Sono Motors – Blog Posts

The Future Is Solar

2023-02-24T14:00:00+01:00

We announced today that Sono Motors will pivot to a purely solar tech company and that we have terminated the Sion program.

Before we go into details, we first want to sincerely thank each and every person who has supported us over the years on our journey. Thank you to our strong and loyal Community, without whom we would never have come this far. It is your support that has been the backbone of Sono Motors and we owe so much to you. You have been with us through every step of our journey.

A Long Road, Together Side by Side

We see it before us like it was yesterday — the small garage, us in the Twingo. Founding the company with Navina in 2016. Our first crowdfunding campaign. The first release event with the SVC1. Our test drive tours all over Europe. The incredible #staysono campaign with over €50 million in pledges. The launch of the SVC2 at CES. Valmet Automotive as a contract manufacturer. The development and production of the series-validation vehicles. And to top it all off, the successful crash tests. Throughout this whole journey you, our Community, have been our cornerstone. You have been with us through thick and thin and we are truly so grateful for every moment that we have shared together.

We are extremely saddened that we have terminated the Sion program so close to bringing it to the streets. We are still fully committed to making a real difference in mobility and making every vehicle solar. Therefore we have made the decision to continue with our solar B2B business. This was a very difficult decision, as you can imagine, and we do not take it lightly.

What Happens Now?

We will pivot our business model to exclusively retrofitting and integrating our solar technology onto third party vehicles. This marks a significant next step in Sono Motors’ business development. Our technology is already in application today, with 23 B2B customers across Europe, Asia, and the U.S. piloting our integrated solar technology on a variety of vehicle architectures, including third-party OEM cars, buses, refrigerated vehicles, and recreation vehicles. An estimated 90% of our funding needs for 2023 were generated by the Sion program and therefore in light of the circumstances such as market depression, we made the decision to terminate the Sion program.

Despite more than 45,000 reservations and pre-orders for the Sion, we were compelled to react to the ongoing financial market instability and streamline our business. Given also the resource intensive nature of the Sion program, including personnel requirements, we are now implementing a significant cost reduction program. This includes the redundancy of approximately 300 employees. This is not a decision we take lightly and we are incredibly grateful for their hard work and dedication to Sono Motors.

The success of the Sion’s recent 18-vehicle series-validation program was proof to us that the concept of a solar electric vehicle (SEV) works. Just before entering pre-series production, the Sion was on a trajectory to become a disruptor in the automotive solar technology industry. We continue to believe that it is a solution both wanted by and needed for everyday people, demonstrated by our Community’s unwavering support, but had to take this step in light of depressed capital market conditions.

Why Didn’t It Work Out?

Various circumstances, not all of which were within our sphere of influence, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, led to the current situation. There are three main reasons included in this:

First, we weren’t able to convince investors in light of the ongoing financial market instability to invest in a capital-intensive hardware product.
Second, It is also unfortunate that despite this want and need that our government does not see sustainable solutions for mobility in the same way. We received hardly any governmental support and raised over 330 million euro since 2016, and less than 1% of that came from the state.
Third, decisions we made in the past, especially in the early days of Sono Motors, also led to this situation. We underestimated how difficult it is to raise the necessary funds. Any delays caused by fundraising or other factors had an impact on development and thus the timeline, which in turn required again more funding.

In terms of Sion reservations with deposits made before the #savesion campaign, the Company has a payback plan to reimburse in various installments including a bonus over the next two years, starting with the first installment in May 2023. Sono Motors will not withdraw any money from the payment commitments made during the #savesion campaign.

Although we have terminated the Sion program, we will continue to utilize the patented technology we have developed in our solar business.

Remaining Faithful to Our Mission

Our revenue-generating solar business has been going from strength to strength and we are currently already working as a development-partner and supplier with companies across ten countries in Europe, Asia, and the U.S. Customers include Mitsubishi Europe, CHEREAU, and two Volkswagen subsidiaries – Scania and MAN Truck & Bus. Going forward, we intend to focus specifically on buses and third-party OEM cars, and will now scale up our technology. We will start with the introduction of the next generation of our mass-market ready retrofit solution for cleaner public transportation — the ‘Solar Bus Kit’ — planned for the second quarter of 2023. And as we will now exclusively focus on solar technology, talks with potential investors progress.

The potential of our technology has been validated not only by our commercial partnerships, but also by the European Union. In January, we secured €1.46 million in funding from the EU Commission’s European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (“CINEA”) to advance the development of the Company’s proprietary solar technology (‘SEAMLESS-PV’ project). We had also announced 52 patents granted or filed.

The Future Is Solar

This move means we can continue our mission of ‘solar on every vehicle’ and provide solutions that can benefit the lives of everyday people around the world, by reducing greenhouse emissions. The time for this mission is now, and our technology is ready to implement it.

We thank each of you again for your support over the years. We would not have come this far without you, our awesome Community.

This is not the end. The future is solar. For a world without fossil fuels.

Why the World Needs the Sion

2023-01-12T08:00:00+01:00

Global warming and climate change – just 20 years ago this seemed quite far away for most of us. For some, it still seems to be. But the fact is, the climate crisis has long since arrived. It’s on our doorstep. Not in the global south, not at the polar ice caps, but here in Germany.

And everywhere else in the world: unusual highs of up to 20°C in winter in Europe. Freezing cold and blizzards in the USA with lows of minus 45°C. Not enough snow in the Alps, floods around the globe. Climate change is happening and none of us is immune to its effects anymore. Scientists agree that what we are experiencing right now is merely the precursor to a global change that is transforming all of our lives and threatening our livelihoods.

The lion's share of this transformation is caused by one thing – the burning of fossil fuels, especially crude oil. We burn most of this finite resource for one of our greatest passions – mobility. Whether driving, flying, or transporting goods, getting from A to B using crude oil has a devastating impact on the global climate.

To finally end this, we need real solutions now. Solutions that rethink mobility in a new and holistic way. Solutions for the masses and not just for the top 1%.

The Mobility Revolution on Wheels

For us, such a solution looks like this – climate-friendly mobility for all via a shareable, everyday solar electric car, the Sion.

And here's how it can contribute:

A fair price of €29,900. Cheaper than comparable electric vehicles and affordable for the average vehicle owner.
Solar integration for cost and emission-free range – because the sun doesn't send a bill. This also reduces the need to charge, making the Sion potentially one of the most climate-friendly electric vehicles in the world.
Bidirectional charging for maximum independence on the road and at home. The Sion supplies power to others and also functions as a home storage system. This is intended to support the stabilization of grids and accelerate the transition to 100% renewable energy.
The Sion can be shared via app. In this way, we want to give even more people access to climate-friendly mobility. Integrated car sharing is intended to relieve urban traffic infrastructures and enables us to use our cars much more efficiently.

In short, for us the Sion is the mobility revolution on wheels.

A solution the world needs now. Practical and climate-friendly for the everyday lives of millions of people.

The Sion offers space and comfort for families, has a modern infotainment system and an intuitive and practical design. It is, so to speak, the Swiss Army knife among EVs, not the expensive designer handbag. And if it ever comes down to it, we have a reliable and renowned service partner in BOSCH at our side to take care of repairs and maintenance. In fact, nothing should stand in the way of a climate-friendly solution like this.

Only Together

Although the Sion appears to be the perfect solution to so many problems, we are struggling to finance production in the current economic climate.

A global pandemic, high inflation rates and a destructive war in Europe have led to unstable financial markets. In addition, financial markets and even entire governments are once again investing large amounts of money in oil and gas. New infrastructures and plants are being built to process and burn even more fossil fuels.

These decisions actively accelerate climate change and prevent the self-imposed climate targets, such as the all-important 1.5 degree target. Important innovations and climate-friendly technologies that could help combat the climate crisis are being neglected by decision-makers. When politicians, investors and corporations refuse to take responsibility at this critical moment, we must act – as a community.

We believe in this solution, but we have to fight for it – with all the means at our disposal. We need €100,000,000, we have already raised over €40,000,000. This is incredible, but still not enough.

We now have 14 days left to turn the tide and show the world that the Sion is the solution we believe in. In the last few weeks, we have already achieved incredible things. Almost 8,000 supporters have made this campaign one of the largest in the world. The feedback from our tour is clear: "get the Sion on the road!"

But to do that, we need one last push. We need all of you – yes, you too! Because only together can we take on the responsibility that others shirk. Only together can we stand up for a better future. And only together can we change the world.

Let's Fight Together

2022-12-21T15:15:00+01:00

Wow, the past days and weeks have blown our minds. We asked you for help and you instantly answered. We have achieved too much together to stop now. Yes, we made mistakes, we aren’t perfect but we won't give up. We are here to fight for the Sion.

#savesion has only just begun, we still have a long way to go. Together we can get there. We stand together, we fight together. And here is why:

We’ve Come This Far, Let’s Finish It!

Your support enabled us to push the Sion program so far. Too far to be shut down. This is what we have achieved already, possible only because of your commitment and belief:

1. We have already built a fleet of 13 full series-validation vehicles and 32 Body-in-Whites (BIW), a massive step in development. There are operating trials, test drives with the community, solar charging, bidirectional charging. Independent automotive journalists testify that the Sion already has a maturity level much higher than expected.

You need more details? Here you go!

Solar charging is working. Our promised assumptions have been validated by first tests in a series set-up. Our tested increase in state-of-charge (SOC) equals 4 km (WLTP) of additional cost- and emission-free solar range per day or 28 km (WLTP) per week in the worst performing month of December, which is 20 % less than the targeted 35 km on average in December, which is in our info sheet on our website. We still need to optimize our algorithms for efficiency until series. But we are very happy with the results already.
Bidirectional charging: We have proved our V2V charging technology with 3-phases at 13 amperes (limited amperage during the initial testing cycles) which results in 8 kW AC bidirectional charging performance in a test, between a Sion and an unmodified series EV. Our target for series is 11 kW AC.
We are in an intense testing phase with vehicles around the world. Reliability and quality testing in Spain (durability, WLTP), Michigan (calibration), Sweden (NVH & thermal), Italy (crash testing), Hungary (calibration Electrical Power Steering) and Germany. Learn more about our state of development here.

2. We went public in the US on Nasdaq – one of the most regulated markets in the world and have since foundation raised more than €330m.

This demonstrates that we are able to raise money from investors.
We just announced a €30m convertible bond, proving that even in these tough times we can raise some (but still not enough) money from investors.
All of this money has been invested in the Sion’s core technology & its solar technology and generated 34 patents.

3. We built an incredible team of 418 industry experts (over 70% engineers) and became an officially certified automotive company, a so-called OEM, certified by the German authorities.

No one would have believed that this was possible. But it was, because we did it together. We promised you to bring the Sion on the streets, and you put your trust in us. So, let’s show the naysayers that they are wrong. Let's prove that this world is not only ruled by calculators and profits.

Instead of building more and more solutions for the 1%, let’s prove that the demand for an affordable SEV, rather than luxury SUVs, is very much wanted and called-for by the everyday person.

All About the #savesion Campaign

At the beginning of December, we launched a very ambitious crowdfunding campaign. 3,500 Sion in 50 days, which translates into €105m gross (calculated at a retail price of the Sion of €29,900 for each full down payment).

What We Need to Save the Sion

At least €105,000,000 – the worth of 3,500 Sion full price payments. We already have over 21,000 Sion reservations. If everyone were to pay the full price for their vehicle today, this would be equivalent to €460m. If we manage to collect €105m, we can continue building the Sion. But every additional euro we receive reduces our dependence on the capital market and lowers the overall risk. The bigger the community gets and the more money it contributes, the stronger we are.
You can give a gift. Every euro counts.
Tell a friend. We will only make it, if even more people are getting involved. So tell a friend about this story. Activate your network.

What You Get

A discount of up to €2,100 per car. The discount reduces over the campaign time. The sooner we reach our goal, the sooner we can order the production machinery to reduce delays of the start of production. Therefore, being quick helps us and you.

What We All Fight For

It’s not about our dream. It’s not about Sono Motors. It’s not about an electric car. It’s about proving to the world that change is both needed and wanted. That we can’t continue like this. That the everyday person has taken matters into their own hands and shown politicians, investors, policymakers and corporations what true action looks like.

It’s about a movement. A strong community of Sion supporters that has one belief. A belief that even a small group of people with a joint idea can change the status quo. That ideas and innovations like the Sion are needed in times like these.

So let's do it. Let's continue to build our Sion. Let's take matters into our own hands. For a world without burning fossil fuels.

We are sure you have questions, so let’s get you some more answers. Here you can find our FAQ section. And in this video, our CFO Torsten outlined our finance strategy in detail. Also, you are more than welcome to get in touch with us via e-mail or to set up an appointment for a phone call. And last, but definitely not least – have you considered meeting the Sion on tour or at our Munich showroom? Then check this out. We look forward to seeing you!

Sono Motors on Tour – USA, Here We Come!

2022-10-07T16:30:00+02:00

Word is finally out. We’re going stateside! On 10 October we will begin our Celebrate the Change tour in the US, stopping in five cities to give thought leaders, fans, media, and investors up close and personal insights into the Sion and our Sono Solar solutions for the transportation sector. We wanted to give you, our Community, the information firsthand, as to why we made this decision and what it will look like.

For this we sat down with CEO Laurin and CFO Torsten to get some insights into the tour and why we decided to go across the pond.

The climate crisis and its effects have never been more apparent than they are now. Without action, we will slip deeper into it and cause even more irreversible and irreparable damage to our planet and the natural world. Burning fossil fuels is no longer an option we can continue with. We need real and attainable solutions that everyone can adopt to contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gasses and the destruction of our planet’s delicate ecosystems.

Whilst striving for our clear purpose to rid the world of fossil fuel usage and to make mobility sustainable and affordable for all we realized that our solar technology was not only beneficial for individual mobility, but also for all types of vehicles. Many people in the world do not own their own vehicles but rely on public transport infrastructure to get to where they need to go. Thus, our mission evolved and became ‘solar on every vehicle’.

This mission must be a global effort - we cannot combat climate change in Germany alone. Now that restrictions have eased, international and domestic travel is again possible, we feel that it is the perfect time to personally connect with people contributing to a global climate-friendly future around the world. That’s why we are taking ‘Celebrate the Sun’ to the US of A to ‘Celebrate the Change’. We will take this opportunity to make lasting and foundational relationships with investors, thought leaders, green projects, founders of Greentech companies, media, and interested persons, amongst others. This will enable us to take our mission to the next level, discuss sustainability on a mass scale, and showcase clean, affordable, and accessible solar transportation.

Our Team, including CEO Laurin, CFO Torsten and COO Thomas, will travel from the east to the west of the United States, beginning in New York City, where we went public last year on the NASDAQ stock exchange. From New York we will proceed to Boston, Detroit, San Francisco and Los Angeles, in which we will engage in panel discussions, one-to-one talks and much more to exchange and discuss ideas and solutions for more sustainable ways of living and display how our technology could truly make a difference.

So much for the background of this tour. We know that you have valid questions about this tour and so will let Torsten and Laurin take the reins and steer you through some of those.

So, why are we going on tour in the US in the first place?

Laurin: Before we go into the why, I want to give some background to set the scene, so to speak. Last year we realized that in order to achieve our mission of ‘solar on every vehicle’, we needed access to the capital markets. We went over a lot of different scenarios before we decided on going public on the NASDAQ stock market in New York in November 2021. Going public enabled us to access the necessary capital we needed for the 3rd generation prototype and continue to need to further our vision and mission and to truly become a pioneer and leader in sustainable mobility. During this process we promised our US investors that we would bring the Sion to the US in 2022.

We recognized that this was also the perfect opportunity to showcase further how our pioneering technology could truly make a difference, especially in a country as large and naturally diverse as the US.

But why show the series-production car in the US before Germany? We are a German company after all. Will we tour here, in Europe?

Laurin: At the end of July 2022, we showed the Sion in its series-production design to our Community and the world for the first time in Munich during the Celebrate the Sun event. We made this decision to now head to the US after much discussion. Global warming cannot be repaired in Munich or Germany alone. We need to go international.

As I said, when we went public on NASDAQ last year, we told our US investors that we would bring the Sion to them, as well as have the opportunity to connect with further potential investors to cover some of our funding needs until we get to SOP. We will of course do a European Tour, which we have planned for 2023.

What actually is this roadshow about?

Torsten: Put simply a roadshow is a ‘tour’ in which a series of meetings and events is held across a range of cities and locations in which a company’s top executives talk with current or potential investors and other interested parties. They are very common when a company is to conduct an IPO, which we have already executed but, due to COVID and the feeling we would want to make this as sustainable as possible we had to forgo this last year.

Our roadshow will be a mix of the traditional sense, for investors to meet us and get to know the company on a personal basis. But also, to use the time we are there efficiently and effectively, we will be holding sustainability talks and round table discussions to shine a light on our vision of a world without fossil fuels.

Shouldn’t we be using the costs this will incur for developing the Sion?

Torsten: Such tours are a common practice and necessary for companies to continue to develop and ensure new awareness of Sono Motors, our vision, and our mission. We therefore believe that it is well invested time and money.

Thank you, Torsten and Laurin!

We would love to take you all with us, but unfortunately that is not possible. However, it wouldn’t be a tour without our community! You’re in town and want to experience the Sion up close? No problem, we have dates available for you in every city.

Dates in New York from 10 to 12 October

Dates in Boston 14 October

Dates in Detroit 17 October

We will also share our experiences and impressions with you online. You’ll get regular updates via our newsletter and blog, and for those who want to follow us as closely as possible, there will be plenty to see on Instagram and Twitter.

7 Impressions from IAA Transportation

2022-10-05T14:25:00+02:00

There’s a first time for everything – also for participating at IAA Transportation in Hanover. At the world's most important exhibition for commercial vehicles, we presented various solar solutions that further advance our mission of ‘solar on every vehicle.’

Alongside the debut of the new Solar Bus Kit, we exhibited four semi-trailers already equipped with our solar technology in collaboration with our partners CHEREAU, Kögel, Mitsubishi and Winglinger.

We and our partners vividly demonstrated at IAA Transportation the ways in which solar technology can revolutionize the transportation of tomorrow. We can save fuel, reduce costs and, above all, cut CO2 emissions.

Naturally, we wanted to pass on some impressions to you, so we've put together a small selection.

We were able to achieve about 90 % of our goal of building a trade show booth that generates no waste. This means we can reuse almost everything we set up at the show for our own showroom, office or elsewhere.

Product Manager Amy presented the 'Solar Bus Kit' to trade show visitors. You can find more info here.

We were awarded the Trailer Innovation Award! Sono Motors took second place in the "Environment" category.

All Solar Trailers at a Glance

Together with our partners CHEREAU, Kögel, Mitsubishi and Wingliner, we have presented four semi-trailers with integrated solar solutions. We have summarized the most important details for you here.

KÖGEL (40 tonne semi trailer, with cooling)

Total installation power: 4.68 kilowatt peak
Number of modules: 26
Solar area: ~ 26 m² solar area (roof area only)
Cooling unit: Vector HE 19 (carrier) - all-electric cooling unit
Energy yield: 11.8 kWh/day annual average in Munich

CHEREAU (40 tonne semi trailer, with cooling)

Total installation power: 9.8 kilowatt peak
Number of modules: 54
Solar area: ~ 58.9 m² solar area (roof and side surfaces)
Cooling unit: Electric cooling unit (Daikin)
Energy yield: 21.2 kWh/day annual average in Munich

Mitsubishi Europe (40 tonne semi trailer, Lamberet, with cooling)

Total installation power: 4.68 kilowatt peak
Number of modules: 26
Solar area: ~ 26 m² solar area (roof area only)
Cooling unit: MITSUBISHI TFV 150
Energy yield: 11.8 kWh/day annual average in Munich

Wingliner (Semi-trailer, exhibit)

Total installation power: 3.43 kilowatt peak
Number of modules: 16
Solar area: ~ 19 sqm solar area (roof area only)
Energy yield: 8.6 kWh/day annual average in Munich

What changed from SVC2 to our latest validation vehicle?

2022-09-27T12:02:00+02:00

On 25 July, we finally presented our series-validation vehicle - the Sion in its production design - to the world at our Celebrate the Sun event. We were delighted to be able to show it to our supporters both in-person and online. For those who weren’t there or just want to know more about the differences between our previous prototype, the SVC2 and our series-validation vehicle, look no further.

Here are a few insights into the most important differences - read and enjoy.

To start, here are the two vehicles, the SVC2 and the SVV (series-validation vehicle), side by side to give you a visual representation of their differences. Note that we plan that our series-production Sion exterior design will remain the same as that of the SVV.

You can perhaps tell that the vehicle has actually increased slightly in length, by 160mm for our SVV. This is for crash and safety purposes as well as vehicle dynamics. These measurements are final and will also apply to the future vehicle generations. It has also decreased in weight — going from 1,830 kg to 1,750 kg.

Another exciting visual element to be seen in these pictures is the major design updates to the front, which, as previously stated, will be similar for our series vehicles. The vehicles have a new, highly optimized lighting design in both the front and the rear, and the charging lid has been adapted for the same purpose. A cool new feature is the reversing camera that has been installed on the rear of the car for increased driving comfort.

The solar body panels have also been updated with the latest generation which have been further optimized from the previous generation and prototype. The final series vehicle will, of course, be fitted with the final solar body panel design that the team are currently working tirelessly on.

The interior has also received some enhancements - including a more spacious, cleaner interior with increased storage, newly designed front seats and rear seat, and a new steering wheel.

We’ve also installed the new 54 kWh battery that we presented last year. This LFP (lithium iron phosphate) battery is made up of blade cell technology and is more resource friendly and durable. It contains no cobalt, nickel or manganese and is effectively non-flammable. These types of batteries display only low power losses, even after intensive use. It will also extend the Sion’s range to up to 305 km (estimated WLTP) with a charging rate of up to 75 kW (DC fast charging).

Find out more about the series-validation vehicle from our Q&A session recordings that were presented live at our Celebrate the Sun event where the vehicle was unveiled for the very first time. If you're curious as to how such a validation vehicle is built, we highly recommend this blog and our video series on YouTube.

Sono goes to IAA Transportation. But why?

2022-09-08T12:41:00+02:00

We are a sustainable technology pioneer, and delivering real solutions for a greener future of transportation is a cause that is very dear to our heart. That’s why we don’t want to fall into the traps of greenwashing and ask ourselves with every business decision “how do we stay Sono?”

For those of you who’ve followed us for a long time, it might come as a surprise now that we’re going to be an exhibitor at IAA Transportation this year in Hanover for the very first time. And you're right, this decision hasn’t exactly been a walk in the park.

While we do see a lot of positive change around us and a big part of the transportation industry wanting to make a shift towards a greener future – we also see a lot of hurdles in the way, and the progress made is simply not fast enough. Just one example: over 70% of all newly registered buses in the EU still run on diesel.

For us at Sono we had a history with our “no trade show”- philosophy, simply because we believe that in this day and age you can market your products online, via direct personal contacts, building a strong brand and don’t need to spend a lot of money, resources and emissions on going to international fairs.

But we are also known for change and as a growing organization with different business pillars, we challenge our own views constantly and we realized it’s the right time and place for our B2B business to meet the industry at its central event and see what it does for us.

