Rotterdam, Netherlands
Lightyear
Actiflow has optimized the CFD simulation process for Lightyear.
Lightyear One
The Lightyear 0 was an electric car developed by the Dutch start-up ‘‘Lightyear’’. The vehicle could be charged via both the electricity grid and solar cells integrated into the bodywork. During development, the model was referred to as the Lightyear One. The aim was to create the most efficient electric car. By using solar panels, part of the required energy can be generated by the car itself. Not only does this contribute to limiting charging times, but this clean form of energy also provides immediate green miles.
Case details
About the client
Lightyear developed electric passenger cars with an integrated system of solar panels. The company originated from the Stella student team of the TU/e. This team has developed several prototypes of electric passenger cars with solar panels for the World Solar Challenge. Production of the Lightyear 0 started in late 2022 but was halted in early 2023 after the production subsidiary involved, Atlas Technologies B.V., was declared bankrupt. Eventhough they raised enough money for a restart, in early October 2023, founder Lex Hoefsloot announced that the company would focus entirely on solar roofs and halt development of the solar car.
Collaboration Lightyear and Actiflow
The Lightyear team is growing fast, including in the aerodynamics department. Aerodynamics is an important theme for the electric Lightyear one and future models. To optimize the aerodynamics, many calculations/simulations are required, which must be set up quickly and reliably by the team members with minimal effort. Lightyear has asked Actiflow to further automate and streamline this process. Our CFD Engineer has worked closely with the team, but also with the HPC professionals at Lightyear’s cloud computing partner.
CFD Support Actiflow
Our CFD engineer has developed an automatic process that enables Lightyear engineers to perform simulations quickly and consistently. The existing simulation set-up was analyzed, after which some improvements were made. In this regard, collaboration with Lightyear’s engineers and with HPC specialists from Lightyear’s cloud computing partner was crucial. By looking at the wishes of the team and the possibilities of the cloud, a process has been set up in which Lightyear’s engineers only have to take minimal manual steps in performing these calculations.
For setting up this process, the experience of our CFD engineer with regard to various software packages, a Linux HPC environment and knowledge of scripting through bash and python has been of great importance. The new process offers the possibility to simulate new designs within hours, so that faster steps can be taken in the process. In addition, the new process can also be used for automated optimizations.
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