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.
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