With an open mind and a lot of great solutions in the backpack. Meeting the whole industry in one place is actually quite an efficient and sustainable way to get in touch. A bonus for us. Here are some of the things that are important to us, and mark the baseline of ‘how we want to do it’:

zero waste fair booth: we set ourselves the very ambitious goal of a zero waste fair booth and we reached that goal to about 90 %. This means that most of what we build will be reused for our own showroom, our office or elsewhere,
communications policy: when we communicate CO2 numbers, we also publish the CO2 emissions it takes to produce our technology. The so-called ‘CO2 backpack’,
transparency: we not only show our latest technology pieces, but also openly communicate our project updates,
bringing our Sono values to a classic trade fair: vegan food and drinks, no flight policy, paperless (no flyers, business cards etc.),
shared Airbnbs, no overpriced hotel rooms,
only Sono employees on stand, no hosting staff, everyone takes responsibility, (yes, also when it comes to cleaning dishes)

Come and visit us in hall 26, C02 in Hanover and experience our incredible tech, people and the Sono way of doing a trade show!

“Save Money and Reduce Emissions” – An Update on Sono Solar

2022-08-18T12:19:00+02:00

Sono Solar has emerged as a major pillar of Sono Motors over the last 18 months. At the Consumer Electronics Show in January 2021, we announced for the first time that we would license our solar technology to other companies. This initiative is our way of making an important contribution to transforming the global transport sector and making vehicles more efficient and sustainable. So, what is our mission? Solar on every vehicle!

A lot of things have happened since then. The number of companies collaborating with us is growing, various prototypes have already been installed, and we were able to present our first product release to you at the Celebrate the Sun event and the public: the Solar Bus Kit. So, it's high time to get a quick update on things. That's why we caught up with Lars, Head of Product at Sono Solar.

Hi Lars! Could you please start by telling our readers a little bit about yourself? Who are you and what do you do at Sono?

Hi! My name is Lars, and I am responsible for the expansion of solar integration as a B2B business. I also take care of the general strategic development of Sono Solar – the Sono Motors’ solar division. I studied economics and innovation management at college. Even before joining Sono, I worked in the automotive industry. Anything to do with innovation and market development has always fascinated and inspired me, which is one of the reasons why I find Sono so exciting.

You have been with Sono since 2018. How has the solar business changed during this time? What’s been your personal highlight and your professional highlight so far?

When I started at Sono in 2018, there were far fewer employees, around 50 at that time. We were all focussed on one major common goal: getting the Sion on the streets. In 2020, we realized that this wasn't enough to achieve our vision of a world without fossil fuels. We have also recognized the potential that our innovative solar technology offers in terms of being helpful and beneficial in numerous industries when it comes to saving emissions. The upshot is that we have established an independent business unit: Sono Solar. Its purpose is to bring our customers closer to the strengths and benefits of vehicle-integrated photovoltaics and to show what is possible with it. In the meantime, we have become highly specialized and nowadays focus mainly on the areas of buses, electric trucks, and refrigerated trucks.

"With solar, so much is possible"

We have very close collaboration with our business partners and customers and provide a "one-stop shop" from the technical concept through the actual mechanical and electronic integration to the after-sales service. We are currently in the transformation phase from prototype development to scalable, cost-effective solutions for the various markets, such as our Solar Bus Kit.

Since 2021, Sono Solar has been working with other vehicle manufacturers to install proprietary solar technology. Can you tell us a bit about the results in the different areas?

We were able to sign our first contract just a few months after the first customer meetings. We held many more such meetings last year, developed solar concepts and prototypes together and, at the same time, expanded our technology for the various industries. We have enhanced the polymer-based solar technology that you are familiar with from the Sion for other vehicle types.

At the moment, we are very proud to have already signed 19 partnership agreements – including with companies such as MAN, easymile, Münchner Verkehrsgesellschaft MVG, CHEREAU and Rhenus Logistics. Some of the first prototypes are currently being tested and will be exhibited at the IAA Transportation trade fair in September.

In the case of solar-powered refrigerated trailers, we are exhibiting several vehicles in Hanover, for example, in cooperation with CHEREAU, a top French refrigerated trailer manufacturer. All this helps to save CO2, as well as costs. We firmly believe that vehicle-integrated photovoltaics can make an important contribution to climate protection and to local and sustainable energy generation. Especially since we can already see in the photovoltaics sector how powerful today's solar cells already are – not to mention the steadily falling prices.

Interesting! Why not tell us a little more about the last few months. What has already happened in 2022? In which areas have we made progress?

I'll try to describe in general the individual areas that we are currently focusing on. Speaking of buses, we are working on two different areas here. First of all, we want to enable fleet operators to save money and reduce emissions. We can successfully achieve this if the diesel buses in fleets are fitted with solar modules. A prime example of this application is our collaboration with the Munich-based public transport company MVG.

"We want to enable fleet operators to save money and reduce emissions."

In late July, we presented the new Solar Bus Kit at our Celebrate the Sun event. This is a standardized, scalable retrofit solution for diesel buses that we have developed for the most common 12-meter city buses. It allows systems, such as the air conditioning on a bus, to be partially operated with renewable energy. As the collaboration with MVG already shows, this saves on fuel, CO2, and costs. A bus from the VBR Verkehrsbetriebe bus company, in service for the MVV (Munich transport authority), and fitted with the Solar Bus Kit, was also on display at the event. Another bus for the MVV fleet will follow soon.

The second area revolves around solutions for electric buses. In this instance, we want to support manufacturers in using our solar technology to extend the range of vehicles, reduce dependence on the almost non-existent and often expensive charging infrastructure, and shorten downtimes. We are currently working on a first project aimed at testing and validating our solar integration on e-buses.

This then brings us to the category of refrigerated vehicles. We have joined forces with our customer CHEREAU to work on a first vehicle that will collect various data which we can use to validate electrical integration in the high-voltage range. The aim is to then put these solutions into serial production and ensure more sustainable and durable, all-electric cooling for fleet operators throughout Europe. Additional refrigerated vehicles developed with other manufacturers are also in the implementation phase and will be exhibited at the IAA Transportation fair in September.

Another exciting area is e-trucks. There are several projects already underway involving these vehicles too. This includes a 15-tonne truck from the Rhenus Group as a test vehicle, which we have fitted with Sono Solar measurement technology. The data we collect will support further optimization of our solar technology. The test vehicle is on the road in Berlin and the regions of Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

There's certainly been plenty going on. What else is on your agenda for 2022?

There are many more exciting projects to come, especially in the area of prototype planning and production. Many of the projects that we launched last year are now being implemented. However, we continue to place great emphasis on internal serial development – both with regard to electrical integration and the expansion of our technological solutions. We are currently working on various technological innovations for ViPV (Vehicle integrated photovoltaics).

And of course, the further development and preparations for the official product launch of the Solar Bus Kit are coming along too. We very much look forward to getting this product on the road, thereby contributing to the reduction of emissions generated by public transport. As always, we are happy to have you along on this ride! So stay tuned and we'll give you more updates by the IAA Transportation trade fair at the latest. Till then, please support us if you have any relevant contacts in the transport sector. We look forward to receiving emails from you at: solar-integration@sonomotors.com.

Got it! Perhaps I could finish off with one last question. What does working for Sono Solar mean to you personally? Or to put it more directly: Why are you here and not somewhere else?

Why did I come to work at Sono? For quite a simple reason: a few years ago, I tried to make various things such as eating and travel habits more sustainable. However, since I spend most of my time at work, I still wanted to contribute as far as possible to a more sustainable world during my working hours. A major factor is the generation of energy and the efficient use of this generated energy – as locally as possible and with the lowest possible transport losses. These are aspects that we at Sono Solar can directly influence, and that's what drives me!

What is special about Sono is not only the products and the vision but, above all, the sense of togetherness. Values such as courage, empathy, integrity, responsibility, and trust are more than trendy buzzwords for us. They determine the way we work together. Working in a welcoming, supportive environment is very important to me, and that is the feeling I get from working here.

Lars, thank you very much for your time and this interesting insight into the world of Sono Solar. Hopefully we will talk again soon and look forward to many more exciting projects.

If you would like to meet Sono Solar and the team live, we recommend you come along to the IAA Transportation trade fair in Hanover. Sono Solar will be exhibiting in Hall 26, Stand C02 from 20 to 25 September.

Here are the highlights from Celebrate the Sun

2022-08-10T16:34:00+02:00

A day to remember! After years of development, we finally had the honor of presenting the Sion in its finished production design on 25 July 2022. Another key milestone that we couldn’t have reached without you - our Community. Thank you to everyone who was part of the event and who accompanied and supported us on our journey. It is because of you that we are where we are today.

That’s why it was also a great pleasure for us to surprise you with a second premiere at the event: the presentation of the Solar Bus Kit. This complete and efficient solar retrofit solution for diesel buses is designed to save even more fuel. This project ensures that we really are making every vehicle a solar vehicle.

For us it was very special to be able to share these two premieres with more than 1,500 people live, on site and more than 8,600 people online. A day full of emotions, impressions and exchanges with the Community that continue to inspire us. We are completely overjoyed!

Because it was so special, we have created a summary of the event for you. Click here to go directly to the video, where you can see all the highlights of the day again. If you couldn't be there live or online, you can also find the recording of the premiere here.

Thank you for all your support and this uniqe experience!

Sisu! Or why Valmet Automotive is the perfect partner for building the Sion

2022-07-21T11:43:00+02:00

It is a match! In April this year, we announced Valmet Automotive as our partner for the series production of the Sion. Since then, our teams have continued to work together closely. While the series-validation vehicle program advances, our development team is progressing towards production with our contract manufacturer. All work streams have been kicked-off and engineers from both teams are already working on improving the current vehicle generation and preparing for manufacturing – a huge milestone towards delivering the Sion to our Community!

Following on from this milestone, today we would like to introduce Valmet Automotive to you in more detail. Not every one of our Community is a passionate expert on topics that concern the automotive industry. Some of you might think, “okay, they are building the Sion with this company from Finland, what’s the big whoop?” So here are some insights about our excellent partner from the city with the lovely name Uusikaupunki. Let’s start with the basics!

Who is Valmet Automotive?

Founded in 1968, Valmet Automotive is one of the world's largest contract vehicle manufacturers. Originally, it was created as a joint-venture between the Swedish car manufacturer Saab and the Finish state. One of the reasons was the excellent location, with the city of Uusikaupunki being very close to the Baltic Sea, which is highly favorable in terms of logistics. Today, the production facility is the biggest single production facility in Finland.

Valmet Automotive also operates facilities in Poland and Germany, employing a total of 4,500 people. In its more than 50 years of existence, the company has produced the staggering figure of over 1.7 million vehicles. And if that wasn't enough, the company has been manufacturing electric vehicles since as early as 2009. Five different electric vehicle models have been produced by Valmet Automotive, making our partner one of the world's leading manufacturers of electric vehicles.

Manufacturing Vehicles – the Sustainable Way

But there's more to it than impressive numbers and decades of experience. On top of being a global leader in EV manufacturing, Valmet Automotive is a pioneer in industry sustainability. In all their own operations, the company is already CO2-neutral. As with us, sustainability is more than just a hip buzzword in Uusikaupunki. It is a guiding principle and an integral part of the company, guiding all activities and decisions. Consequently, Valmet Automotive uses only renewable energies for production.

Should greenhouse gas emissions along the supply chain or during production be unavoidable, these are fully offset through appropriate measures. This is something we were truly impressed with, and, as you might know, we plan to do the same with the production of the Sion.

Also, Valmet Automotive has set itself ethical guidelines that ensure optimal cooperation. These include mutual respect, trust and integrity – principles that we at Sono also uphold and live by 100 percent.

Sisu! The Unique Finnish Mindset

Last but not least, we experienced a very special mentality when working with the employees of Valmet Automotive. In our latest video, our dear colleague Thomas Hausch described it this way: “The people there are determined and equipped with, I would say, a humble pride, building vehicles with very high precision.”

Doing some research, we got introduced to the concept of “sisu” – a unique Finnish word, which really cannot be translated into any other language, as Finnish author and editor at “thisisFINLAND” Peter Marten writes: “The Finnish word ‘sisu’ is untranslatable, but that doesn’t stop people from trying: determination, guts, hardiness, courage and willpower are some of the terms people use in English.”

To get a better grasp of it, we decided to let our partners from Uusikaupunki explain in their own words what this concept means: “Sisu is a very Finnish way of thinking, a very Finnish mindset”, says Olaf Bongwald, CEO of Valmet Automotive. "What's behind it is ‘make the impossible possible, don't give up, and sometimes be a little stubborn’, he adds.

We are convinced that this mindset is perfect for facing the challenges of our modern world. If you follow the history of Sono Motors, sisu, or perseverance as we call it, is a trait shared by our founders, our reservation holders, our community and of course our team. It has enabled us to progress on our mission steadily, knowing that we will continue to live by these values to realize our vision of a world without fossil fuels.

Fortunately, we found a partner in Valmet Automotive who is not only technically and professionally well-equipped to accompany us on our journey, but also has a very similar attitude when facing challenges. So let’s conclude today’s blog by acknowledging the fact that sometimes, as Valmet Automotive CEO Olaf Bongwald pointed out, in order to make the impossible possible, you have to be a little stubborn. Or, in other words, sisu!

If you want to find out more about Valmet Automotive and our partnership, check out our latest video and our website. Of course, we’ll keep you updated!

Pride is for life, not just for June

2022-07-16T07:00:00+02:00

At the end of last month we posted on Twitter that ‘Pride is for life, not just for June’. Pride and diversity are topics that most companies make prominent during the month of June, as it is Pride Month. We thought about how we wanted to show our support and honor the history of Pride Month in an authentic way rather than use it as a marketing tool.

As a company we recognise and appreciate diversity in all its forms and see the support thereof as an ever-evolving journey. This is a journey that we wish to do in the correct way and are therefore open to learning on every step of it. This is why we say that pride is for life, and not just for June.

To coincide with Munich’s Christopher Street Day parade on 16 July, we wanted to write about the ways in which we at Sono strive to make our company a safe and inclusive workplace through various initiatives.

There are numerous ways in which we are moving our organization towards inclusivity. You may notice that on our website, we forgo the use of gendered words in both German and English, an initiative that is clearly stated in our company writing style guidelines. Instead of gendered pronouns such as ‘he’ and ‘she’, we use ‘they’/ ‘them’ unless we know the pronouns a specific person uses. Employees are also encouraged to put their preferred pronouns in their company Slack profile and within their email signature.

Another initiative that is coming to our office-buildings very soon is the introduction of all-gender bathrooms. We believe that an office with gender-neutral bathrooms fosters an inclusive environment where everyone feels comfortable. Therefore we made the conscious decision to change the signage for the bathrooms in our HQ from the traditional ‘male’/ ‘female’ symbols to symbols of what is behind the door. That is to say, for example, one bathroom has a toilet and one has a urinal. This will be on the sign instead of a symbol based on gender.

These initiatives come from our employee-led Diversity Circle, who have also started the LGBTQ+ network. This currently consists of two different slack channels, one that is open for people who identify as LGBTQ+ and allies, and another that is private for people who identify as LGBTQ+ as a safe space where members can connect and discuss topics that they don’t necessarily feel comfortable discussing in a public channel.

The Diversity Circle is also working on guidelines for inclusive behavior that are not only based on gender and sexual orientation, but also background and ethnicity. This will become an official part of the company guidelines and will be approved by our Normative Circle, who ensure that all decisions made within the company adhere to our ethics and principles, and all employees will have to adhere to them. We have many other initiatives planned such as a meetup for LGBTQ+ employees and allies, diversity and inclusion training for leadership roles and workshops to educate and bring awareness to LGBTQ+ topics.

At Sono the environment around us and its inhabitants' welfare are of special importance to us. These values are therefore the foundation of all the work we do, not only to create a safer and healthier environment but also a safer and healthier workplace for our team. We want to enable a world and workplace in which all people feel free and safe to be themselves.

5 Reasons Why You Should Care About the Sono Motors Carsharing App

2022-07-08T16:30:00+02:00

“Wait a minute, Sono Motors has a smartphone app? Aren’t they developing a solar car? Why do they offer an app? What does it do? The car is not even out yet!!”

If you have ever asked yourself one or all of the questions above, this text is the right thing to spend the next five minutes of your life with.

A Few Important Facts

Sono Motors Carsharing has been available for iOS and Android since December 2021. The app can be downloaded worldwide, although, for legal reasons, the service is currently only available in Germany. The app allows you to share your private vehicle with people around you.

Create sharing communities by inviting your friends, family, co-workers, or neighbors, and share your car whenever you don't need it. Discover new communities around you when you’re looking for a vehicle to take a ride with. It’s as easy as that!

Wait, you need more reasons, why should you care about Sono Motors Carsharing? Easy, we’ve got you covered! Here are five reasons why you should definitely give it a try!

1. Do Good for the Environment

It is Sono’s purpose to enable individual mobility whilst preserving what is most important to us: the environment, people, and nature. In Germany, about 43 million cars just stand around, unused. To be precise, 95% of the time, that’s just what they do. Whether you go shopping, sit at work, or are at home sleeping, on average, your car is parked for 23 hours per day.

That is a highly inefficient way to use something that was built using precious resources in order to, well, drive. The Sono Motors Carsharing app enables you to support the cause of using cars more efficiently by sharing them with others.

2. Save Resources, Save Money

A problem shared is a problem halved. Sharing a vehicle with a community means you can save a lot on monthly maintenance costs – actually up to 85%. Renting a car from a community member additionally means you don’t have to spend money on your own vehicle. It would probably stand around 23 hours a day anyway, remember?

3. Engage in Communities and Meet New People

Why borrow a car from a big car firm when you can just use the car of people around you? Create, join and discover private car sharing communities around your home, meet new people and help each other out. The friendliest and most relaxed way to borrow a car.

4. Support in Designing a Product

Just like the Sion, we are developing and designing this application both for you and with you. Our goal is to constantly improve features, functions, and the app's design over time. But honestly, without the feedback of real people during real daily circumstances, this would be kind of tricky. In fact, the more people use the app, the more we can learn about your needs and use cases.

5. Get a Car That Fits Your Needs

Whether it's for weekend trips, doctor's appointments, a spontaneous trip to the lake, or a visit to the furniture store – Sono Motors Carsharing gives you the flexibility to rent a car now, or plan a future trip.

Do you think these are all pretty solid reasons to get the app and try it? Nice! Here is how you get it:

Open the app store of your choice. Google Play Store and App Store both work.
Search for “Sono Motors Carsharing”.
Install the app and create an account.
If you own a car, integrate your vehicle into the platform.
If you don't own a car, look for a Community nearby and request to join.

As previously mentioned, our team is constantly working to improve our product. There will be a steady stream of app updates in the coming weeks and months. So stay tuned and share your feedback with us - best through the menu in the Sono Motors app. We'll keep you posted!

Sion Update: Assembling the Vehicles for Series Validation

2022-06-01T16:18:00+02:00

Since we unveiled the first prototype of the Sion to the world on 27 July 2017, we have been sharing news with you about the development, design and, of course, construction of the next generations of the vehicle. Throughout the prototype phase, we have always sought your feedback and opinion – be it on test drives, through surveys or at a car clinic. This important phase has been completed since March. In the meantime, we are in the middle of one of the most exciting moments in vehicle development: the production of the series-validation vehicles.

We are supported in this by thyssenkrupp and Bertrandt, two very experienced partners who not only have extensive expertise in the field of automotive engineering, but also the necessary infrastructure and capacities to produce the series-validation vehicles quickly and to a high standard of quality.

As we have also given you insights into the construction of our SVC2 prototypes in 2020, we naturally don't want to leave you out of this important and unique process. On our social media channels, there have already been photos and information from the production process, however, today we have dedicated ourselves to the very important questions, which are perhaps particularly interesting for non-automotive-experts. What exactly is happening there? How is a series-validation vehicle assembled? And what happens next? Read the answers to these and other questions here.

Kicking Things off With the Body in White

As an expert for integrated body construction solutions, thyssenkrupp Automotive Body Solutions is responsible for the production of the aluminium space frame. As a second step, Bertrandt takes over the assembly of the new Sion test fleet here in Munich. thyssenkrupp first manufactures the so-called body in white, i.e. the bodyshell of the vehicles. For this, all the required aluminium profiles, sheets and any other small aluminium parts needed are manufactured and then joined together.

Before assembly at Bertrand, the aluminum space frame gets a cathodic dip coating – a long-lasting corrosion protection. Later, the space frame will be covered with our solar body panels. Our motto? Solar instead of paint!

Let’s Start the Assembly

In total, the Sion consists of more than 1,500 parts. All of these components have to be brought together in the final assembly. This is where it also becomes clear whether and if so, which adjustments still have to be made in the construction before series production.

Every body in white has a VIN number, the Vehicle Identification Number. This number will accompany the vehicle from assembly through its entire life cycle and is an important identification feature for every car. Many of the following steps run in parallel before converging at a later stage.

Assembly starts by removing all the movable components of the body in white, namely the doors, hood, and tailgate, and relocating them to pre-assembly areas specially prepared for this purpose. There they are given their solar integration, electrical integration, trim, insulation, and any necessary switches.

Assembling all these components reveals where improvements are still needed for series production. These adjustments then have to be transferred to series production. The exterior assembly line forms the leading assembly line on which all components are brought together step by step.

During this process, the wiring harness is also installed in the body in white. The wiring harness is the central nervous system of the vehicle's electrical architecture and connects all electrical components together. Their functionality is tested on a Yellow Board before integration into the vehicle. There, the engineers test whether everything has been manufactured correctly. With all the thousands of cables, small errors are bound to find their way into the wiring. Naturally, these must be eliminated before integration into the vehicle can commence. Only then turn signals, warning lights, and all associated switches are tested for proper function.

The integration of the wiring harness is followed by the assembly of the interior. In many different steps, the center console, carpets, headliner, seats, interior trim, as well as the dashboard are now integrated into the vehicle. The dashboard is also assembled in a separate assembly area. It is then integrated and installed as a unit. The major areas of focus here are the air ducts, the instrument cluster, the infotainment, and, of course, the moss.

Next? Catching the Drivetrain!

Needless to say, the heart of every car is the drivetrain. For the Sion’s chassis, various heavy components are brought together in the dedicated assembly area. The chassis is a complex composite consisting of springs, dampers, as well as rims with tires, rubber mounts, steering, stabilizers, and brakes. The electric motor is located in the front area of the bottom section. It is firmly mounted in a solid bracket specially provided for this purpose. This is where the electric propulsion will later be transmitted to the front axle.

The bidirectional charger is also mounted in the front part of the vehicle and enables, among other things, charging of the battery. Probably the heaviest component is the high-voltage battery located between the front and rear axles. This component is also assembled in a designated area. This requires not only the utmost concentration but also the support of several lifting devices. After all, a battery like this weighs about 360 kg.

Next, the various components of the chassis, i.e. the axles, the e-machine, and the drivetrain, are mounted on the body and merged with it – probably the most important step in the complex assembly of a validation vehicle. On the home stretch, the tailgate, doors, and hood are then reattached to the vehicle. To ensure that the vehicle is always fully accessible throughout the entire process, this happens at the very end.

Are we there yet?

