Hopes were high when solar car company Lightyear announced they were releasing an electric car with a 500-mile range last Tuesday. But the buzz quickly fizzled when the company revealed the astronomical cost of the vehicle, expected to be around $170,000.
Dubbed the Lightyear One, the five-seat vehicle is powered by four electric motors and impressively can drive for four days without needing a charge. However, the steep price tag has left some potential customers feeling less than impressed.
Despite the setback, Lightyear’s Chief Executive Lex Hoefsloot remains optimistic about the car’s future. “We think in a couple of years, with developments in battery technology and the use of new materials, it could be available at lower costs,” he said in an interview.
In other tech news, Apple unveiled its new MacBook Air. The update is powered by Intel’s new Core i7 chips, which Apple claims make the laptop two times faster than the 2020 model. The laptop also boasts a 13.3-inch Retina display and all the latest features.
Elsewhere, Google announced its new Pixel 4a smartphone. It’s the cheapest version of the tech giant’s flagship product, with a 5.81-inch OLED screen and 128GB of storage. The phone also boasts a 12.2-megapixel rear camera and 8-megapixel front-facing camera, while it’s powered by a Snapdragon 730 processor.
Finally, Amazon announced its new Echo show 10, an Alexa-powered device which features a rotating 10-inch touchscreen. The device is designed to be an “all-in-one smart assistant,” with music playback, video streaming, voice commands, camera surveillance and much more.
Overall, the tech news from this week was a mix of highs and lows. Lightyear’s ambitious new vehicle failed to get off the ground due to its huge price tag, while Apple, Google and Amazon all scored points with their respective product releases.
Hey Subscribe to our newsletter for more articles like this directly to your email.