User:EditorHarm/Lightyear (solar car)

Lightyear is a tradename of Atlas Technologies B.V.

History
Atlas Technologies B.V. was founded in 2016 by five former students of the Eindhoven University of Technology.

The roots of Atlas Technology B.V. go back until 2010. In 2010 a group of 30 excellent students from the Eindhoven University of Technology started with the Honors Horizon Programme. As a part of their programme, the students developed a new master study: Automotive Technology. The research into automotive technologies motivated the two most visionary and entrepreneurial students of the Honors Horizon Programme to combine solar technology with vehicle functionality. The two students set a goal: participate in the World Solar Challenge, with a family car (four seat car) powered by solar energy.

In 2012 Solar Team Eindhoven was set up. The team consisted of more than 20 students, developing the worlds first solar powered family car while starting from scratch. In 2013 the goal was achieved: Stella, the first solar powered family car was realised. The team went to Australia and participated in the cruisers class of the World Solar Challenge. After the two week journey, Stella had won the race.

After the project of developing the first solar powered family car, the students carried on with their studies. However, for continuity of solar car development, the former Solar Team Eindhoven members were also involved in the development of Stella Lux, the follow up of Stella who won the World Solar Challenge in 2015.

When, in 2016, most of the former Solar Team Eindhoven students graduated (mostly in the master Automotive Technology), five of them started a new company: Atlas Technologies B.V.. Similar to the start in 2012, the goal is ambitious, innovative and bold. The common cars, notorious energy consumers and contributors to the environmental changes, should be replaced by clean energy producing cars.

Philosophy
The car industry is in a transition from traditional, non-renewable energy sources as power supply, to electrical driven motors. The founders of Atlas Technologies B.V. argue that the current net capacity is not enough to deliver the questioned energy if most people would drive electric cars.

Criticism
Criticisms of the Stella concept argue that it is much more practical and efficient to keep the solar panel array at a fixed location, like putting a solar array on the roof of your house, rather than on that of a car. Most houses have enough roof-space to hold a solar array large enough to power both the house itself and one or two electric cars. Moreover, not only is there room for a larger array, so that the car can be charged more or faster, but power companies will also pay more for your electricity during the day than you’ll pay them to charge your electric car off the grid at night. Additionally, there is no risk of damage that random road debris might do to the cells on a car.

On the other hand, solar-powered cars could potentially be of use in regions where sunlight and space are abundant, and without easy access to grid electricity, where charging facilities are rare.

Cars
Lightyear one