Although the assembly of the series-validation vehicles is completed, the vehicle production process is not. In a final, but very important step, the so-called commissioning takes place. Now the vehicle is brought to life for the first time. The electrical systems are activated and the control units are "flashed" with the software. All these units as well as the electrical components are checked for functionality step by step. At this point, all the hard work pays off. Something that has never been assembled before takes on its final form and can be moved for the first time.

Assembly is an intensive and highly complex process involving a total of hundreds of people - whether in preparation, in research and development, or in the production itself. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all the people for their great work in making this major and important step towards series production of the Sion possible.

Over the coming weeks and months, we will produce a total of 16 complete vehicles and 21 test structures. We will be undertaking testing, validation, and certification of the Sion until it rolls off the production line in Finland. These will include uncompromising practical tests under extreme conditions, optimizing our solar technology, as well as refining driving dynamics on test tracks and on public roads in addition to crash tests. We are therefore looking forward to a more than exciting journey, on which we would like to invite you. So keep checking back, it's worth it!

P.S. The first solar panels for our series validation vehicles have arrived. Engineer Dominik and Community Representative Sebastian discuss texture and materials, as well as the challenges we faced during development. Overall, we were able to integrate more cells than before. How we managed to do that? Check out this video!

Sono Documentary to Be Shown Live on YouTube

2022-05-18T08:00:00+02:00

The journey we’ve gone on together over the past few years is something unique. We’ve had ups and downs, celebrated successes and learned from mistakes. It began almost 10 years ago, when Jona and Laurin started in a small garage to put their vision of a world without fossil fuels into motion. This journey reached a major milestone last November when we were listed on the New York Stock Exchange NASDAQ under the ticker symbol "SEV" — a completely new level for our company.

This journey — from a garage to the stock exchange — was produced by the film production company HAWKINS & CROSS in cooperation with Grimme Award winner Lena Leonhardt. Leonhardt uses a lot of sensitivity and an eye for emotional details to impressively display what it means to run an automotive company that pursues one central goal: the protection of the environment.

Of course, we would like to share the resulting documentary with you. On 19 May, we can watch it together "live" on YouTube. The film is in German with included subtitles in English.

Link to the Livestream

When? Thursday 19 May 2022
Where? On YouTube
What time? 7pm CET

We look forward to seeing you there!

Why the Heilbronner Falken ice hockey team jersey is sporting the Sono Motors logo

2022-04-14T15:00:00+02:00

Ever since Laurin, Jona, and Navina founded our company in 2016, a number of people has been with us along the way: employees, backers, reservation holders, or investors and partners. One of these long-standing companions is Franz Böllinger. He is the managing partner of BÖLLINGER GROUP, which has been a shareholder of Sono Motors since 2017.

In addition to his long years of commitment to Sono, Franz is also an ice hockey enthusiast and one of the four shareholders of the Heilbronner Falken team. Seeing as that team’s jerseys are sporting the Sono Motors logo, we sat down with Franz to introduce him to you and to find out what this cooperation is actually all about.

Hello Franz, very pleased to meet you. Would you like to briefly introduce yourself to our readers?

Franz: Sure! My name is Franz Böllinger and I’m the second-generation managing partner of our medium-sized group of companies, BÖLLINGER GROUP, which specializes in the production of complex prototypes and special parts serial production for automotive, aerospace, and mechanical engineering.

How exciting! Is that also how you first got in touch with Sono Motors?

Franz: I first noticed Sono Motors when I read an article in a notable German Sunday newspaper. That article spoke in great detail about the founders of Sono and their ideas and motivations. I subsequently got in touch with Laurin and Jona in order to explore the options for BÖLLINGER GROUP to support this project. At first, the main focus was on supporting Sono with our operative know-how in terms of engineering and prototype production. That was supposed to be the starting point for identifying further areas of cooperation later. But only a short time later, we were considering joining as a shareholder – which we ended up doing.

Why did you decide to invest in Sono Motors and stick with it to this day?

Franz: It was the allure and at the same time the realization that many things about mobility as we know it today must, and will, change. What really convinced us was the passion and the strong will of the founders and idea providers together with a plethora of innovations. Unlike other automotive manufacturers, Sono does not care about the traditional goals such as higher performance. Instead, they are looking for new ways to use our resources and to create new services.

Which aspect of Sono do you love most, personally? The vehicle itself, the solar technology, or the mobility services?

Franz: Definitely a mixture of all three. But the special value as I see it is without a doubt the integrated solar technology and the mobility services, which distinguish Sono from both the well-established and the new players in the market.

So much for Sono. But there is another thing we’d like to know: What is your role at the Heilbronner Falken?

Franz: I am one of four shareholders of the Heilbronner Falken, a professional DEL2 ice hockey team (editor’s note: DEL2 = second tier ice hockey league in Germany). I’ve been passionate about that sport since 1986, and I’m not the only one in my family. A high-octane game, the tangible passion of everyone on and next to the rink, and not least the possibility of connecting economic logic and the special professional sports terminology – all that is an important driver for me and my fellow partners. Moreover, the Heilbronner Falken have been spokesmodels for our group of companies for more than 20 years.

How come that the team jersey is now sporting the Sono logo?

My intention was to make Sono known more widely beyond its esteemed community. Putting the Sono logo on the jerseys and thus extending the reach in terms of brand awareness is supposed to complement the manifold marketing activities. Sono doesn’t pay us anything for that advertising space. It’s a contribution from us as partners and investors.

The cooperation with Sono also means more awareness for the Heilbronner Falken and, ideally, more supporters and thus more reach. It’s a true win-win situation.

We couldn’t agree more! We keep our fingers crossed for you in the future! Thank you for your time and your contribution.

A Community Company — Supporters Decide on New Sono Logo

2022-03-11T11:00:00+01:00

In our survey the week before last we asked you to vote for the logo of your choice. And vote you did! 18,462 people participated in the survey – more than in any other community survey before – and decided the look of the new Sono Motors brand logo. There were three variants to choose from, and the clear winner was:

The new logo of Sono Motors is a logical continuation of the previous one; an evolution, so to speak. While retaining all the good things about the previous logo – minimalist design, a sun symbol, simplicity – the update adds some energy and vitality. The typography is very similar to the current logo; however, we did soften those sharp edges a bit. It looks friendlier now, more inviting.

And of course, the Sion will also bear the new logo. Thank you so much to everyone who shared their vote with us. We want to continue as an enterprise which actively involves its supporters and values your opinion, not just concerning the design of the Sion but the brand as a whole.

Sono as a Community Enterprise

Ever since Jona, Laurin, and Navina founded Sono, we have pursued an approach to product design which is different from that of many traditional car manufacturers. With the crowdfunding campaign started by our founders in 2016, interested parties, reservation holders, and backers have been included in various design-related decisions from the start. The motto: “Sion. A Solarcar for everyone.”

“When we told Navina about the project, Jona and I had already spent four years building the first concept car completely on our own. That was when we had the idea to try crowdfunding. Through crowdfunding, we wanted to find out whether there were people out there who shared our vision. Fortunately, we found exactly those people,” says founder and CEO Laurin Hahn with regard to the start of the campaign in 2016. In total, the three of them raised more than 800,000 euros, exceeding their own expectations by far.

Without the enthusiasm of the many people who provided financial backing to that small project by making a reservation, Sono would not exist in its present form. Therefore it went without saying for Jona, Laurin, and Navina that these people should also have a say in the design of the Sion in some form.

From the Road to the Workshops and Back Again

Even as we designed the first prototype back in 2017, we kept involving our growing community through surveys. That way, we received a lot of suggestions and ideas about the further development of the Sion. Our team worked a few very intense night shifts in order to translate all those suggestions into the model. The result was presented to the world on July 27 in Munich.

But that was only the beginning. During the subsequent test tours across Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Italy, and France, we not only collected more and more feedback but we also established close connections with our reservation holders that are still going strong. We developed a feeling for which aspects mattered to the community and which ones didn’t. More than 18,000 people have test-driven our prototypes so far, and their feedback has shaped the development of the Sion – for instance, in our car clinic in Memmingen, Germany.

Like we did now with the question about the new logo, we have always directly involved our community in the past few years with the help of surveys. Should the Sion be a five- or six-seater? What color should the car be: black or white? What color rims should we use? How much charging power? What type of headlights? What are the requirements of the infotainment system? The real-time data we receive from surveys makes it possible for us to rethink the automotive design process and to directly incorporate the community feedback in the development.

Of course, we weren’t always able to incorporate everybody’s wishes and ideas. But still the community’s opinion has been a key influence not only on the design but also on Sono as a company. That was also one of the reasons why we decided to create a job within the company which represented our community. After putting out the call, we received around 400 applications for that post, and the community ultimately chose Sebastian Böttger as their representative.

After our IPO last November, Sebastian was also appointed to the Sono Supervisory Board, where he represents the community and its interests. He is also a frequent guest in our live streams, posing community questions to our experts. Sebastian’s voice is very important, and he is a valuable sparring partner within the company.

We are very grateful for our special relationship with our community. It is an integral part of our company, and we would never have made it this far without it. Together we designed a vehicle which is customized to the wishes and requirements of the people who have always supported its development. We will definitely continue to find ways to involve our community in the development of the company and its products in the future. After all, Sono is, and always will be, a community enterprise.

If you want to read more about what our community has to say about us, come and visit this website. We have collected various opinions and some information about this part of our company there. Have fun exploring!

Forming the Future of Solar Technology

2022-02-10T08:00:00+01:00

Since 2021, a growing team of experts have been working away building, designing and fine-tuning everything from solar integration projects to exhibition stands just a stone’s throw from Sono HQ. At CES in the same year, we presented our solar trailer to showcase our Sono Solar team’s continued work towards making every vehicle solar and to kick-start collaborative B2B projects and testing with a wide range of companies from the transportation sector.

To make progress on this, we needed to put our expertise and energy full force into testing and improving our solar technology. In order to do this we set up a team with diverse skill sets to work alongside our engineers. The space we find ourselves in, in today’s interview, was where this all took place. We spoke to workshop supervisor Johannes, to answer all our questions about the capacious work space where all the magic happens.

Lucy: Hi Johannes, thanks for taking the time out to talk a bit about all things workshop. Could you give our readers a brief introduction of yourself?

Johannes: Hello Lucy, thanks for coming to see us over here. Yes of course: my name is Johannes. I am the workshop supervisor and a trained automotive mechanic. I’ve had the classic career in my field, you could say, having worked in various roles at various automotive companies refining my skills, as well as as a paramedic. So, when I looked to change, I searched for vacancies in companies where I could feel pride in my work and see it making a difference.

I came across Sono Motors and was really taken by their mission and spirit, and realized that it would be a perfect fit for me. Luckily, Sono felt the same from their side. I joined in 2019 and was basically doing all the jobs that you now see our growing team doing. I was an electrician, automotive mechanic, assembler, constructor all in one.

Lucy: Thanks Johannes, that’s quite a story. When you walk into the workshop you clearly see that there's a lot going on. What exactly happens here?

Johannes: Well, this space is used predominantly for Sono Solar partnership projects and prototype manufacturing. This is where we work on everything that Sono is involved in terms of engineering, homologation, manufacturing, material science, photovoltaic technology, and electrical & mechanical integration. We carry out testing and procedural tasks on all vehicles that come through Sono, be it the Sion or something for a B2B solar customer like buses, trucks, trailers, e-vans and RVs. It all comes through us. We also work in close collaboration with our engineering team every single day. They also have their offices here, so we can all be right in the thick of it together.

This workshop is where most of the physical testing is done, as we need to make sure that what has been designed and engineered by our development team is actually possible in reality. We also work on any construction projects that are needed by the company as a whole, like stand building for exhibitions or tours and, if we have time, we help out with tasks needed at the office itself.

Lucy: Oh wow, that’s pretty diverse. This space seems perfect for this and your team, it’s so close to Sono HQ too. How did this come about, because this is a fairly recent acquisition isn’t it?

Johannes: Well, it’s an interesting story really. When I started in 2019 it was just me in a room smaller than the one we’re in now [author’s note: we’re sat in the 30 sqm upstairs office in the workshop, for readers at home] doing everything that we as a team now do. Both the team and our space have, thankfully, since grown, and we remained there until last year, when we got wind that the workshop just across the road from our HQ used by a top automotive supplier was up for rent.

When we moved in we gutted it quite extensively so we would be able to bring large vehicles and equipment in if we needed. It’s really transformed our work and output capacity and we’ve already managed to pack it with the multitude of projects that we’re working on.

Lucy: That’s a huge difference and really every time I come here there’s always something new or different going on. The two Sion prototypes we currently have here are often in our workshop for development but also a huge range of different vehicles that are linked to our solar B2B collaborations. Can you tell us about one of those and how the process looked?

Johannes: Well, we’ve worked on a lot of different vehicles like buses, trailers, and last-mile vehicles. One of our latest projects involved integrating our solar technology into the cargo box of such a prototype vehicle for ARI Motors to enable range extension, which was displayed at the Intersolar exhibition last year in Munich. Extending range is something that is a clear benefit for solar mobility as it reduces huge costs. For reference, a standard truck does around 1 million km in its life-cycle.

The integration process involved us being in very close contact with ARI Motors to ensure that we had a complete 360° view of everything that was involved in us integrating this technology. We worked with in-house development and engineering teams to plan how to accomplish this and made sure we inspected the vehicle itself so as to fully comprehend the specific parameters we were working with.

We have had so many different types of vehicles come to our workshop to undergo testing for a huge range of areas that come into play when integrating solar technology. These include the integration methods themselves, as well as heat testing, electrical integration and benchmarking different PV (photovoltaic) technology. This process again involves us working in collaboration with our development and engineering teams.

Lucy: So your team are involved from start to finish in all vehicle fittings. You get a wide variety of vehicles to fit, like that of ARI Motors, that must make it difficult to come up with a one size fits all approach.

Johannes: Yes, exactly. Every case is different. No two vehicles are the same. All vehicles are designed and specified differently according to their needs. For example on one vehicle the antenna could be at the back, but on another it’s at the front. One has extensive additional electronic systems that require extra power. The list goes on. That’s why when we came up with our procedure, we specified that we needed to be there right from the beginning.

We need to examine where to position the PV panels. We need to know how our MPPT unit — the MCU — will be integrated into the existing vehicles’ electronics and how to connect them to the high or low-voltage vehicle battery, to name just a few. Basically, we tailor our installation methods based on the individual project. This type of process flexibility requires a hugely diverse set of skills, so I built the team accordingly. We need each individual member of our team to bring something different to the table so that we are covering all bases.

Lucy: Your team has come such a long way since you started in 2019. Could you tell me a little bit about its members?

Johannes: Yes, of course. So we have Kristijan, our electrician; Thomas who brings many years experience in model assembly and construction; Janek is a carpenter and has fantastic amounts of experience with solar technology, a real all-rounder. We then have Rouven who has extensive experience with the construction of expedition trucks and solar integration onto vehicles like camper vans. Jakob is our resident automotive mechanic and we recently brought Alexander in to support him, as their workload will be increasing considerably with the latest generation of prototypes as well as multiple B2B collaborations this coming year.

Lucy: I can really imagine you mean to go on as you started, so to speak. What are some of the big challenges facing the team in 2022?

Johannes: Well of course we want to continue to grow as a team and really expand our project catalog. As I said, we are in the process of establishing more collaborations, which will involve more travel, equipment and testing. It’s an exciting time and it brings a lot of opportunities for us.

Lucy: That sounds very promising. You’ve built a really solid team with very diverse skill sets. I imagine this is imperative for your work here but that it’s quite a task to find people who fit your needs as well as the culture you want to create here that reflects the company. Would you agree?

Johannes: Yes, absolutely. When I started building this team, it was very important to me that we define what skills we need to really optimize our work, but it was also really important to me that this team be like a family. We work so closely with one another and have to really trust each other because of the physical nature of our job but also working at Sono, we are like a family. Very supportive, very open and very passionate about why we do what we do. I’m so pleased with how our team has turned out and am excited to see where we will progress in the future.

Lucy: Is there any moment that springs to mind when you knew that Sono was right for you?

Johannes: Well there are a few that were really proud moments for me. I worked on the Crowdfunding campaign just a few months after starting which involved driving all across the country, to a different city every day, and doing buildup and break-down of all our stand equipment as well as any fixes to the vehicles we had back then. It was really great to experience how much people really believed in Sono Motors and its vision. It was really inspiring, but wow was it tiring. Very worth it with all we achieved and the support we received. That’s actually when I knew that Sono was somewhere I could really see myself and a company that I would be proud to work for.

Lucy: It must be a really great feeling to see dreams become reality in a sense. How do you feel about what the future holds?

Johannes: What’s great for me is that no two days are the same. We are always working on really exciting and ground breaking projects that will enable mobility without the use of fossil fuels. As you can see, we’re leading the way and on the journey to our goal of solar on every vehicle.

Lucy: What a perfect note to end on. The work you do here is really important and mostly remains behind the scenes, so I’m really glad we were able to shine a light on it today. Thanks so much for taking the time, Johannes. Keep doing what you’re doing!

Why Solar Mobility Will Be the Next Big Thing

2021-12-22T14:03:00+01:00

If we want to get an idea of the mobility of the future, we should begin by looking at relevant works of fiction. Books and movies have always been a medium for people to express their ideas about the future. Be it “Star Wars,” “Blade Runner,” or “The Fifth Element”: The first image that comes to mind when thinking about mobility in the movies is that of flying cars navigating the urban canyons of densely populated megacities – classic sci-fi, in other words.

Another typical motif is self-driving cars as seen in “Minority Report,” “I, Robot,” or the 80’s cult classic TV show “Knight Rider.” What is less common, however, is the idea of solar-powered mobility. Sure, the little trash-compacting robot WALL-E in the Disney movie of the same name recharges his batteries using solar cells, but you would be hard pressed to find solar cars in Hollywood which take people from A to B in a sustainable manner.

Reality, however, looks a bit different. While all three concepts – flying cars, autonomous driving, and solar charging – have been extensively researched and worked on for years, the fiction of integrating solar cells in cars has become a reality since the introduction of the Baker Solar Electric Car in 1955 at the latest. Back then, General Motors engineer William G. Cobb presented his first solar-powered concept car in Chicago. More than three decades later, the aerodynamic design of solar-powered racing cars caused a sensation at the Tour de Sol in Switzerland and in the US, revitalizing almost-forgotten ambitions regarding solar mobility.

But why are solar-powered cars still waiting for their big break, both on the silver screen and in real life? Or, in other words: Why should solar integration become the next big thing now, of all times? What inspires companies like ours or Lightyear to build solar-powered cars? These are the questions we are looking to explore in this blog post. Part of the answer can be found in the history of the electric car.

The Electric Car as a Trailblazer

There are a number of reasons why certain technologies are particularly successful at certain points in history. In the late 19th century, electric motors in cars were more common than combustion engines . They were considered more advanced because they were less noisy, produced fewer exhaust fumes, and were more comfortable. But the technological advance of the combustion engine in the early 20th century brought competitive advantages to fuel-powered cars compared to electric cars. Even back then, costs and range were the main factors. Crude oil was available in abundance and hardly anyone wasted a thought on climate change. And thus began the era which we now refer to as the “century of cars.”

But the end of that century brought with it a change of thinking, triggered by new scientific findings in climate research, historical events such as the oil crisis, and technological advances in research. While the combustion engine is still the drive of choice for many Germans, every fifth new car in the country is actually an electric vehicle. These days, electric vehicles help reduce emissions and also the noise level in our cities. And the growing success of electric cars is also thanks to technological advances.

According to the US news outlet Bloomberg, prices for battery packs have decreased by roughly 89 % since 2010. While the price per kWh was 1,191 USD in 2010, it had dropped to a mere 137 USD by 2020. At the same time, batteries improved in terms of energy density. Nowadays lithium-ion batteries provide a better power-to-weight ratio than nickel–metal hydride or lead–acid batteries. And research into electrochemistry is booming.

Electric Vehicles Are the Present. Solar Vehicles Are the Future.

Batteries that offer a higher range for a smaller price – one reason for the success of electric cars and at the same time an important building block for solar-powered cars such as the Sion. A lot has happened in the area of photovoltaics in the past few years, too. Prices for solar cells have dropped as well while cell efficiency has increased.

In a much-noticed study in 2020, the International Energy Agency (IEA) identified solar power as the most affordable power source worldwide. Integrating solar cells in cars is therefore a very logical step, but not only in order to make electric cars even more affordable and sustainable. Our models show that the Sion requires less charging than an electric car with the same battery capacity and energy consumption thanks to solar integration.

But all of this is only made possible with the right technology. And that is our focus as a company. We have already discussed in detail what makes our solar integration so special in this article. Our patented manufacturing process allows us to integrate safe, lightweight PV modules in the vehicle. They are flexible and can also be adapted to more complex body geometry. Several patents have already been granted, with even more pending. We are confident that we will reach more milestones in the future and be able to further improve the process.

But there is of course more to our solar integration than just a special manufacturing procedure. There is also the power electronics in the form of the MCU, which makes the utilization and storage of solar power possible in the first place and can be designed for maximum yield thanks to multi-channel technology. Another point is our software, which can provide energy data in real time and is supposed to optimize the energy yield.

The solar team at Sono is very versatile and is working tirelessly on making the various components ready for the market. The expansion of our portfolio to include other vehicle types such as trucks, buses, vans, and boats looks promising as well. Since a solar truck was first presented at the Consumer Electronics Show in January 2021, we have established cooperations with numerous well-renowned manufacturers and OEMs from the fields of transport and logistics and have been able to generate revenue from a few joint projects.

A Bright-Shining Future Ahead

Price, efficiency, technology … the reasons why we cast our lot with solar integration are manifold. And we are not the only ones to do so. The Alliance for Solar Mobility, or ASOM for short, is an alliance of various companies who are looking to help solar mobility rise further towards the top.

So a lot is happening in the automotive industry – and that is a good thing, both from an economic and an ecological perspective. The ever-decreasing prices for battery and solar cells come with an ever-increasing efficiency. And we must use the right technology to use them.

In an article for the German news magazine Focus, author Michael Förtsch also points out the gigantic potential of solar-integrated cars. According to the PV2Go research project, the 44 million passenger cars in Germany equal a roof surface area of 320 square kilometers. "If only some of these were equipped with solar cells, together they could function as many little solar power plants.”

Combined with bidirectional chargers and the appropriate wallbox, we are becoming yet a little more self-sufficient, and not just in terms of mobility. That potential must be used, and therefore we declare: solar on every vehicle! And who knows, once solar integration has had its big break on the roads, perhaps it will finally arrive in Hollywood, too. I, for one, would love to see Knight Rider’s car equipped with solar cells.

IPO, Sono Points, Solar range: the eight most important questions and answers from the livestream

2021-12-10T12:24:00+01:00

After our successful IPO, five of our experts answered numerous questions from the Community. Viewers voted beforehand as to which topics they didn’t want missed. For those that didn’t have the chance to follow the presentation in real-time or do not understand German, we’ve briefly summarized the most important insights for you.

You can find the entire livestream here (in German only) which, in addition to extensive Q&A sessions, also includes interesting presentations from Torsten (finance), Mathieu (solar), Thomas (Sion), Friedrich (HR) and of course Laurin and Jona.

1. According to media reports, the head of contract manufacturer NEVS recently said, “we have no production agreements with Sono Motors. They first have to go public and raise money.” Where do we go from here?

An update regarding our Production Partner is available since the 5th April, 2022. Find all information here.

