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Sono Unveils New Solar-powered Car Prototype
Sono Motors started to turn heads back in 2019 when the company unveiled the Sion prototype, a solar electric vehicle (SEV) that offered the promise of driving for “free” on solar power. It wasn’t the prettiest, but design elements take a back seat when covering a car in enough solar panels to drive about 21.7 miles per day or more than 150 miles on a single charge.
The Sion addresses obstacles that have prevented consumers from buying into an EV: cost, range, and infrastructure.
The Sion is essentially an EV with solar panels that continuously charge the battery. However, a typical EV commuter has to charge the vehicle about once a week. Pulling from the power of the sun, the Sion only needs to be charged once about every four weeks, according to the company.
At CES 2021, the company unveiled its next-generation SEV prototype, as well as a likely price. The Sion will cost around $26,400, but the company emphasizes a lower total cost of ownership made possible by swapping paint for solar cells.
The SEV has 248 solar cells embedded into a clear polymer integrated into black polymer panels. Swapping glass for plastic makes the cells and car much lighter. The company controls cost by offering one color, black (which is technically the absence of color, but I digress). Using polymer exterior parts in a single color also means no paint shop and no stamping facility or tooling, and significant cost reductions. Sono is using commercial-off-the-shelf components and plans to sell the vehicles via direct online sales.
The team not only found a way to put solar panels on all straight and curved exterior parts, but the interior design is progressing as well. The bare-bones interior includes dash and infotainment displays and a sparse center console.
The company plans to finish development this year and start producing cars in 2022, initially focusing on the European market.
At CES 2021, the company also gave a peek at the first prototype for a solar trailer, produced in conjunction with Finnish solar manufacturer, Valoe.
The goal of the trailer project was to explore integrated photovoltaics for trailers. The prototype can generate 80 kWh of energy, which offers particular potential for refrigerated trucks. The work could also lead to solar-powered heavy-duty trucks.
Other notable Sion features include the ability to, like some EVs before it, use the battery as a generator to power external devices and natural moss in the dash — though the jury is still out on that one beyond a certain natural beauty.
SOURCE: THOMASNET NEWS
Self-driving solar-powered shuttle by EasyMile & Sono
French EasyMile and Germany’s Sono Motors want to develop a self-driving shuttle powered by the sun. Based on EasyMile’s EZ10, the shuttle will bear Sono’s patented solar technology. If the concept works, it may make it to 30 countries.
This is the number of export markets that EasyMile claims to serve with the EZ10 already. For Sono Motors, the startup just presented new prototypes at CES and said they were open to licensing. EasyMile was first in line.
Sono’s solar technology works by installing solar cells into flexible polymers, not glass. This makes it lighter, robust, cheaper and more efficient than any other solar vehicle, the company claims. Simultaneously, Sono clarifies that the solar body panels cannot replace traditional charging methods but can reduce the number of charging intervals.
So for now, it remains unclear, how much more range the solar cells may give the EasyMile shuttle. The announcement said the charge time could be “dramatically shortened with the new solar technology.” At the moment, operators must plug in the EZ10 for around six hours to fully recharge from empty. The battery then lasts for up to 16 hours of slow driving.
EasyMile and Sono hope this combination will lead to a “new type of energy-efficient transportation” – which actually does not appear too far off. EasyMile has been on our radar since 2017 when their EZ10 made first rounds along the Seine in Paris. Operations have expanded since and the new partnership may help bring costs further down. The starting price is 25,000 euros at the moment.
The EZ10 sits up to six people but can accommodate for over a dozen passengers, plus a human “operator” just in case. EasyMile claims that they already run on autonomy at level 4 without a driver, meaning in a “known area” like a campus or similar environments. The autonomous vehicle has a maximum speed of 45 kph but will initially have a maximum speed of around 20 – 25 kph in regular service.
For Sono Motors, regular readers may recall the Munich-based startup and its Sion electric car with solar cells. They have been through some rough weather with clouds of bankruptcy hanging over them in late 2019. They have since recovered with a new financing concept. Only a year later, Sono said they had received around 100 million euros in capital via equity, debt and paid reservations as reported. The startup has also garnered around 12,400 pre-orders for its Sion solar electric car.
