Electric cars
are the hot thing in the automotive industry right now. Legacy manufacturers and startups alike are racing to design and release innovative EVs. One new company called Sono is looking to make an impact with its Sono Sion, a solar-powered electric vehicle.Green Car Reports
states that the company is still working on finalizing designs for the Sono Sion. Once it does release, it could demonstrate just how revolutionary the use of solar power in EVs could be. The solar-powered history of Sono
Sono's history begins in Munich, Germany about a decade ago. TechCrunch
states that the company's two founders, Jona Christians and Laurin Hahn, were inspired by the dream of getting away from fossil fuel energy. Despite neither having a background in automotive design, they got to work on a prototype solar-powered car. The first working Sono prototype was finished in 2015, and after a few more years of growth, the company went public in 2021. Sono's success can also be seen in the preorders for the Sono Sion. There have been more than 16,000 Sion models preordered.
However, Sono does not want to stop at manufacturing EVs. The company's ultimate goal is also to be able to integrate its solar technology into other vehicles.
Vehicles are being made with green designs in mind, like the carbon-neutral Polestar O2
, and Sono's solar technology could make green vehicles more achievable. How the Sono Sion will take advantage of solar power
The idea behind the Sono Sion takes the concept of solar panels and completely overhauls it. Instead of attaching solar panels to the roof of a car, the Sion's entire body will be made of solar panels. This is done to make charging the vehicle more efficient.
Sono currently estimates that the Sion will travel 189 miles on a single charge. This number is a significant bump from their previous estimate of 160 miles. With a mobile power bank, Sono also hopes that owners will be able to use the solar power generated by the Sion beyond the car.
As for other vehicle specs, the Sion will be a five-door hatchback. We will have to wait to learn more about the car's acceleration and top speed, though. The Sono Sion is currently slated to have an MSRP of $28,700 when it launches.
When will the Sono Sion be released?
As is common for innovative technology, eager drivers will still have to wait to get behind the wheel of the Sono Sion. At one point, Sono had estimated that the Sion would be out sometime during 2023. It is unknown if this is still the plan.
It is known, though, that they are still finalizing the design of the Sono Sion. Recently, they announced that they were in the series-validation stage, and they were creating 37 vehicles for testing. This will likely be the finalized model of the Sion.
The public will get their first look at the finished Sono Sion this summer. Sono is possibly planning to take their vehicles on a tour of Europe to gain further attention. When the final car is revealed, more will be learned about the solar-powered EV.
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