2. Can you present the data that shows the charging performance achieved over a long period in practice? For example a curve that illustrates charging performance in different weather conditions over a day?

The Sion can generate additional range from the power of the sun alone, averaging 112 km per week (max. 245 km in a week of sunny weather). Sion users can almost completely self-sufficiently cover an average work commute and have to charge the car up to four times less often than a conventional electric car. We have created this graphic to illustrate this:

You also can find more information regarding solar integration in other types of vehicles by following this link. These use cases are based on calculations using weather data from our home-base in Munich. As soon as we have more detailed test results, we will of course publish them.

3. Is it true that in addition to the 156 million US dollars now raised, further funding will be needed up to the start of production?

The IPO enabled us to raise total net proceeds of 157 million US dollars (137 million euros). We are using these funds primarily to finance the development of series-validation vehicles. According to current planning, we need more than 350 million euros until the start of series production. It is therefore correct that we need to raise at least another 200 million euros.

As a listed company, we will now have a greater degree of flexibility to raise further capital on the stock market. There are also a few financing options in addition to this, such as loans or convertible bonds.

4. What has actually become of the Sono Points? How does the IPO affect these?

Going public changes basically nothing in terms of the Sono Points. The Points are so-called profit participation rights for Laurin, Jona and Navina’s shares. They continue to hold these shares and thereby want to set an example of how to practice entrepreneurship.

Now that we are publicly listed on NASDAQ after the successful IPO, it becomes much easier for the founders to sell a certain number of shares. The profit from this can also be paid out proportionally, after deduction of taxes and costs, to reservation holders with existing Points. For those who would like to learn more about Sono Points, you can find all the important information on our website in the ‘Profit Sharing’ section of our FAQs.

5. Would you really have gone into insolvency in December or did you have a plan B?

As can be read in our prospectus for the SEC, we are, like many young companies, dependent on further financing. It is true, however, that we were very confident in the IPO. The IPO is another milestone on the way to delivering the Sion to our Community and furthering our mission.

6. Have the 10 million convertible loans from the 2020 crowdfunding campaign arrived by now? If not, why?

We received 53 million euros in payment commitments from the 2020 crowdfunding campaign. Of this, 37 million euros have been retrieved. The 10 million euros would have been a convertible loan. This convertible loan has not been retrieved, as we received better conditions through the IPO.

7. Why was no subscription offer made to those with pre-orders prior to the IPO?

The decision to go public in the USA meant that we could not advertise our IPO in Germany. We were only allowed to admit investors who invest under SEC regulations.

For Germany, for example, we would have had to prepare a BaFin prospectus, which was not possible under the circumstances. We decided to go public on NASDAQ, that is to say in the USA, as it is the best thing for the company and therefore also for reservation holders and all other supporters.

Sono Motors’ shares are now tradeable on NASDAQ. Some brokers and banks allow these shares to be traded in Germany. We can be found principally under the SEV ticker symbol, WKN:A3C7QW, in Germany.

8. How can investors who have acquired shares via Seedrs have them transferred to their share deposit account?

After the IPO, your shares will continue to be held by Seedrs through their broker, currently Cannaccord. All investors who wish to sell their shares, must notify Seedrs. Seedrs will provide further information as soon as the shares are listed and investors can sell the shares. To our knowledge, the existing Sono shares are converted with a factor of 1.71. This should soon be displayed in your individual Seedrs accounts. As is usual with IPOs, there is a 180 day vesting period, i.e you cannot sell your shares within the first 180 days after the IPO.

This text was translated by Lucy Kirmond.

Please note this version has been edited to reflect the revision of the term used 'next Sion prototype generation'. This was adjusted accordingly on 3 February 2022.

"That is what makes you unique": Chair of the board Wilko Stark and Vice-Chair Martina Buchhauser about Sono Motors

2021-11-26T12:25:00+01:00

For companies listed on the stock exchange, there are certain structures, duties and tasks for which the supervisory board is responsible. Chair Wilko Stark and Vice-Chair Martina Buchhauser talk in an interview about Sono Motors’ strengths and what challenges the company still has to overcome in coming years.

Julius: Hello Wilko, hi Martina. I’m glad that we were able to meet today. Could you possibly introduce yourselves to our readers?

Wilko: Thank you for having us! My name is Wilko Stark and in the future I will be acting as Chair of the Sono Motors’ Supervisory Board.

Martina: Pleased to meet you! I am Martina Buchhauser and am the Supervisory Board Vice-Chair, as well as a member of two of the respective Supervisory Board committees.

Julius: A warm welcome to you! You’ve both been working in the automotive industry for a very long time and have broad expertise in your respective fields. Can you briefly outline your respective career paths?

Martina: I started my career at Opel, which was still part of General Motors at that time. Over the years, I made a significant contribution to the development of component and organizational globalization, also at the HQ in the USA. At MAN I had overall purchasing responsibility for trucks and buses and at BMW I was responsible for interior and electrics/electronics as well as in-house seat and instrument panel production. Until recently, I was Chief Procurement Officer and part of the Board of Volvo Cars in Sweden. There, I was primarily involved in the transformation to sustainable electromobility and the associated battery capacity assurance, competitive costs, and a responsible and CO2-reduced supply chain.

Wilko: I started my career at the Boston Consulting Group. I thereafter worked for Volkswagen AG as head of product planning, and later as product lead at Seat S.A in Barcelona. In 2012. I moved to Daimler AG as product and module lead Daimler Trucks. In 2013. I became head of Daimler Group strategy as well as product planning Mercedes-Benz cars. In 2017, I added responsibility for the CASE (connected, autonomous, shared, electric) activities as well as new e-vehicle planning at Mercedes-Benz cars. I was then, in 2018, appointed to the divisional board for Mercedes-Benz cars for purchasing and supplier quality. In the meantime, I am an active member of supervisory boards in several companies with a focus on renewable energy, e-mobility and automotive. In that respect, I am very happy to support Sono Motors’ mission in this way.

Julius: These are both very impressive career journeys. Both of you have had a lot of contact with e-mobility. We are of course delighted that we were able to win you and your expertise for the supervisory board. How did you become aware of Sono Motors and what sparked your interest?

Martina: I was made aware of your by a long-term business partner. When you’ve been working in a field for a very long time, like I have, then you are naturally always on the look for new challenges. We were soon able to get to know one another and I must say that I was inspired by the vision quite quickly. Just to say that we are developing a car primarily from the drive to make sustainability more accessible - that impressed me. I am particularly interested in your approach to reducing complexity, especially with regard to more resilient supply chains. In other words, to outsource what needs to be outsourced, for example vehicle production, but also to develop the car from what really matters to the customer. What are the standards I can use that aren’t differentiated for the customer - keyword: carry-over parts. How can we create more efficient, resource-saving and cost effective solutions, and thereby offer customers an experience that makes the world simpler, more sustainable and more connected for them? I got to know and realised that you simply have a very promising approach in this respect.

Wilko: I see it similarly, although I also find the individual features of the vehicle very exciting. Similar to Martina, I was brought into contact with you through a business partner, even though I had heard of Sono Motors myself. You, of course, always follow what other competitors are doing and which technologies could become interesting in the future. When it comes to solar cells in vehicles, you can hardly move past Sono Motors. On one hand you have the Sion and on the other the technology itself. I am firmly convinced that electrification will not stop at trucks, trailers and buses — especially when it comes to auxiliary equipment or refrigeration units. It is, needless to say, an advantage if you are able to generate electricity with the right solar technology. That’s what immediately interested me in Sono.

Julius: So on the one hand, the focus is more on sustainable supply chains, and on the other, the novel solar technology. We often emphasize that despite some significant milestones, some hurdles to overcome remain before the Sion’s launch and our technology is ready for series production. Where do you see the biggest opportunities and the biggest risks for Sono?

Wilko: I think what convinced me — and I think I speak for Martina as well — is concurrently one of the company’s greatest strengths: its spirit. Even though Sono is a very young company, it has come so far already. We saw this most recently with the successful IPO. Here it must be said — respect. You have a clear vision and an incredibly strong team that really pulls together. This is the only real way to manage such a massive task.

Martina: Yes, absolutely. This pioneering spirit that drives the founders and the team, that makes the company very unique. That’s exactly what inspires the people out there. You started with a blank canvas. You are not faced with the challenges that having to reinvent oneself brings, like many established companies. It has to be said, the current transformation that the automotive industry is currently undergoing is unprecedented. But you are already one step ahead of the curve. At the same time though, Sono cannot rely on processes that have been perfected over decades. This is, of course, a big challenge.

Wilko: Exactly. Successfully launching a product on the market is never easy. This is true for every start-up — even in the automotive sector. Industrializing a product, delivering it to the customer and generating demand are definitely challenges that Sono is still to face. You have, however, already done the groundwork in this regard. You have a strong Community behind you that believes in your product, as well as a clear development roadmap.

Martina: And now to the supervisory board, whose members will bring their experience and expertise to meet this challenge head on.

Julius: Which brings me to my next question: what exactly will your tasks be in the future?

Wilko: For companies listed on the stock exchange, there are certain structures, duties and tasks for which the supervisory board is responsible. First of all, we have a supervisory duty towards the company. Our task is to ensure that all the necessary rules that apply to Sono Motors are complied with. In addition to this is our responsibility to safeguard the interests of the company and the shareholders.
There are various committees for this, for example an audit committee, in which annual financial statements are reviewed and formally approved. Furthermore, there is a nomination committee. This is where the supervisory board officially appoints management and the board members and also discusses contracts. In simple terms, a supervisory board is a control body that approves and monitors corporate strategy and financing frameworks.

Julius: That means Sono particularly benefits from your expertise here?

Wilko: Of course, we want to provide advice and support. Operationally, the board of directors is responsible.

Martina: In addition to what legal regulations generally require of a supervisory board, we want to contribute our respective backgrounds and also act as sparring partners for management. After all, the corporate strategy is supposed to be sustainable and, above all, long-term. I think that here the supervisory board brings a lot of experience to the table, especially with a team in the industry that has never worked together in this way. We can complement each other very well here and work together to ensure that the ambitions that Sono Motors has as a company also become a reality.

Wilko: All the members of the supervisory board are already very excited to work with one another. In addition to the two of us, this also includes Sebastain Böttger as the Community representative, Robert Jeffe as Audit Chair and Johannes Trischler as employee representative.

Julius: And we are so happy to have you on board. Thank you for your time! We are all very excited about the future together.

In addition to the official press release, you can also find an overview of the other Supervisory Board members and the various committees here.

This article was translated by Lucy Kirmond.

Community Superadvisor Sebastian poses the most important questions about going public

2021-11-18T15:45:00+01:00

It’s done. Sono has leapt over another huge milestone on the journey to getting the Sion on the road with news of its IPO (initial public offering). Of course, this development didn’t happen overnight. Months of preparation have gone on behind the scenes. You can see that the first documents were prepared months ago on the SEC, US Securities and Exchange Commission, homepage.

In recent weeks, Sono has resolved some of the major issues necessary to be able to succeed on the stock exchange floor:

Technology within the Sion has been updated to make it even more state-of-the-art. The addition of the new 54 kWh battery, its increased charging capacity and full solar integration give the Sion a massively high competitive advantage.
The overall plans were updated and coordinated with the involvement of all stakeholders, which makes them both resilient and reliable.
The price was adjusted to better reflect the break-even point. As a member of the Community Advisory Board, I am particularly pleased that the old price could be maintained for all existing reservation holders.

The IPO will enable the company to raise the financial means to initiate the Sion’s final development phase. The Sion project is now in a better position than ever before. This means that Sono is now entering into the next phase of its development as a company. Here, too, lie many new and major challenges and risks to overcome:

Building several prototypes in manufacturing is one thing. Now series production in Trollhättan has to be prepared.
11 series-validation vehicles must prove by summer 2022 in the safeguarding and development that clean preliminary work has been done.
As a company, Sono has to build new structures and manage rapid growth. A large number of new employees will be needed to get the vehicle on the road and into the hands of the customer.

In recent years, many automotive start-ups have failed at precisely these steps. Some, like Tesla, BYD and Weltmeister, have succeeded. They provide the blueprint for how these steps can be taken.

Many of us reservation holders have a lot of questions. Since the announcement of the IPO, I have received countless emails about this. Unfortunately, as an "insider", I was not allowed to give any answers. All the more reason for this blog. I had the opportunity to talk to Torsten Kiedel - Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Sono Motors - about the IPO. I have collected the most important eight questions and answers in this blog post. Happy reading!

Sebastian: Hello Torsten, thanks for taking the time! Sono went public! Congratulations!

Torsten: Hi Sebastian, thanks very much! I’m really pleased that we have this opportunity to discuss this new development with one another!

Sebastian: But before we get stuck into the big questions, tell me, how are you doing after this huge announcement?

Torsten: I'm doing great, I'm very happy that we could take this step together.

Sebastian: I believe you there. Let’s perhaps start with the basics. Why have you gone public? How does sustainability and the goal of having fewer cars on the roads, via sharing, fit in with the steady growth of the stock market?

Torsten: In essence, there is a very central reason for this. Namely that through the IPO we've raised $156 million to accelerate the next phase of our growth. The IPO helps us on the way to putting the Sion on the road and thus pave the way for climate-friendly mobility.

Sebastian: Why did you decide on the USA and NASDAQ? Wouldn’t European stock exchanges be a more obvious choice?

Torsten: The reasoning behind the USA and for NASDAQ is first of all that the American capital market gives us much more flexibility. American investors are somewhat more open to companies that are still in the so-called early stage, i.e. "pre-revenue". At the moment the Sion is not yet generating sales and there is simply more risk appetite among US investors and therefore also more openness to buy Sono shares or invest in us.

Sebastian: Sono Motors is then publicly listed. Is there then a risk that Sono will be taken over? Perhaps because other companies have their eyes on both the technology and the expertise?

Torsten: In order to answer that, perhaps a few basic words about going public. This involves issuing additional shares in orders to raise new money.This is a capital increase and not a sale of the founders’ shares or those of other shareholders. The founders continue to hold the majority of the voting rights, which currently rules out a takeover against the will of the founders.

Sebastian: Okay, I’m sure that reassures a lot of people out there. As you know, I represent the Community within the company. At the end of 2019, when Sono was on the verge of insolvency, many supporters increased their deposits or even reserved new vehicles. In return, they were awarded so-called Sono Points, i.e. the possibility to participate in any of the founders’ future profits. The more Sono Points you have, the larger your share of the total pool and thus potential payout. What happens to these points in the course of going public?

Torsten: The Sono Points are a promise from the founders Laurin, Jona and Navina to the reservation holders and to the Community. This has nothing directly to do with the company, but refers to the shares that are held by the three of them. The fact that we have now floated Sono Motors on the stock exchange does not change anything for the time being, because it has no direct impact on the points. The profit participation rights that the founders had earmarked for the Sono Points remain reserved for them.

Since we are now publicly listed on NASDAQ after a successful IPO, it would be easier for the founders to sell certain shares. The profit from this can then also be paid out proportionately, and after deduction of taxes and costs, to reservation holders with existing points.

Sebastian: All right! And what about Seedrs' shares? I myself have shares, as do 4,500 others. Would I then automatically get shares in my securities account?

Torsten: These shares will continue to be managed by Seedrs. In principle, such units can be converted into shares. For further details, please contact the Seedrs team.

Sebastian: Many Community members have been involved with Sono for a long time. Going public is, of course, going to mean a lot of change. It will also likely make people who think less about sustainability and more about successful share prices more aware of Sono. Dealing with that could be difficult for many in the Community. I also think that after going public, it’ll be important whether the share price rises or falls - and people want to earn money with that. Will this have an impact on your daily business?

Torsten: No — we are on the stock market to put the Sion on the road. Whether a future share price then rises or falls is something we, I as CFO, keep a close eye on. However, it doesn’t have a direct impact on the development teams’ day-to-day operations. Besides, we view our project in the long-term. Short-term price fluctuations are normal and we will not overemphasize them.

Sebastian: Buzzwords — Production and NEVS. The IPO filing lists risks on several pages as well as which contracts have still to be signed. Many people liked the fact that you always stood by NEVS as a manufacturer despite turmoil. Do you have anything to say regarding that?

Torsten: In NEVS, we have found a production partner who shares our vision of future-oriented and climate-friendly mobility. The production conditions at the former cult brand SAAB plant are optimal for us. It has the appropriate production capacities, an experienced team and production using electricity from 100 per cent renewable energies.

NEVS has been our production partner since 2019 and we have been in close exchange ever since, as we are currently. At the moment, the Sion’s production is not affected by the restructuring at NEVS. Production facility preparations for pre-series production in 2022 and the series production in the first half of 2023 are already underway. NEVS has already adapted to the current developments and the capacities required for Sono Motors have not yet been affected by the workforce adjustment.

Sebastian: Final question. A planned listing in the USA - are we now to imagine Laurin and Jona soon cruising around 5th Avenue in a stretch limo? What has become of our little Munich start-up?

Torsten: Even though it’s quite an amusing thought, I don’t think we have to worry about that. You’ve known the three founders for some years and can judge them well. These are values that don’t suit them at all and that is not what they stood up for. Besides, we still have a long way to go. There’s no time for trips in limos. We will stay right here in Munich and continue to work on getting the Sion on the road and Sono Motors further ahead. We’ve been doing this for over five years now and will continue to do so.

Sebastian: I don’t think I’m worried about that either. Many reservation holders are not just interested in the car, but the idea behind it and the desire to affect change. The IPO was a big and important step towards the goal. So, here once again — on behalf of all reservation holders — congratulations and a huge thank you Torsten. All the best for the future!

Torsten: Thank you Sebastian. Thanks to the Community for their continued support. We’ll, of course, keep in touch!

Read the official press release here.

Please note this version has been edited to reflect the revision of the term used '16 pre-series vehicles'. This was adjusted accordingly on 27 January 2022.

16,000 Sion: over 1,000 reservations in just a week

2021-11-09T13:00:00+01:00

What a week! We already have something to celebrate together just days after we announced the planned price increase - reaching 16,000 reservations! We’re so pleased that so many people used the opportunity so quickly. Thank you for your support and trust!

Incidentally, the average Sion payment is around €2,500 net. Were every Sion already fully paid for, the total order value would be around 342 million euros net.

We had originally announced that the price adjustment would take place on 15 November, unless we reach 16,000 reservations before then. As we achieved this in just a matter of days, we have brought the adjustment into effect. For those who reserved on time, the old price still applies, at €25,500 gross. The new price now applies for any new reservations - €28,500 gross.

Sion reservations come predominantly from Germany and the DACH region. Currently, however, we are registering an increasing number of payments from countries like France, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain and Portugal. So, here’s to the next 16,000!

Here's the latest news from the Sion's development

2021-10-06T18:00:00+02:00

Five of our development team experts gave you an update last week with regards to the Sion’s development status. Our CTO Markus Vollmer, Infotainment Director Mitchell Zarders, Serhan Sezer, responsible for crash & safety, Bene Zeilberger for the thermal system, and Leonhard Saibel, Automotive Body Senior Manager. The evening’s overarching topic was the design release. We’ve summarized the most important points from the hour-long livestream for you here.

1. Development Update - Where Are We and What’s New?

Right at the beginning, Markus made a pivotal point clear. Namely, that the date for the start of production will remain, as previously communicated, as the first half of 2023. We are currently making great strides towards the construction of series-validation vehicles which will be much more sophisticated than the current 2nd generation of prototypes. It will also provide us with insights into areas, like validation, that we still need to fine tune. At this stage, we are so far advanced in development that no more fundamental changes will be made. We’re still balancing things out and have already begun ordering components in parallel. At the end of the current phase we will ensure production feasibility of the various components - in other words, every part installed in the vehicle can be manufactured and assembled in the same way.

Unfortunately, we were unable to release all components by 10 September, as we had originally planned. This is due to various factors. One of the most decisive is the new battery, which required some installation space and other interface adjustments. Another reason is supplier negotiations, which have still to be finalized. We remain, unfortunately, dependent on external factors.

Edit: There is an update regarding the Production of the Sion since the 5th April, 2022. Find all information here.

2. Infotainment

Mitchell then presented various updates regarding the Sion’s infotainment system. All critical components were successfully approved. The necessary parts for the test bench will be delivered on time for 1 December. Thus, all necessary components for the LabCar, i.e. the simulation model, will also be available.

We are currently in the process of expanding the infotainment team in both software and hardware. One current risk, however, is the global chip crisis, which could have an effect on our purchasing. We try to work around this as much as possible by ordering necessary parts as early as possible. Mitchell also presented the exact infotainment system specifications.

3. The Body

As far as the body is concerned, Leonhard provided some information for us. The SVC3 3D data will be released as early as this calendar week. The feasibility of the individual parts has been tested and, through various optimization processes, he and his team have been able to successfully reduce weight.

Further optimization processes are still currently pending with regard to crash safety performance. A small drawback comes in the form of the concept for roof module fastening and the sun visor have yet to receive final approval. Supplier negotiations are still pending. This will, of course, be completed by the end of the current development phase at the beginning of December.

4. Crash & Safety

There have also been some developments in the area of crash & safety. One highlight is that so far, the crash simulations have delivered good to very good results. Serhan and his team have successfully adapted the crash targets to the new HV battery as well as carried out low-speed damage risk assessments. This point plays a particularly important part in the insurance rating.

As you already know, the vehicle is now 16 cm longer post revision. On the one hand this accounts for a longer crumple zone and on the other more space for additional hardware. One challenge here is to correctly meet the charging system requirements. In addition, we unfortunately haven’t yet been able to carry out any physical testing- That being said the simulations are incredibly informative for development.

5. The Thermal System

Benne mentions the thermal system’s biggest advantage right at the start. We are able to use a lot of transfer parts here which helps us to ease time pressure with regard to development. The suppliers we have selected are ready for the SVC3 and the current system design is both manufacturable and approved. The larger HV battery also increases the workload in this area, but this is being successfully managed with the help of new colleagues.

One current area of construction lies with the coolant level sensor which doesn’t quite work yet. Therefore, we’re not yet able to read when the coolant needs topping up. We’ll definitely get a handle on this by the time of the series release. This aspect is, however, not critical for the SVC3. For all those who are not yet completely familiar with the current specifications, Bene has created an informative overview.

In addition to the points listed here, my colleagues of course discussed and presented numerous other things. We also took a lot of time for questions from our Community. So, if you’ve had a burning question about development you’ve been holding on to for a while, you might find what you were looking for in the final third of the stream.

You can find the complete recording of the livestream on our ‘Sono Motors Community’ Youtube channel. We’re already looking forward to the next round with you!

This article was translated by Lucy Kirmond.

Please note this version has been edited to reflect the revision of the term used '3rd generation of prototypes'. This was adjusted accordingly on 27 January 2022.

We are at Intersolar From October 6 to 8 2021 in Munich, Germany

2021-10-04T17:00:00+02:00

At this year's Intersolar from October 6 to 8 in Munich, we will be presenting our solar integration and various application examples alongside the Sion on three days at our booth A6.551 in hall A6.
The Power2Drive Forum in hall B6 at booth B6.430 will also take place at the trade fair, where we will also contribute our expertise in solar integration on three dates.

