The Munich-based car manufacturer Sono Motors is currently bringing its first product onto the home straight. Thanks to solar cells, the Sion can offer urban commuters on a tight budget, in particular, something that no other electric car has yet.
It's rumbling from somewhere in the back right. It crunches very strangely when driving through the tight curve radius of almost ten meters. And the doors squeak slightly when you get out of the car. But that really doesn't matter. Because this car is a hard worker.
True prototype
From the passenger seat of this prototype of the Sion electric van, Markus Volmer encourages, despite the unsettling noises, to take the curves of the small test course north of Munich a little more jaggedly: “He's used to being tortured,” says the chief developer at newcomer Sono Motors. The fact that the 4,31-meter-long car groans so much in the beams is due to the many thousands of test kilometers under its belt - and to the fact that the pillars on the aluminum frame of the base plate are still screwed on instead of welded as in the series.
It is still a good year before the start of series production, but this car is also quite close to the car for which more than 13.000 people from all over Europe have paid an average of EUR 3.000 down payment on the announced purchase price of EUR 25.500. Above all, the Test-Sono already has all the essential equipment details that will make the Munich start-up's product a unique feature in the flood of new electric cars.
163 electric horsepower
This can already be seen on the 10-inch display on the center console when the Sono drives out of the large test hall into the bright sunshine. The single-speed gearbox lets the Sion whir quickly, the brake pedal is hardly needed thanks to powerful recuperation. 290 Newton meters of torque and 120 kW / 163 PS let the usual electro driving mood arise.
But the driving performance up to the regulated 140 kilometers per hour V-Max is certainly not what those interested in Sion are concerned about anyway. So back to the central display: There the car can be seen schematically from above - and the kilowatts now light up yellow on the hood, roof and side surfaces: namely those that recharge the solar cells in the battery everywhere there.
Range depending on the sunshine
The solar panels are the pride of the developers. Sono co-founder and boss Laurin Hahn calculates that in an average sunny German week, the 248 collectors increase the range of the vehicle by 112 kilometers. On sunny summer days there are even 245 kilometers. When changing the route between shady and sunny paths, you can also read in real time how the kW flow into the battery fluctuates.
In contrast to other providers, the solar function is not just a way of air conditioning the interior when the vehicle is stationary. A metropolitan commuter with the usual average of 16 kilometers a day can go to the office and back all week without having to recharge the battery. Interesting for lantern parkers who don't have a charging socket at work either.
Lighter than batteries
“With this type of use, the battery in the ground only needs to be charged once for every 1.000 kilometers,” says Hahn. The multiple patented technology of the solar panels is the second mainstay for Sono Motors. The company has already sold the super-light plastic cells, which are seamlessly bonded to the polycarbonate body parts, to manufacturers of trains, ships and trucks. MAN is also planning to panel vans with cells soon.
For the normal driver, of course, practicality counts. With the Sion, he doesn't have much trouble finding his way around: The car comes in exactly one version - and it's always black. "As in the past with the Ford T-Model," says Hahn. Before, that was in 1908, by the way. The T-Model was a bestseller for 20 years.
Longer for safety
So that the Sion can follow in such big footsteps, the cheap price for a full-fledged compact van alone is not enough. LED headlights, heated seats in the front, automatic air conditioning and networked infotainment are included for the price as well as adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning and other safety features. Incidentally, the Sion will be 16 centimeters longer in series production so that the front end will definitely meet the requirements of a crash test.
The makers have also added up on the battery. It will now hold 54 kWh instead of the previous 33 and extend the range from 255 to up to 305 kilometers - without the solar bonus. It is charged with up to 75 kW. The van is also capable of bidirectional charging.
Interior still needs to be revised
The Sion makers themselves say that there is still a lot of work to be done by the beginning of 2023 when the first customer vehicles will roll out of the halls of the former Saab factory in Trollhättan, Sweden. Seams and joints in the plastic planking need a lot of fine-tuning. The very airy five-seater with a height of 1,66 meters is very comfortable to the touch even in the interior of the prototype - but with a colorful mix of switches that probably already had a first life at Peugeot or VW. The loading sill of the 650 liter trunk (1.100 liters with the 60:40 rear bench folded down) is still high enough. But here too, around four centimeters should be lowered until the final.
Then a problem will probably be eliminated that in the prototype clearly spoils the enjoyment of beautiful weather: The monitor in the middle reflects quite clearly in the current inclination in sunshine. The makers still have to make improvements. But they are familiar with the properties of the sun.