Back to today’s announcement and the new licensing strategy. Sono Motors and EasyMile pointed to buses and shuttles like the EZ10 as particularly fit for solar electrification because of the large contact area on buses and trucks and we think that may be just right.
SOURCE: ELECTRIVE
One of the big surprises of this year’s virtual Consumer Electronics Show was the official introduction of the pre-production prototype Sion from Sono Motors, dubbed the first SEV or solar EV in the world.
World’s First Solar EV, Sion by Sono, Breaks Cover as Pre-Production Prototype
Sion has been around in one form or another since 2017, but the company goes several years back. In 2018, when we covered Sion, the first-gen prototype existed and Sono had plans to take it into production in late 2019, for an early 2020 delivery. That would later change to late 2020 for mass-production and 2021 for delivery, but the international health crisis has pushed those dates even further back.
The silver lining is that the delay allowed Sono to further refine the Sion. The second-generation prototype was shown at CES 2021 virtually (see the video below for the full presentation), with Sono saying that this will most likely the car customers will be getting, whenever deliveries start. Pricing has also seen an increase, from a reported €12,000 to €25,000 ($14,500 to $30,200 at today’s exchange rate), but the quality of the vehicle is also considerably improved.
And Sono promises they will continue to work on improvements until units go out to customers.
Whatever changes may come, Sion will still stand out for two things in particular: it aims to be the first solar-powered vehicle in the world (not if Aptera gets there first, though), and it is the only mass-produced vehicle to use moss as an air filter.
Instead of paint, Sion is covered in solar cells on all straight and curved exterior parts, meaning the roof, the hood, the doors and the rear. They should offer charging for up to 34 km (21 miles) on sunny days, topping the electrical charge even in motion or when stuck in traffic. Depending on location and daily needs, this could be enough for the daily commute – as long as you don’t have to go out of your way for groceries.
If you do have to stop by the supermarket as well, you have standard electrical charging for that. The battery is good for 255 km (158.5 miles) on a single charge, Sono promises. But if you’re only using your car to drive to and from work, you don’t live outside the city, and you happen to be in a mostly sunny area, you can make do with solar power alone. A lot of “ifs,” but not impossible to be lumped together.
The electric drive is from Continental, with 150kW peak power, 60kW continuous power, and 175 Nm (129 lb.ft) of torque. Top speed is rated at 140 kph (87 mph).
The Sion will come with an accompanying app, which is currently in development. It will allow keyless entry and settings control, which will make this SEV ideal for ride-sharing as well, either across a network or between friends. In fact, as an extra push for sustainability, Sono says Sion is best shared – if only with friends, whenever you’re not using it.
Also at CES, Sono offered a good look inside the cabin, with highlights on the infotainment system and the breSono, the integrated dashboard air-purifier, which is made of actual, living Iceland Moss.
“We have found a way to deliver sustainable, free power across various transportation applications by replacing the traditional ‘paint shop’ process with integrated solar technology. While Sono Solar Technology is cheaper, lighter, and much more efficient than conventional glass-based solar cells, I am most excited about the potential uses that will arise thanks to its incredible flexibility,” Jona Christians, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Sono Motors, says. “We are continuing to enhance this technology and look forward to our next achievements.”
Because of the international context, Sono can’t offer an estimate on deliveries. However, it’s still taking pre-orders for the Sion.
SOURCE: AUTOEVOLUTION
Sono Motors drives latest Sion solar EV prototype into CES 2021
The second generation Sion Solar Electric Vehicle prototype gives a the strongest indication so far of what's in store for the production vehicle
Sono Motors
VIEW 6 IMAGES
German startup Sono Motors has shown of its latest vehicle prototype at the online-only CES 2021 expo. The second-gen Sion features 248 photovoltaic panels integrated into the vehicle's body that will top up its battery pack during daylight hours, for up to 20 miles of extra range per day.