Wednesday, 6.10 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
"Electric Transformation in Mobility: From E-scooters to E-airplanes" in German.
Thursday, 7.10 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm
"Vehicle2Grid as Game Changer of the New Mobility World" (panel) in English.
Friday, 8.10 10:15 am - 11:30 am
"Mobility Services: Engine for the New Mobility" in German

We look forward to welcoming you at our booth A6.551 in hall A6 as well as at the Power2Drive Forum in hall B6 at booth B6.430 to discuss with you how our technology can be applied to your project.

The Sono Wallbox will Get a Regular Cable

2021-09-23T08:00:00+02:00

After the decision for the Sono wallbox design was decided mid-September, our Community could now finally decide on the cable. There was a choice between a spiral and a smooth cable. Over 1,710 votes were counted and the winner was 72.2%. The regular cable!

Our Sono wallbox, which will be launched in 2023, is significantly cheaper than comparable bidirectional wallboxes. Would you like to be notified when the wallbox can be reserved? Then sign up for our mailing list and we'll let you know as soon as there's any news.

The Design of the Sono Wallbox: A First Result Is Available

2021-09-14T17:00:00+02:00

On 2 September it was finally time for us to present to you the Sono wallbox. Bidirectional, affordable and perfect for the Sion!

In typical Sono fashion we left the final decision on the wallbox's design up to you and what can we say? The amount of feedback was overwhelming! Thank you so much for your hard work in votig. A total of 6.955 people from the Community took part in the poll. Now a first result is available. We saw a neck-and-neck race between design option no. 4 and no. 6. In the end, design no.6 wins with a total of 26,34% of votes. But, it's best to see for yourself.

We are working flat out on our Sono wallbox, and are already looking forward to its launch in 2023. Would you like to be the first to know when the wallbox can be reserved? Then register to our distribution list here, commitment-free. We will contact you as soon as there is any news.

This is our final Wallbox Design:

Inside Sono Motors Event

2021-09-03T10:00:00+02:00

Thursday 9 September 2021 is the day! We are so excited that, for the first time in Sono Motors’ history, we will share with you what makes us special as an employer, and distinguishes us from many other companies in the automotive industry.

Meet us and find out what Sono culture is all about and how we live it every day; about currently open positions and what is important to us as an employer and as a company.

Date: 9 September 2021

Time: 5.30 pm - 9 p.m

Agenda:

5:30 pm - 6:00 pm: Arrive & covid-19 check-in, get orientated.
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm: Meet hiring managers, HR and other Sono Culture Ambassadors
07:00 pm - 8:00 pm: Open panel discussion: "What makes Sono, Sono - sharing insights." * by Jona Christians (Founder and CEO), Friedrich Wolf (Head of HR and Organisation), Mitchell Zarders (Director Infotainment) and Julia Varga (Head of Culture)
08:00 pm - 09:00 pm: Your questions, our answers.

*discussion will take place in English

_______________________

Important for your visit:

FFP2 masks are mandatory at our events.

Please also note the 3G rule:

We need one of the following proofs from you upon arrival:

A negative test result (via rapid test 24h, PCR test 48h)
A vaccination certificate (via app or vaccination card)
Proof of recovery

Important: Please only come to your appointment if you feel healthy and have no symptoms. Also, if you had a risk contact shortly before the appointment, please cancel the appointment (even at short notice).

Please keep also in mind:

Distance – Please always keep a sufficient minimum distance of 1.5 meters.

Hygiene – Be sure to wash your hands thoroughly and cough/sneeze into the crook of your arm. We will also provide sanitizer at the entrance on site.

Everyday masks – We also ask that you wear a clean FFP2 mask during your visit.

Register to this Event here for free

We’re Developing a Bidirectional Wallbox - How It Looks Is up to You

2021-09-02T07:00:00+02:00

While some of our readers are already familiar with the topic, perhaps they have already installed a corresponding device themselves, for others it’s still new territory. We are, of course, talking about wallboxes, also known as wall-mounted charging stations. In principle, these are small charging stations for electric cars, mounted onto house walls or columns.

These then take over the vehicle’s connection to the power grid and communicate the available current strength for charging to the vehicle’s internal on-board charger. This guarantees that the car’s battery can always be charged with the maximum power available, thanks to a Type 2 charging cable.

This enables charging power of up to 11 kW, almost five times as much as via a conventional household socket. Sounds extremely useful, especially for homeowners. Wallboxes can be a great complement to charging infrastructures that are often still weak, especially in rural areas. There are already a lot of models on the market. So why then are we developing our own now? The answer lies in the magic word ‘bidirectional’, i.e. the ability not only to deliver electricity but also to feed it back into the grid. Wallboxes of this kind already exist, but remain very expensive. Bidirectional wall-mounted charging stations can cost up to €6,000, depending on the model, features and manufacturer. In addition, there are the installation costs, which are highly dependent on the effort required for installation. These usually range between €400 and €2,300.

The Energie Revolution – Right at your Front Door

So much for walboxes’ general functionality. But, which applications are actually possible? How much cheaper will the Sono wallbox be? In order to find the answers to these and other questions, I asked my valued colleague Tilmann Laux for his help. As product manager at Sono, he is responsible for the customer experience around the topic of bidirectional charging and oversees development of the Sono wallbox.

Julius: Tillmann, to put it simply — what distinguishes our wallbox from other models?

Tillmann: Two things are crucial here. Firstly it is a bidirectional wallbox. That means that it not only relays electricity from the grid to the Sion, but can also relay electricity stored within the Sion itself — to the home or national grid, for example.

Secondly, our model is not a DC bidirectional wallbox, but an AC bidirectional wallbox. Until now, only DC bidirectional wall-mounted charging stations have been available. These have an inverter installed to convert alternating current into direct current. However, since we have deliberately developed the Sion so that it can deliver alternating current, we do not need an inverter in the wallbox and can therefore massively save costs here. This is expected to make our model up to 70% more affordable than DC devices.

Julius: What role does the wallbox play in the range of features offered by the Sion?

Tillmann: First and foremost, it is a device that makes it possible to use the Sion as a home storage system. The Sono wallbox enables the Sion to deliver electricity to a building. We are then talking about so-called vehicle to X applications

Julius: So more than just a car? What applications does the wallbox enable?

Tillmann: Our current focus is on the topic of vehicle-to-home (V2H). The electric vehicle is used as a mobile electricity storage unit for a building that is connected to the public grid. For instance, surplus electricity from a rooftop photovoltaic system that cannot be consumed in the house, can be temporarily stored in the vehicle’s battery. At times when the PV system is generating no or little electricity, this stored electricity can be then taken from the Sion again to supply the house with energy.

If we take a look into the future, the topic of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) will play a leading role in the energy revolution. In the case of V2G, the vehicle is either directly or indirectly connected to the electricity grid via a building. The stored energy is fed back into the grid. This has several advantages. Instead of switching wind turbines off during times of surplus energy, the surplus could be temporarily stored in the vehicle’s battery, for example. A network with several e-cars could even cushion peak loads. However, there are still some legal hurdles that we are not able to directly influence.

Julius: Buzzword SOP. Why are we also developing a wallbox for the Sion? Couldn’t this hold us back?

Tillmann: There are various reasons for this. The question of a suitable wallbox is one of the most frequently asked by our Community. Our supporters would like to have one. In addition, a bidirectional wallbox also requires adequate development time. We are therefore starting now so that we can guarantee availability for the Sion’s SOP in spring 2023. We want to ensure we have enough time to do detailed tests on the wallbox and the Sion together. After all, the wallbox is a very important piece of the puzzle in our vision of a world independent of fossil fuels.

Julius: Another question about home storage systems. How exactly can the Sion be used as a storage system?

Tillmann: The vehicle and building will be connected using a Type 2 plug, just like when charging. It’s not necessary to reconnect the charging cable. As a user you can simply use the Sono app to set the proportion of the battery you wish to use to supply the building with and how much range is needed for the next morning.

The home energy management system (HEMS) then takes control of when the Sion is charged and discharged. The HEMS monitors the grid connection point to the house and if, for example, you have a rooftop PV system and produce more electricity than you need, the Sion is charged using that excess. If your PV system doesn’t produce enough electricity for the house’s energy consumption, the additional energy needed is supplied by the Sion. No more energy than is actually needed is supplied to the house. In other words, no energy is fed into the national or public grid. The communication for all these functions works very simply via ethernet or wifi (WLAN).

Julius: And for how long can the Sion supply a house with electricity in theory?

Tillmann: A household consumption of 10 kWh per day, which is about the average consumption of a 4 person household, could be supplied by the Sion for up to five days. After all, the battery has a capacity of 54 kWh. For comparison, a stationary home storage unit usually has a 5-15 kWh capacity. The Sion can therefore store many times that amount of energy. Of course, this time period depends on the actual individual power consumption. So you can’t really give a general answer here.

Julius: Even so, you get a great feel of what you can do with this wallbox. In any case, it opens up a wide range of interesting possibilities. Thanks for your informative explanation Tillmann!

Tillmann: My absolute pleasure - any time!

The Sono wallbox has so much potential, as soon as permitted in law. The topics of bidirectional charging, V2H and V2G play very important roles on the way to 100% renewable energy usage. They also enable more efficient use of vehicles — beyond their role as a means of transport. It’s therefore important to create corresponding laws to expedite this. At the current time, the implementation is being examined in various pilot projects in order to create the legal framework on this basis.

[Incidentally, at the moment we haven’t decided on the Sono wallbox’s final design. If you’d like to take part in this decision and have your say, you have the choice to vote for one of three designs. The design with the most votes wins.] The survey was closed on September, 13 2021

If this has sparked your interest and would like to be kept up to date, simply sign up for our list here without commitment. We will contact you as soon as there are any further details. Last but not least, Tillmann has summarized the most important information for you again in this video.

This article was translated by Lucy Kirmond.

Over 14,000 Reservations of the Sion

2021-09-01T17:00:00+02:00

We are pleased to announce today that the Sion has already been pre-ordered over 14,000 times. On average the Sion is prepaid with a value of around € 3,000.

In addition to the seamless integration of the solar cells, which will provide an average of 112 kilometers of additional range per week, the Sion will be equipped ex works with a sharing functionality using the Sono app.

If you're wondering from where these Sion reservations are coming, check out this anonymized map. Here you can see where people have already reserved a Sion, and you'll find your own reservation represented there as well.

We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your trust and appreciate very much that you believe in the Sion, in Sono and especially in mobility without fossil fuels.

Digital Mobility: All you need to know about our partnership with Sibros

2021-07-19T13:00:00+02:00

In the past 20 years, digitalization has influenced, disrupted, altered or, at least, touched upon, every aspect of human life. Communication, social interaction, organization, nutrition, habitation, and, of course, transportation. For most of us, the latter became more and more eminent with the increasing ease of access to digital navigation, first enabled through handy GPS systems and later through smartphones. Navigating through a foreign country with the help of a map your passenger would try to decipher for you became obsolete and we welcomed the harsh robotic voices of our cellphone’s digital assistants into our vehicles.

But, of course, navigation was only the beginning of in-car digital services. As we integrated these systems, more and more things became digitized. Moreover, today, as with many other devices such as telephones, sound systems, heaters, refrigerators and washing machines, more and more vehicles are connected to the internet to enable easier access to data; do over-the-air software maintenance; or track the conditions of hardware components. Infotainment systems are now enthroned above, or, are integrated into, cars’ cockpits, providing information about speed limits, distances, or, simply, the next podcast coming up on your playlist.

Being quite a unique and innovative vehicle, the Sion, of course, also has such functions. These not only help to make maintenance and updating software easier, but they also tell us a lot about how to further improve our vehicle’s design. Of course, always provided the car’s owner is willing to share this data with us for such purposes. However, to make sure we offer reliable, efficient, and safe services we need a skilled and experienced partner. In the Californian software company Sibros we have found exactly that. Today, my colleague from Sono Digital Johannes Bückle and I had the chance to chat with the company’s CEO and co-founder Hemant Sikaria about our partnership, goals and next steps.

Julius: Hi Hemant, hi Johannes! Thank you for taking the time to chat. Founded in 2018, Sibros is a relatively young company. What was the initial motivation for you guys to start the company?

Hemant: Hi Julius! Sibros was born out of the frustration from software related recalls. In 2017, my personal vehicle was recalled three times in the same year for software related issues. In my family we had five different vehicles from this same manufacturer, so in total we brought our cars into dealerships for software problems over a dozen times, which was an incredibly time consuming and stressful experience. At that time, I had been an early engineer at Tesla, helping build its software update systems where such issues would have been resolved through over-the-air (OTA) software updates.

Upon further research, I was indeed surprised to discover that most automakers outside of Tesla actually did not have vehicle-wide software update capabilities to remotely fix such problems. While Sibros started out as a commercial platform for full vehicle OTA software updates, today we’ve evolved into much more as an automotive software and data management system.

Julius: That is similar to our founder’s motivation. They were frustrated with the lack of alternatives on the market for sustainable mobility solutions. What would you consider to be your company’s overall goal?

Hemant: Sibros’ mission is to power the connected vehicle ecosystem. Robust software and data management is the key to powering this unique ecosystem, whereby many new advanced applications and offerings will be built upon, benefiting both end customers and automakers. This can include the ability to fix software bugs or circumvent hardware recalls with deep software updates, to leveraging telematics data for usage-based insurance, as well as improving future product quality and design.

To accomplish this, vehicles must have three core pillars for connected success: one, software updates sent from the cloud to every available component. Two, high quality data collected from the vehicle and sent to the cloud, and, three, remote user or diagnostic commands sent to the vehicle on-demand. Sibros has built the end-to-end platform to make all of this and more a reality for automakers such as Sono Motors and their customers.

Julius: What is your take on this Johannes? What are the biggest advantages of working with Sibros?

Johannes: Well, we strongly believe that there is mutual benefit in this collaboration. As a new OEM, we at Sono Motors have a lot of design freedom and can benefit from Sibros’ know-how, as they have already seen many cars and know exactly what is needed to get it right. We, on the other hand, can bring in our know-how for modern digital mobility services from both our past experiences and our ongoing pilots.

A good example is the need for offline interaction using bluetooth low energy. In our pilots, we already have had many cases where network connectivity prevented us from providing a truly reliable mobility experience. Sibros was happy to include that into their product roadmap when we brought it up. So, in a way, both parties evolve together, improving their product collaboratively. Furthermore, we at Sono Motors can continue to focus on our customers' problems, whilst Sibros provides secure and reliable solutions.

Regardless of this, Sono and Sibros have a strong culture fit. That reflects in the way we communicate and which tools we use, but also how we make use of technology to solve real customer problems. I can recall when we first connected how we left the call and were like: working with them would be great!

Julius: How did you get in touch in the first place?

Hemant: Sono Motors was introduced to Sibros by my former colleagues from Tesla, Georg-Friedrich Graf and Stefan Goede. They now run the German-based company Munich Electrification. I deeply respect the engineering talent and team at Munich Electrification, hence when we first got introduced to Sono Motors as a highly recommended company to work with, we took it seriously and were very excited with the opportunity to do so.

Julius: Interesting! What does this partnership mean for Sono Digital’s product development?

Johannes: Our purpose is to build a seamless digital experience, both inside and outside the car. That entails Car Sharing, Ride Pooling and Power Sharing, plus the entire digital experience of Sion owners. Since our inception, we have been piloting our sharing services with people in the Sono Community to validate our approach and build up our product with real customers. In the last series-intent prototype, we wanted to build everything by ourselves to learn as much as we can.

That has put us in the great position that we now know exactly what we need and how we can achieve it.

Going full steam into series development, we were looking for a strong partner, especially since software updates are heavily regulated. As a young company, we are excited that we have found a partner who has an extensive track record in enabling and updating connected cars. To give our customers a strong product, we need three things. First, real time data to provide Sion owners with meaningful information about their car. Second, commands to help our customers interact with the car – online and offline. Lastly, remote updates which minimize maintenance and service costs for Sion owners.

As Hemant already mentioned, Sibros is able to provide us with exactly that: reliable and secure connectivity as well as OTA updates. Their holistic approach is really beneficial for the complexity of the system. This allows us to concentrate on what matters most to us: solving customer problems. That is what we will continue to do.

Hemant: Exactly. You see, when dealing with connected cars, many companies offer only one piece of the puzzle. That’s where we are different. By building a complete system from the ground up that handles every aspect of OTA software and data management, we are able to provide a highly configurable product that can be rapidly deployed, as opposed to other service-based solutions that require multiple vendors with heavy integration and customization.

Then there is the area of ECU (Engine Control Unit) and vehicle coverage. Many alternate solutions claim vehicle-wide updatability and data collection, however in reality only address the main infotainment and telematics units or a small handful of ECUs. At Sibros, we’ve architected our system to truly work with every in-vehicle ECU. This means together with Sono Motors we can deliver software updates to fix or re-calibrate any component, as well as collect high quality data based on selective rules or events from any sensor in the Sion.

This allows Sono Motors to collect only the most relevant data that can improve future product design. It can also unlock new valuable services for customers while reducing the need to bring all data to the cloud. We thereby reduce cloud consumption and cellular bandwidth costs. It’s important to note that all software updates and data collection activities are only done so with customer consent and in full compliance with all safety, cybersecurity and data privacy regulations required.

Julius: A truly holistic concept and ecosystem for the digital dimension of our vehicle, I really like that. Now that we have teamed up – Johannes, please share some insights about the current status of development and the next steps.

Johannes: Oh, where do I start here? We have two so-called ‘scrum teams’ working on different experiences and services. Sion Owner experience and Sion Mobility service. In these teams we work cross-functionally with product managers, and UX and software engineering folk.
In the Sion Owner team, there is a lot of stuff that we can do already. You have probably seen the realtime information on solar power generation or the Power Sharing control in the Sono App. Right now, we concentrate on hitting our upcoming vehicle design release milestone. That means we work very closely with the vehicle engineering team on the hardware, but also take in all the learnings and improvements from the series-intent prototype car which is currently on a test-drive tour. After the vehicle design release, all requirements are frozen. Even if we, as a digital team, are still able to do many changes after that, the car’s architecture and most electronic control units will be unable to accommodate new functional requirements after. To deliver Power Sharing and an exceptional digital experience for Sion owners we are working heavily on incorporating the feedback and the missing bits for series.

For infotainment, we are currently implementing the latest version of Android onto our system. We want to make the experience between the mobile app and the infotainment system as seamless as possible. Then there is connectivity. We have selected the hardware to run the Sibros stack upon and are now doing the firmware integration to have the Sibros products running in our lab car. The lab car is a local environment, outside the real vehicle which includes all series components and simulates the final car architecture.

In the Mobility team the focus is different. We are adding scheduled bookings for car sharing. Thanks to these, people will be able to book their Sion for specific time slots. We have seen huge interest in them and believe they can help us to increase efficient utilization of the car. For the same purpose, we are strongly looking into how we can offer this for more cars than just the Sion. We believe that a lot of cars out there could be shared more frequently if there were a good service owners could use.

So, there is quite a lot going on. Our daily work is very multi-faceted. I hope the context helps people from the outside understand where we currently stand and where we are making progress.

Julius: That was a pretty neat overview of what’s going on at Sono Digital, thank you! What are the next steps in the cooperation process between Sono and Sibros?

Hemant: We are deploying the end-to-end solution that began with the integration of the Sibros OTA Deep Logger to provide Sono Motors with real time, relevant and actionable vehicle data. Next, we are deploying the Sibros OTA Deep Updater for deep, safe and secure software updates, as well as the OTA Command Manager for remote diagnostic commands. This full deployment will be completed quickly within the coming months. We’re thrilled with this collaboration and to support Sono Motors in their pursuit of building the most exceptional digital experience for their customers, while keeping maintenance and service costs low.

Johannes: The developments Hemant mentioned will support us in our overall goal at Sono for this year: delivering the Sion and staying on track on our timeline.

Julius: Right. What can we expect from Sono Digital for the rest of this year?

Johannes: For the Sion Owner team, we recently moved a lot of development capacity in-house as a learning from the last prototype. By the end of 2021 we want to serve all digital customer interfaces, including infotainment and the mobile app, from within Sono Motors, taking in all the feedback we already received.
We have also given ourselves a clear goal to extend the reach of our mobility services before the end of the year and are currently working on all the small bits and pieces we need in order to achieve this.

Like the rest of the company, Sono Digital is continuously growing and adding new team members. We are on a quest this year to reach a size that helps deliver all our features by the start of production.

Julius: Isn’t that a good closing statement? Hemant, Johannes – thank you very much for your time and your engagement!

This article was translated by Lucy Kirmond.

Kicking-off the First Tour With Our New Sion Prototype

2021-07-06T16:00:00+02:00

We have so often highlighted the importance for us of talking to you in person, presenting the prototype, and gathering your input. After going too long without this opportunity, we can finally extend an invitation to the first Community Tour of 2021.

We have a few cities on the cards, but first, we’d like to invite you to our showroom in Munich. Since the start of this week, you can admire not just one, but 3 different Sion prototypes.
On 20th July we’ll be making our first pit-stop in Freiburg. This will be followed by Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Mainz, Cologne, Dusseldorf, Hanover, Hamburg, Berlin, and Leipzig. As a visitor, you have the opportunity to see the prototype’s exterior and interior up close and personal at each location. Our team of experts will be standing-by in each city to answer your questions about the car itself, solar integration, and digital services.

All dates at a glance:

Freiburg: 20th - 22nd July, Fraunhofer-Institut für Solare Energiesysteme
Stuttgart: 24th - 25th July, Römerkastell
Nuremberg: 28th - 29th July, Ofenwerk
Mainz: 31st July - 1st August, Alte Lokhalle
Cologne: 4th - 5th August, RheinEnergieSTADION
Dusseldorf: 7th - 9th August, Seed & Greet Ladepark Kreuz-Hilden
Hanover: 14th - 15th August, Georgsplatz
Hamburg: 18th - 20th August, Cruise Center Steinwerder
Berlin: 22nd - 23rd August, EUREF-Campus
Leipzig: 26th - 2nd. August, Paunsdorf Center

You can book your time slot here. We can’t put into words how excited we are to see you in person soon!

"Faster, safer, more durable": the Sion gets a new battery

2021-06-25T16:00:00+02:00

When first encountering electric mobility, you inevitably find yourself confronted with a certain very specific component - the battery. It is something like the beating heart of every electric car, as it stores the electricity that powers the vehicle’s engine. Naturally, no electricity means no movement which is why many want as much of it as possible. Thus begins what is often referred to as ‘range anxiety’.

A quick example - as I sat in my hairdresser’s a few days ago, the radio was playing in the background. The station was organizing a ‘theme week’ based around electric mobility. The presenter was talking to the station’s transport expert about range and kilowatt hours. Referring to the upcoming Whitsun holidays in parts of Germany, the presenter queried whether it would be possible to drive such an electric car from Munich to Lake Garda in one go. That’s about 400 km.

The current range of electric cars permitted in Germany is around 340 km - unfortunately not quite enough, explained their colleague. However, this being said, this technology is constantly under development and in five years this will no longer be an issue. The presenter replied that maybe it would be better to focus on hybrids for now. A pretty conservative review, to say the least, for a programme about electric mobility.

How irritating to have to stop once on a 400 kilometer journey, to over-exaggerate somewhat, and on the way to your holiday at that! That starts to infringe on my freedom. Stop, load the car, take a break and relax, but absolutely no sooner than we’ve reached the shores of Lake Garda. Driving a car means freedom and don’t you dare take that from us.

