels (5 m2) that charge the car while driving and the drive using four electric motors.

The wheel motors have no drive shafts and differential, so no energy is lost between motor and wheels. Furthermore, the car can be charged from an ordinary power outlet. Using a 230V plug you could charge the battery '400 kilometres' per night.

The car can theoretically drive 20,000 kilometres per year on solar energy. This does, however, require a country with a lot of sunshine. In the Netherlands, Lightyear One assumes 10,000 'free' kilometres.

Alumni from the Technical University Eindhoven have worked for two years on a functional prototype. In addition to the technology they have also attracted funding.

The entry-level model of the Lightyear One is said to cost 144,000 euro including VAT.