Accelerating the move to clean motoring

Improving the range and efficiency of Electric Vehicles (EVs) represents a wonderful opportunity for solar innovation. One such innovator is Lightyear, and its groundbreaking Lightyear Zero model – which features an Integrated Photovoltaic (VIPV) solar roof with our Endurans® CB.

This conductive backsheet makes every available centimeter on the front of the module available for capturing more sunlight by enabling all the connections between the solar cells on a PV panel to be put on the back of the module. In turn, this contributes to a more stylish-looking vehicle, with an all-black appearance. In addition, it delivers freedom of design for the cell lay-out, thus enabling the highest power density.

In 2022, the Lightyear Zero was officially launched – and in 2023 the company decided to completely focus its resources toward the development of Lightyear 2, the more affordable car for mass production – planned to be launched in 2025.

And our role? The Endurans team provides support in terms of both application expertise and improved performance and price of the conductive backsheet itself – not least by further assessing and optimizing the different layers used in the material stack.

It’s an exciting opportunity – but not the only one in this segment. Here at Endurans® Solar, we’re now working with several other well-known automotive manufacturers to support them in developing a similar rooftop solution based on our conductive backsheets. The race for cleaner motoring is truly on…