So, what does this story have to do with today’s blog post? Well, it shows the importance of the battery and its specifications for people. There’s constant debate around this technology. How sustainable are batteries? How problematic is the mining of certain metals? Are batteries literally fire hazards? The answers to these questions I would ask far more knowledgeable people to give. People who have dealt with various myths regarding batteries and shone the light of truth on them.

Nevertheless, we are very happy to announce to you today that we have made great progress in terms of battery.

Another advantage this new battery has over others is that “it is, in addition, extremely safe”, explains Arvind. “ Even in the event that it is pierced with a nail, there are no problematic temperatures that could cause a fire. Last but not least it is also more resource-friendly. Elements such as cobalt and manganese are obsolete in this battery technology.”

If you want to find out more about the new battery, I have a whole host of recommendations for you. You can find all technical information and the new specifications on our website. Arvind and our CTO, Markus, have also summarized everything important for you in this video. They also explain why this development step is so important for Sono. Happy learning!

This article was translated by Lucy Kirmond.

An EasyMile to explore - an update on the ongoing shuttle prototype cooperation

2021-06-17T17:00:00+02:00

Back in January we announced our cooperation with EasyMile at both CES and in an accompanying press release. You’re probably wondering what’s been going on since then and how the cooperation is progressing. That’s why Julius sat down for a catch up with Olivier, product and marketing director at Easy Mile, and Georg, product manager for solar integration at Sono Motors. Through their exchange he sought to discover what joint goals EasyMile and Sono are pursuing and what advantages solar integration in autonomous vehicles holds for the future.

Julius: Hi both, would you be able to introduce yourselves quickly?

Georg: Hi, I’m Georg and I’ve been working at Sono Motors for 1 ½ years now. When I started, I worked directly on the solar integration of the Sion and for the last 6 months I’ve been working as product manager for solar integration.
We would like our solar technology to not only be integrated in the Sion, but also onto other vehicles like EasyMile’s EZ10, for example. My job is, namely, to investigate how we can expand our product portfolio, how we want to further develop our technologies and also what other applications could come into question.

Olivier: Hi, I’m Oliver. I’m product and marketing director at EasyMile. I look after the market, pricing, and define the road map for the EZ10 shuttle. I am also in charge of selecting our cooperation partners.

Julius: How cool! How long have you been working at EasyMile for?

Olivier: I’ve been here for 3 years.

Julius: That’s quite a good amount of time. When was EasyMile founded?

Olivier: In 2014 actually. When I started in 2018 we were around 90 in the team but since then we’ve grown to 250. I’m an old hand here really.

Julius: You’re constantly growing there. How did the cooperation with Sono come about?

Olivier: Benedikt Sperling, our managing director for the DACH region, had contact with a colleague of yours and they discussed respective projects and technology. It then gradually became apparent that there are some really promising interfaces.

Georg: Yes – that was Lars who works in business development. A perfect match really as the EasyMile and Sono Motors visions align really well with one another.

Julius: Not all of our supporters are familiar with EasyMiles’ products. So, a quick question to kick things off – What exactly is the EZ10 shuttle?

Olivier: The EZ10 fully electric people mover solution supplements local public transport or relieves traffic congestion on factory or private premises, such as business parks – the use cases are virtually limitless. The driverless service enables us to almost completely close gaps on the so-called ‘first and last’ miles. The shuttle’s hardware is manufactured by French car manufacturer Ligier. We are mainly responsible for the intelligent software, which, by the way, can be installed on a number of other vehicle platforms.

Julius: Why are EZ10 shuttles the ideal platform for our solar integration? Do you see any particular advantages?

Olivier: There are many reasons why our shuttles are perfect for this. First of all, the whole basic principle of shared mobility is to get around in an efficient and environmentally friendly way. Fossil fuels are finite, so our entire product portfolio is all-electric. On the one hand for the sake of the environment, on the other fuels are a huge cost driver for public transport or in the logistics sector, where our other vehicle solutions are used. Our shuttles correspond to a clear vision of city life of the future: more efficient traffic, fewer vehicle noise disturbance, fewer private vehicles or parking spaces and therefore more space and quality of life.
Renewable energy is the optimal supplement here. Solar panels enable range extension and operating time in the most ecologically sustainable way possible. You are simply less dependent on the existing charging infrastructure and can also extend the time between charges. As a manufacturer of autonomous driving shuttles, this is a huge step forward for us. The fewer stops that have to be made whilst driving means that we can offer our customer both better service and more convincing prices and efficiency.

Julius: Absolutely, that sounds completely logical. Let’s talk about concrete numbers for a moment if we may. Georg, could you give us a rough idea of how much power an EZ10 shuttle with Sono Motors solar integration could generate over a day?

Georg: That’s a great question. The available space on the EZ10 shuttle’s roof and sides would be a great place for us, I think, to install panels with an output of around 1-1.5 kW. The rule of thumb dictates we would generate an estimated 3 - 5 kWh of energy per day. These are, of course, only rough estimates. The aim of a cooperation and especially of the prototype phase is to show how high the energy turnover is in reality. Throughout our cooperation, we will carefully examine and evaluate where our technology could be integrated on the vehicle. All in all, there are some really promising areas on the EZ10.

Julius: What do you need to pay special attention to during the integration of the panels onto the vehicle.

Georg: Basically, we use the same technology that we use on the Sion. Both vehicles have a space frame to which the body parts are attached. That means that we have more or less the same steps to work through as with the Sion. We first define the overall concept, then design the PV (photovoltaic) polymer body parts and then use them to replace the existing components. In the process, we have a few aspects we have to pay attention to, such as the radii bending ratio or correct division of the body panels.

Julius: Sono and EasyMile aim to bring technologies not yet accessible to the masses to the market – namely solar mobility and autonomous driving. Both are often viewed with scepticism or even concern. What is your experience with this, Olivier?

Olivier: I’ve never met anyone who has been afraid of solar panels, but I obviously have met those who worry about autonomous mobility concepts. As soon as we ask passengers about their first ride in our shuttle, their fears have dissipated. The fact that driverless vehicles are nevertheless still controlled and monitored by a supervisor via control centres gives many the feeling of safety. I think that it’ll be the same with solar mobility. As soon as the concept proves itself and people have positive experiences with it, the initial scepticism gives way to enthusiasm.

Julius: What is EasyMile’s target group? What criteria are particularly decisive for you?

Olivier: Our technology works best when applied in environments with restricted speed limits – for example in built-up areas, up to 50 km/h. This is especially true for city centers, industrial sites, ports, airports, or even campuses. We have many different vehicle platforms that are adaptable to corresponding use cases.
A second criterion – just like Sono Motors, we tend to prefer areas with many sunshine hours. Why? Well, if it rains really hard, we have to explain to the shuttle’s artificial intelligence (AI) that the sensors are just detecting raindrops and not obstacles. The technology is still maturing so extreme weather conditions like heavy snowfall or rain are still a challenge for automated or autonomous vehicles.

Julius: I’d not thought about that.

Olivier: Yes, that’s a really important aspect. There’s also a third criterion. Countries like Norway, where there are many skilled workers but demand for system-critical occupations, such as bus or truck drivers, is also very high, show great interest in our technology. Both trade associations and customers often report to us their issues filling vacancies or that bus routes, especially in rural areas, can no longer run due to lack of economic efficiency. This is exactly where our technology comes into play.

Julius: Another really exciting approach. The self-driving car has had a firm place in fiction for a very long time – whether it be in films or books. The same goes for the solar-powered vehicle. Georg, how do you imagine the future in 10 years?

Georg: I’m convinced that autonomous driving will be firmly established in the future – especially in the areas Olivier just mentioned. It may take a bit longer than 10 years before it really reaches the masses in everyday life, but there are already numerous promising approaches, especially in industrial settings.
Our approach at Sono is, of course, to equip more and more vehicles with solar technology and therefore steadily increase the amount of climate-friendly and decentrally generated energy. The more energy generated per day in this way, the better. Every vehicle makes a difference. If we look at the bigger picture, in a few years an impressive amount of energy will be generated per day with solar-integrated vehicles.

Olivier: If I might follow up on what you said – I envision real change. Inner cities free of hectic streets crammed with personal cars, without stale exhaust fumes, without loud engines. Unfortunately, that’s still the current status quo so we are all working for a future in which this no longer applies. There is also real cause to be optimistic here. We see the course for this being developed in countries like Spain. Only a few weeks ago, the maximum speed limit was reduced from 50 km/h to 30 km/h in all cities throughout the country.

Julius: Right, a really important development! Finally, let’s briefly go over the next steps in the joint cooperation. Where do we go from here?

Georg: So far, we’ve exchanged some important data with each other. Now we’re starting to examine CAD models and evaluate how we can integrate the maximum number of cells into the shuttle’s body. We will start implementation as soon as we have a vehicle from EasyMile for the prototype phase. We would really like to see the first results by the end of this year. For this to happen we need to collect quite a lot of data, preferably under real conditions, of course. It will definitely be a very exciting project with a huge amount of potential!

Julius: Perfect. Well, thank you very much for your time and evaluations. Until next time!

This article was translated by Lucy Kirmond.

Mid-year report from the Community Advisory Board

2021-06-01T15:00:00+02:00

Six months ago, Sono decided to give the Community a seat on the advisory board. Varying factors, including the global pandemic, meant that we were not to establish the full advisory board as quickly as we usually would have, something we hope to achieve very soon.

We have not, however, been resting on our laurels in recent months, despite not having an advisory board.

In the summer of 2020, the time had finally come - with over 50 percent of the votes, Sebastian Böttger was elected by our community as an advisory board member. In this blog article, he talks about his role as a community representative and about the general way we work. So we now hand over the floor to Sebastian.

In Summary – How Is the Advisory Board Structured?

Essentially, the work consists of four points:

Consultation roughly once or twice weekly
Bringing the Community/client perspective into various decisions, where direct consultation with the Community is not possible
Answering questions and queries from the Community that come to the advisory board on a quarterly basis. The current list of which can be found here
Reviewing documents and questionnaires before publication to see if they include questions from the Community (more facts, less marketing)

Of course, I am not the Community alone, and can thus only speak, to a limited extent, for the Community as a whole. How to handle this is also presented below.

The Position of the Community Advisory Board

The position and function of the Community Advisory Council is completely new. First, we had to find ways to work together in a meaningful way. What made pragmatic sense, quickly became clear. The classic way is to have weekly consultations. This way everyone stays on the same page. From there we go into the finer details.

The advisory board is a position of trust. In terms of the state of development, there are actually no secrets. I can't divulge any details, but I think you can tell from my motivation and enthusiasm that I'm convinced the project will be a success.

In the beginning, some people at Sono found it strange that all of a sudden a representative of the reservation companies was popping up here and there. The question: "what are they doing there?" was pretty obvious. As an engineer, I have the advantage of being able to serve as an expert on some specialist topics, which further blurs those lines somewhat. This has since become a very well established position that provides real added value and is even actively demanded in order to include the perspective of future customers right from the start.

The Matrix

Sono uses a matrix for a wide range of decisions in which all "stakeholders" enter their opinions and recommendations on a scale from 1 to 5 (1 = don't do, 5 = definitely do). As a Community representative, I am occasionally involved as one of a total of 5 -10 voices. Other voices included are, for example, management, the finance department, the departments involved, marketing and the legal department.

A small example of a successful vote is the return of the reservation number on the homepage and the reservation number for reservation holders. Many reservation holders love ‘their’ individual number and soon everyone will receive a number, even those who don’t yet have one. Reservation numbers are actually already back up on our website. We do also, of course, have weightier issues, but mostly all positive.

You, the Community, lay the foundations for my answers in the surveys. The results are binding for me and that is how I vote. I do not diverge from your answers. 90% of the time, the decision is easy and beyond doubt. So, I have a good feeling that I am representing you well in this respect. At some point, we will be able to publish this, and then you will have the opportunity to see it too. At the moment, I just need your trust that everything will go according to the principle of getting the Sion, and the idea behind it, on the road.

So far, I have only had to vote a resounding "no" once on a minor issue on behalf of the Community. I must say, that caused quite the discussion. With that being said, working with the matrix always includes giving reasons for the assessment. So, in the end, a good compromise was found that even improved the result.

Communication

I often receive questions like, "Do you know anything about...", or, "Can you tell me why...". I also read the wildest speculations online, and often it would be incredibly easy for me to get involved and give my two cents. I even sometimes have journalists call. The rule here is that I never speak for Sono, but always refer to official reports. Through my Sunday column, I have collected 51 gigabytes (!) of data material on Sono. This is all completely searchable in a split second. Even if I am unable to answer all the questions I receive, they don't get lost by any means. They are all contained in a long Excel list.

On occasion, I discuss them, and Sono then communicates the answers. Not always immediately - they have enough to do - but to reiterate nothing gets lost. Conversely, Sono is always interested in what moves the Community. If a question is of interest to many, it goes on a collection page. There you can find out which questions are currently open.

Only Sono ever answers the questions. I must praise them here in this respect. The transparency at Sono is meant truly seriously. I actually set out to ensure that our questions are not just answered with a melodious marketing canned product, but properly and comprehensively. Sono takes this very much to heart and now even publishes the smallest details from development in PDF form every 14 days.

The announcement of the postponement to 2023, for example, was a topic that could not be voted on. Once the new schedule was in place, it was clear that the information had to be made public. Sono decided to do it immediately, with maximum transparency. I was present at all the calls in which Laurin and Jona personally explained the over 3,000 reservations via Zoom - as well as in the run-up to the preparation. Your feedback showed that the decision was the right one.

Who Are the Others?

The advisory board itself will soon be formally launched. There are a total of 6 people on it, with very different backgrounds, a good mix.

I am already in more intensive exchanges with some of them and they are fun - intelligent, very active and successful personalities. Each time, new, innovative ideas emerge, but also concrete measures. Again, Sono will announce the details when the time comes.

Next Steps

In June, the test drives could commence again, and I would be happy to meet some of you in person. You are also welcome to email me at seb@sono.community. There will be several videos regarding subjects you have sent through. Some of them have actually already been shot.

And last, but not least, there will be another look under the hood to answer the eternal question of "how far is the Sion from being ready for series production, and what's going on right now?"

Best regards,

Sebastian

This article was translated by Lucy Kirmond.

2020 in Numbers: How Sustainable Are We as a Company?

2021-04-22T16:00:00+02:00

2020 - a year full of, let's say, surprises. We, like many companies, faced a number of challenges. We went from working in the office to working from home. Timelines were completely shaken up. New employees had their first days on the job without having met any of their new colleagues in person. But, as always, we adapted quickly to the changing circumstances and were still able to achieve important milestones.

In our 2020 Sustainability Report, we take a retrospective look at the past year, but this time with a very specific focus. What does sustainability mean to us? How diverse is our team? What is our contribution to climate protection? Our report answers these questions, and more, for you in a clear and concise way. Enjoy the read!

Read the report here.

Sono Digital: Who we are, what we do and how you can contribute

2021-03-26T16:00:00+01:00

The Sono Digital group is in charge of the digital journey for Sion owners and Sono Motors mobility services customers. We develop the Sono App, Infotainment applications for the in-car middle-console touch screen, and the mobility backend.

We also integrate our system with business partners and extend existing electric cars with a retrofitted telematics unit. This allows us to operate connected cars in business pilots to build out our sharing services incrementally.

Sustainable. Mobility. For Everyone.

Our mission is to make every car electric and shared. While our colleagues in the vehicle development team take care of the former, our focus is on the latter: shared mobility. Leveraging digital solutions, we ensure that it is easy, safe, and, of course, convenient to share your car, ride, and battery power. These services are made available to our customers in a smooth user experience flowing seamlessly between Sono App and the Infotainment system.

All this requires rigorous engineering, considering our product’s long-term security and scalability and disruptive, innovative thinking.

In the following, we introduce our tech stack and share a future outlook. We grow our team in most engineering areas. If you want to support our vision of a world without fossil fuels, we would love to get your application.

How We Work

Sono Digital is a cross-functional product team. We are a small group of empowered product managers and experienced UX and software engineering folk. We have our agile-based routines, and on top, we embrace transparent communication. Especially in pure home office times, we try to ensure that information is spread among the team. We use Slack, Confluence, and sometimes email for that. When needed, we organize spontaneous (video) calls. We align and remove impediments as fast as we can, as we are constantly learning.

We adjust our routines when needed. Recently we improved our Daily because we realized it has become too static and the usefulness was questionable. Now the word “meeting” is discouraged, and we aim to speak to a meeting's purpose. The daily has become more useful since. We inspect and adapt.

Two to three times a month, we meet with our CEOs to inform them of how things are going and consult their opinion on various matters. A lot of what we do is based on the Scrum framework. Sprint Reviews are usually attended by 10-20% of the company population.

Sono Tech Stack

If you are curious about the technologies we are currently using, please read on. There is an important disclaimer to this section: Our technology stack will change and evolve. New joiners will bring in new and better ideas. Of course, we are learning as we go, which is hopefully reflected in our systems and software architecture.

Mobile App

The Sono App for Android and iOS is currently developed in React Native. It is the most visible part of our development efforts. We use Bitrise for CI/CD to automatically test, build, and publish to the app stores. The parts we are most proud of include a lightning-fast connection from the app to the vehicle, passwordless login, a consistent design system, and success from our code cleanup efforts (see _BottomModalVehicle).

Android Automotive OS

The Infotainment system runs on Android Automotive OS. Our approach is to source “commodity applications” such as media player, Bluetooth integration, and radio application from suppliers. Sono developers will build the applications that make the Sion unique: Solar integration, sharing services, user profiles. An experienced engineer is joining the team in May, and we are looking for additional senior Android folk to join the team.

Mobility Backend

The backend is developed in a MicroService architecture. Most services are written in TypeScript, using TypeORM and hapi, among other libraries. Services that require low-level hardware control, such as the vehicle-connectors, are written in golang. We connect services synchronously through HTTP and asynchronously with a Kafka message broker. For data persistence, we chose the well-established Postgres database.

We are sure this architecture will continue to grow as we dive deeper into specific segments of the various business domains the backend caters to. To achieve this goal, we look for candidates ranging from junior developers to senior software engineers and coding architects with broad experience in scalable, high-transaction applications.

Cloud Infrastructure

We build the Sono platform on Google Cloud using GKE. We chose the Google Cloud because of their credible carbon-reduction strategy, which they have been pursuing since 2007, and that aims to have Google run entirely on renewable energy by 2030.

Our Kubernetes cluster hosts the entire backend. We implemented good SRE practices early on, including infrastructure as code, a blameless post mortem culture, and reproducible builds. So far, things are still pretty raw, but set up to allow for more advanced automation and observability. Technologies we are using include Helm, Prometheus, Grafana, StackDriver, and GitLab CI. These are great open-source software projects, and we thank the many awesome contributors to these outstanding projects.

Third-Party Services

We don’t want to reinvent the wheel. For this reason, we rely on third-party services for CRM (Salesforce Service Cloud), payment (Adyen), transactional emails (Twilio SendGrid), and many other great products.

What to expect

You will be part of our Sono Digital team, an experienced, diverse group with agility in our DNA and a passion for building a future with climate-friendly, resource-conserving, and fair mobility.

We foster an inclusive culture welcoming mistakes, asking questions, searching for ways to improve for the customer, the team, and yourself. If you embrace these principles, we are excited that you join our journey.

Sono Motors values your lifestyle choices. Our Sono Digital team is headquartered in Munich. We believe it to be valuable to meet in-person for EventStorming or have profound product discussions. Most GyShiDo work can be done in a remote setup, though.

Communication is key, and we have good synchronous tools as well as asynchronous processes in place. We support part-time work with a minimum commitment of 30 hours per week and want to provide an inclusive work environment that matches your personal needs. Did this article make you curious? Great, then submit your CV, and let’s talk soon.

This article was translated by Lucy Kirmond.

Here Is How Our Solar Technology Could Change the Energy Supply in Mobility

2021-03-22T17:00:00+01:00

The sun is the star of our solar system – a gigantic, scorching ball made up mainly of hydrogen and helium that is 1.3 million times bigger than planet earth. Due to its enormous size, it makes up 99.86 % of our solar system’s total mass. And since it is constantly creating energy through nuclear fusion reactions in its core it is by far the most important source of energy for life down here. Theoretically, the sun provides more energy in an hour than all humans use in a year. Why not use it?

Okay, we are using it already. Solar technology has been around for 180 years, even though back then it was dismissed by many scientists due to the domination of energy technologies based on the burning of coal. However, as Bob Dylan famously sang in the 1960s, “the times they are a-changing”, and the Sion’s solar technology might be one example of many.

Mobility Driven By the Sun

As well as it is not new to create energy by exposing certain material to light, putting solar cells on vehicles isn’t new either. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, engineer William G. Cobb of General Motors demonstrated his first take on solar mobility in 1955. It looked a little different than what physicists and engineers would continue to develop in the decades to follow – but hey, he tried.

Fortunately, the Sion is not designed like these two examples. Our goal is to develop a car that uses solar energy but is also suitable for everyday use. To achieve this, we have come up with our own technology, which differs primarily in the integration of the cells into the vehicle body. Here, the magic word is ‘injection molding’.

Injection molding is a manufacturing process that allows you to create complex molded parts from polymers. To do this, you use a mold into which you inject a hot polymer melt to form your part. Almost all polymer items around you are made by injection molding. It is a very fast manufacturing process that allows for a low scrap rate and complex geometries.

In our case, we have developed a unique process that allows us to integrate the solar cells into the injection mold, thus integrating them into the polymer matrix of the body parts during their production. This is our own patented technology with which we can achieve seamless integration of monocrystalline IBC solar cells into the car’s body panels.

We are now able to waive using glass, a back sheet, a junction box, or an aluminum frame. The glass is replaced by a transparent thermoplastic whereas the aluminum frame, back sheet, and junction box are substituted by a non-transparent thermoplastic. As a result, our solar body panels are protected from external influences by the special polymer coating which brings a variety of advantages. The panels have a high resistance to physical impacts and are shatterproof.

Additionally, we can drastically reduce the weight of solar panels compared to conventional glass modules by more than 50 %. That makes our panels not heavier than standard car body panels. Furthermore, our tested material selection and solar cell technology ensure maximum efficiency, a higher yield on small surfaces, and seamless adaptation to the car exterior, where the solar cells are almost invisible.

The Sun - an Infinite Source of Energy?

Scientists estimate that for at least five billion years, the sun will continue to provide the earth with energy. After that, it will run out of hydrogen and will become a so-called red giant. This gives us more than enough time to use the potential of solar energy for all sorts of purposes and use cases. According to different market studies, the need for solar technology will continue to grow. The IDTechEx report on solar vehicles states that the number of units of solar energy cars will increase from 5,300 to 2,852,400 over the next twenty years (2021-2041) and that this market alone will grow in value from $0.2 billion to $39.5 billion over the same period.

Thanks to our proprietary technology, we are more than well prepared for this growth. Its biggest advantage is the flexibility that makes it possible to integrate it into all sorts of surfaces. For middle-size electric vehicles like the Sion, more than 1 kWp of solar cells supports extending the driving range and reducing dependency on the grid. For non-electric vehicles, this solar technology can power all auxiliary systems such as cooling, HVAC, and lifts, reducing the cost of ownership.

