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Only investors can save the company. The bankruptcy is a blow to the ambitions of the Automotive Campus.

As announced on January 23, they had to file for suspension of payments with respect to Atlas Technologies BV, the operating company responsible for the production of Lightyear. This suspension has been granted by the Court of Oost-Brabant in 's-Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands and this court has now declared Atlas Technologies BV bankrupt. The court has appointed mr. R. van Oeijen of Holla legal & tax as trustee.

Lightyear regrets having to make this announcement to all employees, customers, investors and suppliers and will work closely with the trustee and all those involved and hopes for their understanding and support. In the coming period, the trustee will focus on the position of the employees and creditors as well as on the question of how the Lightyear concept can be continued.

The bankruptcy almost immediately followed the news that the company is in serious financial trouble. The construction of the Lightyear 0 was immediately halted, which means that almost all jobs at the builder of solar cars from Helmond will disappear. About 620 of the company's 650 employees who worked at Atlas Technologies will lose their jobs.

In the coming period, the trustee will focus on the position of employees and creditors and will examine how the Lightyear concept can be continued.

The decision to discontinue the Lightyear 0 was made as part of a 'strategic restructuring', according to their own press release. The company said it wanted to fully focus on the development of its Lightyear 2 solar car from now on. “Over the past few months, we have worked hard to overcome these challenges. In order to secure our vision, we have had to decide to fully shift our focus and resources to Lightyear 2. This effectively means that we have had to stop production of Lightyear 0.”

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This decision was not taken lightly as it affects everyone who has embarked on this journey with them. These are of course our own employees, who work day in and day out to make solar mobility a reality, together with their investors, clients, suppliers and the government. The Intellectual rights and Lightyear Layer BV are not covered by the suspension of payment and bankruptcy of Atlas Technologies BV

"The whole process of developing Lightyear 0 has provided our company with many valuable lessons over the past few years."

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The bankruptcy of subsidiary Atlas Technologies may be tantamount to the bankruptcy of solar car maker Lightyear itself. Only investors can save Lightyear. A frequently mentioned obvious partner is VDL Nedcar in Born. Curator Reinoud van Oeijen wants to look for a new start in the coming period, which may include talking to the owner of the car factory in Born. The question is whether VDL is willing to take that huge risk.

Lightyear

Lightyear is a Dutch startup that focuses on the development of electric cars with an extremely high range. The company was founded in 2016 by five graduate students from Eindhoven University of Technology. The Lightyear One is their first product, a solar car that is fully electrically powered and generates its energy using solar panels in the body.

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