The Sion EV initially went up for pre-order in 2017, with powertrain, battery and revised pricingannounced the following year. Series design images followed, then a closer look inside the cabin before the company embarked on a community funding campaign at the close of 2019. We caught up with CEO Jona Christians for a chat about the project in January last year, with a new pre-production prototype promised before the close of 2020. That vehicle prototype has now been launched at CES 2021.
"We are tremendously proud to deliver on our promise to our community to showcase a product that can drive the transition to a solar-powered future," said Sono's co-founder and CEO, Laurin Hahn. "This journey started in a garage with a simple idea and has become a great force thanks to the overwhelming support of our community. I speak for our entire team when I say that the next generation Sion prototype is just the beginning, and we are keen to set through to realize our goal. We are looking forward to continuing our progress to deliver the first Solar EV for everyone."
Company founders Laurin Hahn and Jona Christians with the second generation Sion SEV prototype
Sono Motors
With this latest prototype, Sono has managed to install solar cells on all straight and curved exterior parts of the Sion SEV (Solar Electric Vehicle) – including the hood, roof, doors and rear. The idea is that the vehicle's battery can get a bit of a top up from solar energy while it's sitting in the parking lot or even stuck in city gridlock. In ideal conditions that's hoped to translate to up to 34 km (21 mi) of range per day, and depending on how the family car is used, that could be enough for the commute to work and back without plugging in. It obviously won't be enough for longer trips so the car can also be plugged in, with the total per charge range for the battery pack reported to be 255 km (158.5 mi) on the WLTP cycle.
Sono also installed series-intended components such as the electric drive unit, vehicle control unit, MPPT Central Unit, thermal system, bi-directional on-board charger, and more. The company has opted for electric drive from Continental, which offers 150-kW peak power, 60-kW continuous power and 175 Nm (129 lb.ft) of torque. Top speed is reckoned to be 140 km/h (87 mph).
The corrosion-resistant aluminum spaceframe and polymer shell of the prototype will likely be the same for the series production model. Inside, the infotainment system has been installed for the first time, and joins the Island Moss-based air filtration system, which has proven to be quite the talking point throughout the development years.
The Sion's interior has been fleshed out in the second generation prototype, with the Island Moss filtration system installed and the infotainment system active
Sono Motors
"Our natural air filter system breSono is a design highlight," Christians told us last year. "We’ve integrated Island Moss into the dashboard and center console to complement the artificial air filter. breSono continuously improves the interior air quality while having a positive influence on the car’s interior humidity. When testing the efficiency of the moss, we found that it filters up to 20 percent of particulate matter out of the air. Since the moss no longer has an enzymatic reaction when in this condition, you don’t even need to take any special care of it. The moss is also easy to replace during a regular filter change."
Sono has been working on the companion mobile app too, which will allow owners to check up on the vehicle's location, battery status and solar charging level, as well as remotely control cabin temperature and lighting, afford keyless entry and so on. The app is also central to Sono's plans for the car to be used in ride sharing, car pooling and power sharing – with users in total control of who gets access to the vehicle and for how long.
Essentially, this facility will allow owners to offer lifts to anyone registered in the scheme or just colleagues and friends, make the vehicle available for rental while they're at work to earn some extra cash, or make the battery energy available to power appliances and tools at home or at camp.
The Sion Solar EV is up for pre-order now for an initial payment of €500 towards a full purchase price of €25,500 (about US$30,000). Production was estimated to start in 2022, but COVID-19 has caused a few issues.
"The global crisis caused by COVID-19 had an impact across the automotive and technology sector, hence on Sono Motors and its suppliers," the company told us. "In response, we have adopted a laser-sharp focus on the delivery and development of the second prototype. With this strategy, we were able to deliver on our promise and continue our technology development through the crisis. We are looking forward to providing an updated development timeline as soon as possible, over the coming months."
In a surprising addition to the CES livestream, Sono not only announced a partnership with e-shuttle company EasyMile but also revealed the first prototype of a solar trailer built in collaboration with Finland's Valoe. Details are scant, but it's reckoned that the setup could generate up to 80 kWh of energy per day when deployed.
SOURCE: NEW ATLAS
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