Energy, Automobile, EV, Renewable News | Sono Unveils Production Design of Its ‘Sion’ Solar-Electric Car

Sono Unveils Production Design of Its ‘Sion’ Solar-Electric Car

July 26, 2022

Sono Motors (subsidiary to “Sono Group N.V.”, NASDAQ: SEV), the company that is pioneering solar-powered mobility, today held its first “Celebrate the Sun” Community event with more than two thousand guests. During the event, the Munich-based OEM celebrated the debut of the world’s first affordable solar electric vehicle (SEV), the Sion, in its production design, and the unveiling of its novel ‘Solar Bus Kit’, a scalable B2B retrofit solution that reduces fuel consumption and inner-city greenhouse gas emissions, thereby contributing to climate protection.

“We are tremendously excited for Sono Motors’ journey towards providing clean, affordable, and accessible solar transportation for the masses. The premieres of the Sion in its production design and the ‘Solar Bus Kit’ represent a giant leap forward in realizing our vision for a sustainable world, furthering our mission to reduce carbon emissions,” said Laurin Hahn, co-founder and CEO of Sono Motors. “Production of our series-validation fleet and presenting the Sion in its production design is a further step towards delivering on our promise of an affordable solar-electric passenger vehicle. In addition, business diversification through the establishment of our B2B solar business as a strategic pillar helps us to achieve our key targets. We are scaling up our Sono Solar business with our new ‘Solar Bus Kit’ and have successfully increased our B2B customer base.”

The Sion: Key Milestones Towards Series Production Achieved

Starting as an idea between friends in a Munich garage, Sono Motors has grown to become a pioneer in solar-powered transportation via its development of the Sion, an affordable and reliable SEV for the masses. The Sion’s unique market position, coupled with Sono Motors’ proprietary Sono Solar Technology positions the Company perfectly to seize upon a growing shift toward a more sustainable future and enables individual contribution to climate-friendly mobility through the Company’s blend of disruptive technology and affordability.

In its final production design, the Sion received major enhancements compared to earlier concepts: the exterior and interior now feature fewer lines and clearer surfaces. The Sion’s revamped exterior design includes new headlights and rear lights, a new bottom sideline design, new door handles, a streamlined rear with new camera and 3D lines, and a new charging lid. Inside, the Sion features a more spacious, cleaner interior with more storage, newly designed front seats and rear bench, and a new steering wheel. The Sion will also offer new color and trim for interior surfaces.

The outer shell of the family-friendly Sion will consist of 456 seamlessly integrated solar half-cells and will enable self-sufficiency on short journeys. The energy generated by the solar cells is expected to extend the estimated 305 km range of the Sion’s 54 kWh LFP battery by an average of 112 km (up to 245 km) per week. Commuters in German metropolitan areas will have to charge their Sion up to four times less than conventional electric cars of the same vehicle class with a similar battery size. The battery will allow for a maximum charging capacity of up to 75 kW (DC) and 11 kW (AC). Bidirectional charging technology complements the car’s solar integration and is designed to turn the Sion into a sustainable power plant on wheels that is expected to be able to power electronic devices, the home or other electric cars with an output of up to 11 kW.

Sono Motors is currently building its fleet of series-validation vehicles in Munich close to the company’s HQ, ushering in the Sion’s testing program, which has already commenced. In the next months, this vehicle generation will undergo uncompromising practical tests under extreme conditions in both Europe and the U.S. This includes series validation, homologation, crash tests, testing in different climates, optimizing solar technology and safeguarding, as well as refining driving dynamics on test tracks and on public roads.

As of 1 July 2022, Sono Motors has over 19,000 active private reservations for the Sion, with an average down-payment of €2,225 and equivalent net sales volume of about €415 million, assuming that all reservations result in sales. At an estimated net sales price point of just 25,126 euro, the Sion is expected to have one of the lowest TCOs (total cost of ownership) in the medium-size segment since the proprietary solar technology considerably reduces the necessity to charge the vehicle.

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