Lightyear and Royal DSM have signed an agreement to jointly scale the commercialization of Lightyear’s solar-powered roof for the EV market. The partnership aims to integrate solar-powered roofs in a variety of EVs, including cars, vans, and buses, enabling users to charge their vehicles directly with clean energy. The companies are teaming up to assess the market, starting with pilot projects for customers from the automotive and public transport sectors.

This technology was initially developed by Lightyear for the solar panels of Lightyear One. Featuring five square meters of integrated solar cells protected by double-curved safety glass, the solar roof captures sunlight continuously, whether the car is moving or stationary. 

Royal DSM VP Pascal de Sain said, “By stepping up our collaboration with Lightyear, we are creating an entirely new market for lossless high-power back-contact technology.”

Martijn Lammers, Lightyear’s co-founder and Chief of Strategy, added, “We want to revolutionize the way that people travel. By scaling up the accessibility of our solar technology through our partnership with DSM, we can accelerate the mass adoption of electric vehicles by making them sun-powered.”

Source: Lightyear