In the case of the Sion, we can achieve an LCOE (Levelized Cost of Energy) of 0.12c€/kWh in Munich. That is far below the energy cost at a standard charging station. It, furthermore, enables a reduction of 20 % of the total cost of ownership of the vehicle over the first eight years, as more than 5,000 kilometers per year will be provided for free. Energy from the sun is simply cheaper than from the grid.

We call this versatile applicable solution Vehicle Integrated Photovoltaics (VIPV). Simply put, it gives free electricity to any vehicle that needs energy, in the most holistic and ecological way since it can be adapted to all sorts of modes of transportation – from cars, vans, trucks, trailers, buses, to trains, yachts, and cruise ships. At this year’s Consumer Electronics Show we presented one potential use case – the Sono Solar Trailer.

Our basic assumption was that when located in Munich and providing a usable surface of 115 m², our solar integration could generate an average of 38 kWh per day. This would mean that about 16,990 kilometers a year could be covered by a truck using only solar energy. These are conservative numbers, the actual outcome can be even higher depending on the hours of sunshine.

Our friends from EasyMile have recognized the potential of this technology. Earlier this year, we announced that together we will evaluate the integration of our technology into their autonomous shuttle EZ10. We hope that we will soon be able to share details on similar cooperations.

Status of Development

Since our presentation at CES in January, we have made great strides in technology development. One of the biggest steps we took was managing to charge the Sion’s battery in real-time while driving. As intended for the series vehicle, our infotainment system displayed the correct number of power, voltage and amperage generated. Of course, we documented this historic step.

Next to the technological progress we also see more and more people becoming interested in our concept. As indicated by the IDTechEx report, the need for sustainable energy, and thus also sustainable mobility, is growing.

The same applies to our team, which is also becoming increasingly multicultural and interdisciplinary. In the Sono Solar Group, we have colleagues from five different countries as well as a perfect mix of experienced and younger people from the automotive and photovoltaic industries. Currently, we are 23 engineers, designers, E/E, and product experts working to prove to the world that solar integration can be so much more than a little gimmick.

Note: If you are interested in joining the Sono Solar Group, you should check our open positions. We are always looking for skilled and like-minded people ready to change the future of mobility.

Here Are the Results of Our Sion Design Survey

2021-02-25T15:21:00+01:00

As you know, we are a community-oriented company. That means we try to incorporate feedback from our supporters into our daily work whenever possible. Even though we are well advanced in the development of the Sion, we still wanted to know how the design of the Sion is received by the people out there. After all, small changes are still possible without jeopardizing the schedule or having to change tools.

We, therefore, published two surveys and want to share the results with you today. Our questions were not intended to preview possible updates (e.g. battery, ADAS, etc.). Some of your answers also help us to better understand the market and what our supporters want. They also help us to constantly improve. We received a total of more than 20,000 responses from you - a great resource in developing the best possible Sion.

We have passed on the results directly to our engineers and summarized them for you in this document. We hope you find them as insightful as we do!

"I've Set Myself Three Big Goals": A Frank Conversation with Advisory Board Member Sebastian Böttger

2021-02-22T16:00:00+01:00

Last summer, we announced that we would be adding an advisory board to our company. Since the community plays a central role in Sono Motors, we decided to include one person on the board representing and communicating their ideas, concerns, and opinions. We called for applications and received over 170 responses. In the end, our supporters voted and by winning more than 50 percent of the votes, Sebastian Böttger became the first Sono Motors advisory board member. In our interview, we talk to Sebastian about his goals, how he changed from being a skeptic to becoming a supporter, and why he thinks that in ten years, no one will be desperately looking for parking spaces anymore.

Hi Sebastian! Please tell our readers who you are and what you do when you're not thinking about the Sion.

Sure, I'd love to! My name is Sebastian Böttger, I am 47 years old, come from Munich and I am a qualified electrical engineer. I have been an entrepreneur for about 20 years and run a company for software applications. Among other things, we develop digital services for the automotive industry. I've been driving EVs since 2013 and also have my own rooftop solar power system. And, of course, my reservation number is #4774!

Not bad! That currently puts you in the upper middle. Tell us briefly why you decided to apply as a member of the advisory board.

For me, there were three decisive factors. First, I wanted to actively contribute to the development of the Sion. But a traditional job at Sono was out of the question for me, since I have my own company to run. I am also responsible for my team.

Secondly, for years I have been intensively discussing Sono Motors and the Sion in various forums and on Facebook. I've also been to almost all the events so far, where I've got to know many people from the community. And, vice versa, some of the active members also know me - also because of my weekly column on the company.

Thirdly, I can also bring a lot of technical experience to the table, as I have been active in electromobility and the energy industry for ten years. When your email arrived with the candidate requirement criteria, I found that the description fits me perfectly. Therefore I am also very happy that it all worked out.

How did you become aware of Sono Motors?

I have known about the project more or less since it was launched. Back then, the concept piqued my curiosity, which is why I went on the first test drive at the Olympiazentrum in 2017. At the time, I was very critical of the time schedule and of some of the vehicle’s unique selling points. For example, delivery in 2019 including all the promised features at such a price seemed, let’s say, extremely ambitious to me.

Nevertheless, I was very eager to find out whether the solar integration would actually work and whether it would produce anywhere near the range that you claim. That's why I also participated in the public funding campaigns on Seedrs and WiWin. I was and still am very curious to see if it really works.

Interesting! How has your attitude towards our project changed over time?

As I already mentioned, I was very critical at the beginning - and of course, I still am. As a member of the advisory board, that is simply one of my responsibilities. However, I'm much more satisfied with the way you've been acting and communicating since the big funding campaign in 2019. The project has become more grounded since then.

There was a comprehensible roadmap, transparent financial planning, and concrete measures to achieve upcoming milestones. Schedule changes happen in every project and I don't think it's a tragedy as long as everyone is aware of the consequences. That's why I'm currently pushing to get the schedule back on the website.

Back in the days, I enjoyed being critical of Sono, but essentially, I think the Sion is a very important, useful, and promising concept. All major automotive companies wanted to become mobility service providers. However, most of such joint ventures have been discontinued. Again, cars are getting bigger and more expensive. For 15 years, OEMs have wanted to make money with digital services, but little more than payable map updates have been achieved. In that regard, the Sion offers new ideas. It’s worth making way for them.

Is that why you decided to place a reservation for the Sion?

I placed my first reservation out of pure curiosity. I wanted to know if solar panels on a car would do any good. Also, since Sono wanted to collect 5,000 reservations for kicking off series production, I thought to myself - "ok, I want to see that!"

I'm still curious how much power can really be generated by solar integration. By that, I mean in a real vehicle with road approval under everyday conditions and not just on paper. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Mathieu and the Sono Solar team.

Which things do you currently regard as critical, which as positive?

What I consider to be positive is the motivation of the team. Everyone I've had contact with so far is fully committed to the project. They want to make this happen! I also admire the willingness to do things differently - despite the risk that it might not work out. Sono doesn't just want to build a car and make as much profit as possible. It's about building a sustainable company that wants to make a valuable contribution to the fight against global warming.

I still have a critical view of the still ambitious schedule and the associated budget. Some problems can really be fought with innovative ideas, others, however, only with time and/or money. The good thing is that Sono manages to hire more and more people who make such risks more and more manageable.

As an advisory board member, you represent the community within the company. What are the points that you would like to improve?

Like everyone in the community, I want the Sion to get onto the roads. Beyond that, I've set myself three other big goals.

Transparency is clearly my top priority. First, to the company, so that the community's expectations are adequately represented, and second, to the community, to create awareness for critical issues. The information must be transparent and comprehensible so that everyone knows how far the Sion still has to go before it is ready for series production. We are on the right track here and are trying out new formats, such as the "live check" of the new prototype, or already established formats like my weekly blog “Sono News”.

In addition, the community needs a real structure - a team, not just a single advisory board member. To this end, I will soon revive the interactive map, for example, in which every reservation holder can register. That way, everyone can network much easier with the others.

Finally, there is the issue of trust. I currently enjoy the confidence of Sono Motors and of the community. At least that's my current impression. Already, many people are sharing their opinions with me in a very open manner, and I consider that a good sign. As long as it stays that way, I can carry out my new function very well. I want to maintain that. Ideally, at some point, everyone will be sitting in a Sion that has become better and better with feedback from the community - and it is my mission to help with that.

By now, we've talked a lot about Sono and your new role as an advisory board member. As someone who works in the industry as a software developer, we're curious to know: What do you think mobility will be like in ten years?

We will see a major transformation in the next few years. After cell phones, Silicon Valley has now discovered mobility - and especially electromobility - as a new playground. I think that more and more of the car will be digitized and thus migrate to the cloud. Thus, the car of tomorrow will have a "digital twin". This development will come with the advantage that things like traffic jam avoidance, parking fees, and even traffic planning as a whole could be completely re-imagined.

All this data will make it possible to predict vehicle failures even more precisely than today, well before a critical component actually breaks down. Today, there already are applications that show where someone has moved out of a parking space. In ten years, people will no longer have to search for a parking space in cities; the car will navigate the driver to the next available space - simply because the cloud knows exactly where which car is parked, and even where someone has just gotten in his car to leave.

Thanks to its interfaces, the Sion is on the right track to being optimally integrated in this new world of software defined vehicles. We will make sure that only data that is needed for this purpose is actually transmitted. By 2025 at the latest, I want a message to pop up in my car when I start driving, "do you want to take someone with you on your journey yes/no?". And in 2030, I want the car to tell me that I don't need to drive off myself because someone will come along in two minutes who can take me to my destination.

That's a close match of what you and we envision for the future. Thank you very much for this detailed discussion! Lastly, is there anything else you would like to say to us or the community?

Thank you for your confidence! In case anyone wants to reach out to me, just send me an email at seb@sono.community or leave a comment at sono.community. From March on, reservation holders can share their location on a map on my website – of course, only if they like to do so. That way, we will have a concrete idea of where the community is located. I am looking forward to getting in touch with you!

Sion Prototype Reveal at the Consumer Electronics Show 2021

2021-01-28T15:00:00+01:00

Wow - our first time at the Consumer Electronics Show was a truly special moment for us. We are very happy that we received so many exciting reactions and questions from people all over the world. By the way, for those who couldn't watch it live, we have prepared a playlist with all the videos. Spoiler: the new prototypes are shown there, too!

In our second prototype, we have already installed parts that are intended for series production. These either come from series suppliers or are near-series components. For us, this is a big step forward, especially since we were able to successfully implement the electric drive unit, the chassis, and the MPPT Central Unit, which are all intended for series production. In addition, all straight and curved exterior parts of the Sion were equipped with solar panels.

We would like to thank all the people who supported us during the CES. The very positive feedback strengthens us in our vision and pushes us to continuously do our best every day. Thank you!

Mobility Provider UFODRIVE Will Incorporate Sion Into Fleet

2021-01-20T16:00:00+01:00

One of our central goals is to “Make Automobiles Great Again!” We have even come up with a catchy hashtag, #MAGA, that we are now trying to establish on Twitter. Okay, just kidding. All jokes aside, as a car company it is our deepest desire to make mobility more sustainable, accessible, and fair. That is why we integrate mobility services such as ride pooling and carsharing into our vehicle from the get-go to give all car owners the opportunity to share their Sion with others.

The Sono app will offer a variety of services that you can conveniently access via your smartphone. If you are keen to know more about our digital services and how they work in real-life, we recommend reading this article on a pilot project we did a couple of months ago.

Of course, we are not the only company that wants to make sharing-on-demand accessible to more and more people. There are many great companies that have made the provision of electric vehicles their business model - and we are always very happy when opportunities arise that lead to collaborations. The latest example of such is our collaboration with the Dutch mobility company UFODRIVE, the first all-digital and all-electric car rental company.

Rebuilding Car Rental Services

Founder and CEO Aidan McClean and his team have dedicated themselves to rebuild the process of renting cars from the ground up. Their overall goal was to create a service that would give users the smoothest experience when renting a car while at the same time relying only on electric vehicles for a variety of reasons: they are less expensive in maintenance, have a direct impact on air quality, are more quiet, and are regarded safer than combustion cars. Right now, UFODRIVE provides a variety of electric vehicles, such as the Tesla Model S, the Jaguar I-Pace or the Nissan Leaf.

New electric models are added, as soon as they are released. Now, take an educated guess which vehicle will be incorporated into UFODRIVE’s fleet as soon as it is hitting Europe’s streets? Right, the Sion.

Affordable Solar Mobility For UFODRIVE

We are very excited to announce that UFODRIVE decided to augment its range of products with the Sion. Since more and more customers of the company are renting cars for a short commute, UFODRIVE sees a huge potential in the Sion’s ability to provide range almost free of charge and emission thanks to its unique solar integration.

CEO McClean values our new technology, stating that UFODRIVE “believes the Sion will become the first solar car to go into volume production. Its recharging capabilities will make it the ideal vehicle used for car sharing in cities.”

Our colleague Thomas Hausch, COO of Sono Motors is thrilled to kick-off such a promising collaboration with the Dutch company: “UFODRIVE and Sono Motors have the same goal: providing clean, affordable and easily shareable mobility to a new and growing group of customers: people who are defining their transportation needs by the ease of use and the carbon footprint they leave behind.” We cannot wait to take further steps towards reaching our goal!

By the way: You can support UFODRIVE. A few weeks ago, the company launched a campaign on the crowdfunding platform Seedrs. You can find more information here.

Sion on Wheels: Collaboration With Team Rosberg Engineering – TRE GmbH

2020-12-03T06:00:00+01:00

Whether we like it or not, in Germany, millions of people drive cars every day. According to a 2017 study by survey institute Infas, cars are by far the most popular means of transport. It is, therefore, not surprising that of the 3.2 billion kilometers covered every day in Germany, around 60 percent are covered by the help of our beloved automobile.

What exactly goes on in the vehicle while we are carefully maneuvering it through city congestion and along expressways throughout the country is of secondary importance – at least for those of us who are not automobile enthusiasts. And yet the chassis, and therefore also an automobile’s steering, is a key aspect, especially when it comes to the driving experience. A car with power steering and one without are worlds apart, for example.

Our partner for chassis: TRE

When selecting a suitable axle concept back in 2018, we got together with an expert from the world of motorsport – Team Rosberg Engineering, or TRE for short. The company based in Neustadt an der Weinstraße takes its name from Keke Rosberg, race car driver and Formula One world champion.

In the late 1990s, Rosberg adopted the approach of incorporating expertise from the world of motorsport into the development of production vehicles. His idea was to establish a development center for chassis systems which drew on the expertise of race engineers so that standard automobile manufacturers could benefit, too. TRE is now a leading light in the field of chassis development.

CEO Eckardt Döhrer describes the company’s vision as follows: “TRE has set itself the goal of serving its customers as a one-stop shop for every development step from the blank sheet of paper through to a prototype, if required. In our collaboration with Sono Motors, we are developing the entire suspension and chassis system for the production vehicle and prototype.”

Bringing Computer Models to the Streets

When developing vehicle parts, computer-based work is essential. Engineers design the various components and put them all together with the aid of CAD models. A great many factors have to be taken into account in the process. “At TRE, "the scope of work is divided into three areas: design, simulation, and production," explains Axel Hoffmann, Head of Chassis Development. “The Design team designs the chassis and the components on the basis of making the best possible use of the available space.”

The development of what’s known as the subframe is especially interesting. The engineers developed it to provide high lateral stiffness and high deformability of the frame in case of a frontal collision. These two objectives must be reconciled with the particular space requirements of an electric drive.

The positioning of all the chassis components is determined in close cooperation with the Multibody Simulation team. In the process, the developers also evaluate the kinematic characteristics and their influence on the construction.

TRE thoroughly analyzed the Sion’s steering system in particular, as the requirements regarding steering wheel position, pedal clearance, steering angle, and kinematics had to be met in a very tight space.

The components of potential suppliers are incorporated into the computer simulations at this stage, too, in order for the desired overall vehicle behavior to be achieved. This allows the engineers to incorporate the vehicle requirements – lateral, longitudinal, and vertical dynamics, comfort, sufficient ground clearance, a tight turning circle – into their calculations and take them into account.

The developers additionally simulate various load conditions, firstly to check the elastic flexibility and secondly to test the vehicle’s ground clearance. The results are presented to everyone involved as a CAD model.

A number of parts had to be manufactured manually for the new prototype on the basis of the chassis developments for mass production. In June of this year, TRE began to derive the construction of the entire chassis for the prototypes from the status at that time of the CAD model for production vehicles.

“For parts like the subframe, spindle, stabilizer bar, and twist beam which are manufactured in large numbers for mass production using costly tools, we designed more efficient, prototype-based manufacturing processes,” explains Axel Hoffmann. “The prototype parts constructed in this way boast properties and functions which already largely match those in a production vehicle in spite of series tools not being used. This means the vehicles can be used for tuning drives and road tests.”

There will, of course, be differences from the production vehicle in terms of detail. The prototypes are safeguarded with predominantly quasistatic load cases. These parts will be further optimized in terms of component mass and service life ahead of final series production. The tools used to manufacture the series axles will also be different as, in contrast to the prototype manufacture, large quantities will be needed.

The ready-to-mount axle modules were shipped to Roding in October, where they have since been installed in the prototypes and tested for functionality. We have already shared a few photos of the manufacturing process in Roding with you. If you haven’t seen them yet,you can bring yourself up to speed here.

The Big Picture

TRE is a very important partner for us. We are thrilled to have the team’s expertise on our side. Furthermore, with Nico Rosberg, TRE shareholder and likewise a Formula One world champion, the team is also being backed by a sustainable entrepreneur and investor. Nico seemed very impressed by the Sion and Sono Motors, and shares our objective of advancing a positive change for society and the environment: “As a sustainability entrepreneur, it matters a great deal to me that we are applying our expertise to the development of the Sion by Sono Motors and are further developing the future of alternative mobility concepts.”
Regarding the project, we wholeheartedly agree with TRE CEO Eckardt Döhrer, who says: “We are delighted to be able to apply our sound expertise and TRE’s more than 20 years of experience in the area of chassis development to the development of the Sion with Sono Motors and, in the process, to be playing a part in shaping the technological progress made with future-oriented mobility concepts.” With partners like this, we can achieve our ambitious goals!

Manufacturing Update: Prototypes On the Home Stretch

2020-12-01T17:00:00+01:00

We are fully focusing on the manufacturing of the prototypes to complete production before the end of this year, as promised. In late October we provided the last update in this regard, so we thought you might like some new impressions. With the assembly of the wheels, the construction of the chassis is finished. What are our next and final steps? Read it here!

In addition to the installation of the chassis, we have made further progress in the last few weeks. Among other things, the high-voltage system was installed in the vehicle and successfully put into operation. One central component of this is the onboard charger, i.e. the device to which all high-voltage components of the vehicle are connected. These include, for example, the high-voltage battery that drives the vehicle and the high-voltage air-conditioning compressor that compresses the refrigerant for the air-conditioning circuit.

Our team has also installed the MPPT Central Unit (MCU). It enables the traction battery to be charged with the energy the Sion generates from the sun. This means that the high-voltage system for the powertrain can also be supplied with energy while driving. If you would like to learn more about this technological miracle, we recommend reading this blog post.

We have also been able to integrate the engine from our partner Continental. These are already the same components as in series production. Continental has supplied the vehicle control unit (VCU) with the necessary software and put it into operation for the first time. The Vehicle Control Unit plays a central role because it operates the vehicle's drive train and coordinates the tasks of various control units.

With the installation of the most important components of the drive system, the steering as well as the electrics and electronics, we set off on our first maiden voyage on the test site in Roding.

"For the whole team, this was really a special moment," explains Philipp Oberberger, responsible for the management of the prototype development. "In prototype construction, this is the one-time occasion when we are able to see the planning, development and theoretical tests of the past months put into practice," Philipp continues.

On our social media channels, we already shared some visual insights into the manufacturing process of the Sion’s body and the integration of the solar modules. Today, we can proudly announce that the tailgate, doors and hood are now mounted on the vehicle. During the last weeks we have also been working on the interior. The dashboard as well as other interior components are currently being installed in order to ensure all necessary safety guidelines for future test drives and to ensure good driving comfort.

To be honest, we cannot wait to share the final results with all of you. It's great seeing how the new prototypes are being put together step by step. Now, it's only a matter of days before we can finally present them to you.

News from Production: Prototypes Are Taking Shape

2020-10-29T07:00:00+01:00

After three years, over 15,000 test drives in more than 50 cities and around 40,000 kilometers on the clock, we are sending the first generation of prototypes into retirement. Until the new prototypes are presented, test drives are no longer possible. To shorten the waiting time a little bit, we want to report on the current state of production of our prototypes. Already in a few weeks the new generation will see the light of day.

Some weeks ago, we finished the digital development of the prototypes. The delivery of the prototype parts has also been checked off. These first, essential steps of production were already completed.
Meanwhile the "Body in White" was also finished. In automotive engineering, this is what the basic construction of the body, i.e. the frame, is called. The Body in White of the next generation of prototypes is fully welded and treated with a corrosion protection, so that the vehicle is protected from rust and other environmental influences.

Following this preparatory work, all mounting holes were drilled at the points determined in the CAD in order to be able to attach sheet metal holders to the frame. These are used, for example, for components such as control units or valves and pumps from the thermal system, which are currently being assembled. Other central attachment points, such as frame to seat or frame to engine, were integrated into the frame during the manufacturing process of the Body in White.

The engine as well as the wiring harness, which has been extensively tested and validated on our test benches in recent weeks, are also currently being integrated.

The next step is the installation of further components. These include, for example, the complete chassis, i.e. the front and rear axles, the pedals, brake boosters, the battery, the steering column, and a 12V battery.
The body parts with integrated solar cells, the so-called PV body panels, will not be attached to the vehicle for several weeks. This step is one of the last in the production process.

After assembling all the individual parts, the complete vehicle must still be put into operation. This will also be an exciting step and an important milestone for the completion of the prototypes.
Of course we will keep you informed about our progress. Be curious and keep checking our social media channels to make sure not to miss anything. The same goes for the newsletter. If you are not yet registered, go ahead and subscribe now.

"Key Technology for Future Mobility": Solar Integration in the Body of Electric Cars Is Being Prepared for Approval

2020-10-22T06:30:00+02:00

Together with the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE in Freiburg, we are working on a project to test and certify solar integration into the body of electric vehicles. The approval process of the Sion, also called homologation, is to be accompanied by a recognized testing service provider. The cooperation will also show in which other application areas the technology could be certified.

With about 1,200 employees, Fraunhofer ISE is the largest solar research institute in Europe. We are the first company to take the step of obtaining series production approval for road traffic, which explicitly includes the integration of solar cells into the entire car body and not only in the roof of the vehicle. Already in May we informed you about the current state of development. More about the technology behind solar integration can be found in our article "Park & Shine".

In the process, we combine lightweight, highly efficient photovoltaic modules with a control unit, a model for predicting the energy yield, and other system components that enable electrical and mechanical integration into vehicle bodies. The solar modules are integrated seamlessly into the surface of the car and are designed to supply vehicles with solar power throughout their entire service life. Mathieu Baudrit, head of the research and development department for solar integration, sees the partnership with the renowned Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems as an important next step towards certification of the unique technology.

Dr. Harry Wirth, Head Manager of Photovoltaics, Modules and Power Plants at Fraunhofer ISE also fully supports the project. He adds: "The integration of solar modules into vehicles is a key technology for the low-carbon mobility of the future. Solar electricity increases a vehicle’s range and fewer charging stops mean lower electricity costs. We are delighted to be able to contribute our institute’s comprehensive expertise, ranging from the development and testing of solar modules to electronic applications to this joint project."

Our colleague Omar Stern is strongly involved in the project as Senior Project Manager ViPV and explained the cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute in more detail.

Omar, what’s special about our collaboration with the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems?

Fraunhofer ISE has extensive experience in many different areas of integrated photovoltaics, including vehicle-integrated photovoltaics. Not only in Europe but worldwide it is one of the research institutions with the best and most up-to-date knowledge in this field. It has a remarkable infrastructure where many of the necessary tests for our technology can be performed. This is therefore an important and mutually beneficial collaboration that will help us to jointly advance the future of solar mobility. We will produce the first complete documentation required for the homologation of solar electric vehicles. This will certainly set a precedent and will be used as a standard for other vehicles with solar integration.

What are the requirements for obtaining approval for series production vehicles, or to carry out homologation? And what is the current status?

Our novel, vehicle-integrated photovoltaic technology is an integral part of the vehicle's body shell. Such a technology has not yet been homologated. Therefore, the first step is to understand all requirements and standards regarding safety and quality that are relevant for the approval of the technology used in the automotive industry. Subsequently, a set of standards based on existing regulations as well as standards for photovoltaic and automotive related products must be compiled. The aim is to create a specific "ViPV standard" adapted to our technology.

The next step is to perform a thorough analysis of the structure, manufacturability and functionality of the technology, including an understanding of all possible errors and failures with a special focus on safety and reliability. This requires the definition of complete test plans for individual components, subsystems and the entire vehicle. These include the above-mentioned standards for photovoltaic modules for safety and quality, ECE homologation regulations for vehicle approval, crash tests (including pedestrian protection and other specifications) and durability tests of the entire vehicle. These tasks are carried out in close cooperation with specialized test laboratories and industrial partners with very good experience in photovoltaics, in our case Fraunhofer ISE, as well as with the homologation of the entire vehicle.

In addition, the processes and tests are adapted to the environmental conditions and to the legal and technical regulations of the various target markets. All documentation and test results are compiled and submitted to the relevant regulatory authority in the country. This ensures that all the necessary approvals and certificates of conformity for a high-quality product are obtained.

We are currently in the process of finalizing the complete documentation required for homologation and defining the necessary tests. Together with Fraunhofer ISE, we have started discussions with accredited testing facilities and authorities. Currently, tests are being carried out to achieve this goal.

An exciting goal, indeed. It is very revealing to see how many different steps are needed to make the technology ready for series production. It's good to see that things are moving forward. Thank you for your time and good luck in the future!

Park & Shine: Park the Sion in the Sun and Charge Free Solar Energy

2020-09-15T08:00:00+02:00

To make the best use of solar integration in the Sion, the vehicle should be parked in the sun. But is it worth it at all, or is all the energy generated needed for the air conditioning system to cool the interior? Our community has asked us this question. In this article Mathieu, Director of Photovoltaic Integration, and Christian, Engineer for Photovoltaic Power Electronics, explain in detail how the charging of the battery cells works and how much energy is needed to cool the interior.

Theoretical speaking, the energy of the sun, which we receive on earth within one hour, is sufficient to supply the world population with electricity for a whole year. This energy is freely available without having to resort to finite resources. We use this energy by integrating solar cells into the body of the Sion. The technology is built into the black surface of the vehicle and is hardly visible. What is special about it, is the cell’s integration in the entire body, including the side panels of the vehicle. This results in a total solar cell area of six square meters.

This technology also saves 20 percent in weight compared to conventional car parts. Solar integration enables an additional range of up to 5,800 kilometers per year - without any additional external energy source. In an earlier article by Christian we already reported on the current state of development of solar integration.

Functionality of Charging by Solar Energy

Before we talk about the energy consumption of the Sion’s air conditioning system, we will first go into the functioning of the solar energy charging system.

The artificial intelligence in the MPPT Central Unit, which we developed together with our partners in Spain, measures the strength of the solar radiation at dynamic intervals. If the predefined minimum threshold is reached, from which it is useful to start the charging process (for example at sunrise), the Vehicle Control Unit is activated and the battery's state of charge and cell temperature are, among other things, queried.

Both values must be taken into account for an efficient and battery-saving charging strategy. Not every day 250 kilometers have to be covered. The vehicle owner can determine the upper SOC threshold, i.e. the percentage to which the battery cells should be charged. This makes particular sense with regard to the service life of the battery cells, as they have a longer service life if they are not constantly charged to 100 %.

With conductive charging, for example via the wallbox, it is already possible to configure the SOC threshold via the infotainment system. We have reported on this in the video of a previous blog post on the subject of infotainment systems. If the vehicle owner specifies here that the charging process via the wallbox should end at 80 %, for example, the remaining 20 % could be charged further with solar energy.

At this point we are open for the wishes of the community in the development. Should charging continue via the sun or should the focus be on the service life of the battery cells here as well? Please let us know!

As long as the vehicle control unit gives the basic approval for solar charging, the entire process runs in the background within the defined limits. The infotainment system displays the values for the status of the charge to the vehicle owner.

But what if a cloud covers the sun? Constant starting and stopping of the charging process can be counterproductive for the lifetime of battery components on the one hand, and on the other hand, the system's own consumption must also be taken into account.

Our solution for this is to absorb these fluctuations. Depending on the duration and intensity of the shading, these fluctuations in solar radiation can be bridged without interrupting the charging process. If the weather conditions change over a longer period of time or the sun goes down, the system switches itself off after a certain time.

This function is already integrated in our next prototype, which will be presented at the end of the year. Also, if the sun continues to shine, but the charge level is already at 100 %, the automatic charging system switches itself off. This means that the battery cells cannot be damaged.

Since this mechanism is integrated into the vehicle, it makes sense to park the Sion in direct sunlight for most of the day. In this way, the optimum charging efficiency can be achieved. For example, in Munich in June, the battery cells could be charged within one week using only solar energy, provided that the Sion is parked in open terrain. The long-term effect on the range and operating times of the electronics is particularly decisive for the CO2 footprint. For this purpose, the solar integration of the Sion is perfectly optimized.

What energy is needed to cool the interior?

Back to the initial question of this article: Is it worth parking the Sion in the sun or does it require all the energy generated to cool the interior down? Putting it briefly: Yes, it’s definitely worth it!

Why that is, we will show you here.

First of all, we would like to mention that the Sion, thanks to solar integration, does not heat up as much as a black car with a conventional body. This is because about 22 % of the sun's radiation is converted into energy instead of heat.

Depending on the season and other external influences, the interior heats up differently. Of course, it depends on where the vehicle is parked. The Sion will heat up differently when parked in Munich than when parked in Stockholm or Madrid. The following examples are not generally valid, but depend on various factors such as season, intensity of sunlight and driving style.

In summer in Munich, the Sion's air conditioning system needs 0.7 kWh for ten minutes of cooling at full power. With this 0.7 kWh, the Sion drives five kilometers under test conditions. However, since under optimal conditions on a summer day in Munich, 35 kilometers can be gained through solar integration. Therefore, only 14 % of the energy generated are required. On a slightly cloudy day in summer or when the vehicle is parked in the shade, up to twelve kilometers of additional range can be generated. Since less energy is needed to cool the interior due to the conditions, the consumption values are still in a good ratio to the result.

In spring or fall, on the other hand, the Sion requires only 0.5 kWh of its energy to cool the interior. This 0.5 kWh would correspond to a range of approximately 3.5 kilometers. For example, in March it is very likely to generate 17 additional kilometers per day with solar energy.

In addition to using the air conditioning system, opening the windows, as in other vehicles, can further reduce the energy required for cooling.

In general, under optimal conditions, the following applies: to generate 0.7 kWh from solar energy, the Sion must be parked in the direct sun for 50 minutes. In other words, even if you park the Sion in full sunlight for one hour, more energy is produced than is needed to cool the interior. Therefore, in the long run, it is always worthwhile to park the Sion in the sun rather than in the shade. In this way, the vehicle receives energy from the sun without having to rely on external energy suppliers.

Fair Cobalt Alliance: Let’s Talk About Cobalt

2020-08-24T09:00:00+02:00

Today we want to talk about cobalt. A raw material that is on the one hand important for the production of lithium-ion batteries, but on the other hand has been repeatedly criticized for problematic mining conditions. These include hazardous mine shafts, lack of basic supplies and the systemic occurrence of child labor. Our Sustainability Program Manager Isabel explains how the Fair Cobalt Alliance wants to improve these conditions and why we have joined the organization.

Cobalt – What Is That Exactly?

Almost all of us have a tiny amount of it in our pockets. Without this raw material, many of our everyday technical companions such as mobile phones, smart watches or tablets would not even function. We're talking about cobalt, a metal that, due to its chemical properties, is used in lithium-ion batteries in particular to achieve a higher energy density. Because cobalt is particularly conductive, it also plays an essential role in the rapid charging of a battery.

Anyone who thinks of electric cars now when hearing terms such as "energy density" and "fast charging capability" is absolutely right. Because the raw material is also used here. Depending on the vehicle model and battery type, a few kilograms of cobalt are required to make batteries more powerful and efficient. A considerable amount has to be mined, processed and transported before it finds its way into the battery – and this is where things get complicated. After all, cobalt production is one aspect of electromobility that we should call exactly as it is: non-transparent, uncontrolled and without human protection.

The reasons for this have long been known. According to widely accepted statistics by the United States Geological Survey more than half of known cobalt reserves are located in the Democratic Republic of Congo. About twenty percent of cobalt mined in the DRC originates from informal, artisanal and small-scale mining sites, where self-employed miners extract the metal under often life-threatening conditions. The mine shafts are dug with the simplest of tools, without safety gear or adequate ventilation. In very few cases, attention is paid to occupational safety and the compliance with safety measures. In the shafts, which are sometimes twice or even three times as deep as the legally allowed maximum of 30 metres, workers risk their lives every day, digging for cobalt-rich ore without wearing masks and safety devices. Accidents often occur and even children help in the mining areas and are part of this illegal form of small-scale mining. The BGR estimates, despite an official government ban, that around 200,000 Congolese are exposed to the dangers of this work.

Possible Solutions

In 2016, Amnesty International already drew attention to the difficult conditions in the poverty-stricken region in the South of the DRC in a highly acclaimed report. In the course of the debate, a large number of (electric) car manufacturers and technology companies announced that they would drastically reduce the amount of cobalt in their batteries, or even try to not use it at all. Millions of dollars are being invested in research to find an alternative. We also want to keep the cobalt percentage in the Sion battery low. But this approach does not solve the fundamental problems of local mining conditions and the associated human rights violations. Moreover, small-scale mining is a key livelihood for thousands of families, especially in the DRC, a country of incredible mineral wealth boasting tin, tungsten, tantalum, gold, cobalt and copper reserves to name but a few.

Given the complexity of the battery supply chain it is almost impossible to tell with certainty where the actual cobalt used in the Sion has originated. Mining work, both large scale and artisanal, is more than six production steps removed from the final assembly of the car, as the material is moving from mines to traders, crude refiners, exporters, refiners, and then cathode and battery manufacturers. Although companies can oblige their respective suppliers through their purchasing conditions to exclude child labour or other human rights violations, a corresponding contract is only valid in conjunction with the direct supplier. In most cases, suppliers’ suppliers operating mid-stream of the supply chain lack adequate measures to ensure the origin of the material and as such ensure that material has been produced in alignment with our code of conduct.

Rather than investing time and effort to prove or design an ASM-free supply chain, companies should contribute to improve the overall working conditions. There is a widely-accepted set of rules that defines how to proceed in the case of identified human rights violations in your supply chain published by the OECD, but it is not legally binding.

With the large number of businesses involved in the process, which are accountable for the preparation, transport or further processing of the cobalt, the responsibility often only shifts from one supplier to the next without any change in local conditions. Therefore, an upstream-centric approach must also be taken. In other words, working from responsible mining operations down to the end product.

The Fair Cobalt Alliance

A different approach is taken by the Fair Cobalt Alliance, an action platform to coordinate, support and scale up local initiatives to improve conditions in small-scale mining. The initiative was launched by the sustainable smartphone manufacturer Fairphone, Signify and Huayou in collaboration with the Impact Facility. The Fair Cobalt Alliance pursues three objectives.

The first is the professionalisation of independent small-scale mining and better training of the people working in it. The alliance has drawn up a detailed model that describes measures to make the mines safer in the long term. These include, for example, the installation of medical and sanitary facilities on site and professional management of the mining sites. The second objective is to establish credible control and monitoring mechanisms to keep children away from mines and thus effectively prevent child labour in supply chains. Thirdly, the Fair Cobalt Alliance is working to achieve a sustainable increase in household income for families dependent on cobalt mining. To achieve this, the companies involved invest in community programmes aimed at community development. This can include, for example, providing funds for children to attend school, or offering training for adults who work as self-employed miners to feed their families. Only if the living conditions for the local people are improved in the long term, the establishment of a fair supply chain for cobalt can be implemented and child labour avoided.

Sono Motors – Why We Participate

We see great potential in the Fair Cobalt Alliance to make cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo fairer and more transparent. As a mobility company that is one hundred percent committed to electric mobility, we want to live up to our responsibility towards people and the planet. At the moment there is no fair certified cobalt on the market and we want to help change that. After all, our plan is to build 257,000 Sion by 2027. That is a considerable amount of cobalt that has to be extracted from the earth, processed and transported. We want this to happen under fair conditions, even though we know that change does not happen overnight.

We are therefore all the more pleased to be a member of the Fair Cobalt Alliance and to be able to help drive forward the implementation of its goals. With the help of the Fair Cobalt Alliance, we want to make our cobalt supply chain transparent and help implement solutions locally. Due to the fundamental rethinking in the energy and mobility sector, the demand for batteries – and therefore also for cobalt – will continue to grow in the coming years. It is our responsibility as a company to act and ensure that the raw materials we use are mined under environmentally friendly and humane conditions.

See our Fair Cobalt Alliance Statement

Finally on Tour Again! And an Update on Our 2020 Strategy

2020-08-21T18:00:00+02:00

Jona, Laurin and some of the Sono team visited Cologne and Hamburg. With them, they took a lot of updates on the current state of our development. Today they are going to stop in Berlin, which is the third and final stop of this city tour. As always, we were very happy to see you and to listen to your questions, ideas and opinions. Due to the restrictions caused by the pandemic, we were unfortunately only able to welcome a very small number of you on site and have therefore summarized the most important points of the tour below. At the end of the article you will also find a video of our event in Cologne.

With the successful completion of our Community Funding Campaign we had a strong start to 2020 and with your support we have made a big step forward in the development of the Sion. We have been able to start the prototype construction with our partner Roding Automobile on time and it is well under way now. At the same time, the corona pandemic has slowed down many processes in the automotive industry as well as in the financial world. In order to perfectly align the further development of the Sion with these new circumstances, we have adjusted our strategy for the remaining year of 2020.

Full Focus on the Construction of our New Prototypes

By the end of this year, we will present to the world a new generation of Sion prototypes. We recently reported on the production of the prototype at our partner Roding in our blog. The focus for these prototypes will be on the "look & feel" and the driving style, in order to provide you with the best possible feeling for the series vehicle. In this new generation of prototypes, key components, such as the e-drive from our partner Continental, will be integrated. In addition to that we are already in the midst of preparations for the release event.

"For us as a car manufacturer, the visual presentation of progress is tremendously important – to win over investors and generate further reservations. That's why we are concentrating strongly on our prototype program for the remainder of the year. In addition, we will focus on internal testing of key vehicle components and the further development of our unique selling points, such as solar integration and our mobility services," explains our co-founder Jona during our tour. Another test drive tour is also being planned at the moment.

Update on Testing, Solar Integration and Mobility Services

The tests on our benches are already running. There, for example, we are testing the electric motor, the battery, the cooling system and air conditioning as well as the infotainment system, as well as checking how these interact with the other vehicle components. These tests are particularly important with regard to the production vehicle and are already providing us with valuable findings for the series-validation vehicles.

During our city tour, we also presented our latest achievements with regard to our solar integration and mobility services application. In both areas we will provide you with detailed insights and exciting news in the coming weeks and months. Here's a taster: our ViPV team, which is responsible for the solar integration, will produce the tool for the first full-size part of our Solar Integration during the coming weeks. This is just another important milestone in our series development. With this tool we are going to manufacture the front roof, which will be equipped with solar cells like all other body parts of the Sion.

The solar integration is also arousing an increasing amount of interest in the industry. This innovative technology enables solar cells to be integrated into a wide variety of vehicles beyond the Sion, something we are already in initial discussions about.

In addition to this, our mobility services application is constantly being fine-tuned to its final form and functionality. We are currently working on the integration into our prototype, which we will present this year. The focus for now will be on the car sharing function, but also on the so-called ridepooling, a function that allows for taking along additional passengers. Meanwhile, our Energy Services team is working in close coordination with our Mobility Services team on the implementation of the power sharing function, which will later on also be controllable via the app.

Adapted Strategy 2020

On a strategic level, the topic of corona has of course also kept us very busy this year. The pandemic has turned the automotive industry upside down. In order to be able to respond in the best possible way to the effects of the pandemic, such as short-time work at some of our suppliers, and at the same time effectively drive forward further development of the Sion, we have realigned our strategic focus for the remaining year. In order to reduce costs, we had already decided several months ago to reduce the number of our planned prototype vehicles from four to two. Until the end of the year, we will further review and reduce our expenses whilst the markets stabilise and recover from Corona. This will affect particularly cost-intensive items in vehicle development, for instance.

Excluded from this is testing, such as for the validation of our solar integration, as well as the work on the technical test benches. By making these adjustments, we ensure that the money from our community funding campaign is invested responsibly and in a sustainable manner: in the internal development, the prototype programme, the solar integration, the bi-directional charging and in our mobility services.

How Corona will develop remains unknown. We are now entering a consolidation phase, in which we will once again review the status of all areas of our vehicle development in detail, in order to avoid any potential impact on the start of the series production as far as possible, and to be able to start production as planned.

We are also using 2020 for an internal reorientation that will prepare us today for the challenges of the future. The establishment of an organisation with flat structures with a rapidly growing team has been well under way since the beginning of this year. Our goal: to further promote agility and flexibility in Sono Motors through self-organized teams.

Sono Advisory Board

We have also decided to create an advisory board. Our aim is to bring together industry experts, who will advise Sono Motors on future strategic decisions. One seat will be allocated to a community member – because your voice counts. In the coming weeks, we will explain how you can apply for a seat on the advisory board. We are still in the middle of the preparations, but we couldn’t wait to share this news with you.

Our excitement is growing, as the release of our new vehicles gets closer. We will hopefully be able to meet many of you again in person, and we hope you are just as excited about the new prototypes and looking forward to them just as much as we are.

Please note this version has been edited to reflect the revision of the term used 'Production Prototype'. This was adjusted accordingly on 3 February 2022.

The Infotainment System: Simple Design and User Friendliness

2020-07-31T07:00:00+02:00

In the early days of control concepts, there was an abundance of physical buttons. Today, it is possible to map a large part of the user interactions via displays, and the software can be regularly updated with new features. The art is to maintain a good balance between aesthetics, user-friendliness and ergonomics. Today, we would like to take a look at the development status of our infotainment system in the Sion – and introduce you to the team behind it.

An infotainment system is designed to make all relevant and partly complex vehicle information comprehensible and easily accessible to the user. It is the visual interface to all other connected modules in a vehicle. In the case of the Sion, the sharing services, the solar integration and the bidirectional charging function are implemented here as well. The communication of the different modules takes place via a “Vehicle Networking Channel” – among other things, safety instructions can be communicated via the system.

Two Displays With One Application

In most cases, an infotainment system is being realized with two displays. On one hand, there is the instrument cluster, which is a fully digital instrument cluster located directly behind the steering wheel. Here, all relevant information such as headlight settings, range, speed and travelled distance is being displayed. It also highlights any safety and warning information. Certain standards and regulations must be applied for the instrument cluster. For example, the warnings on "not fastened", "door is open" and "handbrake is not engaged". The symbols for these notifications are also standardised. Nevertheless, with the digital instrument cluster, the possibility of customizing user specific themes and preferred display attributes is given.

The Center Information Display (CID), the larger screen at the center of the dashboard, displays other functions. It shows the HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning), the lightning of our natural air filter and charging information for example. Above all, it certainly stands for the entertainment in the Sion via the integration of your own smartphone via Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. From here you can also listen to music, via Bluetooth or one of the USB ports, make calls and view interesting statistics and other vehicle information.

UI & UX: User Interface and User Experience

Having seen many complicated and elaborate infotainment systems on the market, we decided to take a 3-step approach for the infotainment system of the Sion. This means that the user is at any time a maximum of 3 steps away from the next stage. We have kept the user interface of the Sion infotainment system very simple and intuitive – which is exactly what you expect from a modern user-friendly interface today. Our current test system is a user interface in dark mode. In the production vehicle, there might be a brighter version of the interface to choose from.

Individual limits can be set in the infotainment system for charging and discharging energy – both related to time and the amount of energy transmitted (kWh). This feature is not only very practical in everyday life, it also allows energy to be transferred to other electric vehicles and devices via the power sharing application.

With the infotainment of the Sion we want to visualize as much vehicle data as possible. For example, the solar integration dashboard shows in real time how much energy the respective solar modules produce or how much energy was produced in the last week (7 days) and a month (30 days). Statistics on energy consumption can also be accessed in various layouts.

The Team Behind the Infotainment

Our infotainment team consists of experienced experts from the industry, who combine their expertise with our partners MTA (Head Unit and Instrument Cluster) and Elektrobit (Software Development and UI/UX). With regard to the Sion, there are many internal interfaces to the experts from the application areas Mobility Services, Power Sharing and Solar Integration. Parts of the infotainment software are also being tested inhouse. More on that topic here:

Infotainment systems of conventional vehicles are usually an additional cost factor. Since the Sion will only be produced in one version, our infotainment is already included in the vehicle price. Our challenge is to make the system affordable without compromising on user relevant features. Our focus is therefore: simple, minimalistic and fast. And thanks to the "Over The Air" function, the Sion will be able to install software updates to the infotainment and many ECUs without a visit to the repair service. By the end of the year, some functions will already be demonstrable in our new prototypes.

Roding Will Manufacture the New Sion Prototypes

2020-06-30T07:30:00+02:00

Today we are pleased to announce that we have successfully handed over the CAD data for the production of the next prototype generation to our manufacturing partner Roding – another important step on the way to series production. Over the last few days, our colleague Julius has been in an intensive exchange with the project managers. He explains why we have again chosen Roding as our partner, why the timing for the prototype production was adjusted and what will be possible with the new prototypes.

It's been almost three years. On July 27, 2017, our team of around 15 employees presented the prototype of the Sion at the Munich Technology Center. As you can imagine, the days and weeks leading up to the release event among supporters, journalists and politicians were turbulent. Under the greatest time pressure, we worked on the prototype the night before the presentation. Our team had discovered an error in the cabling during the final check. Not even 24 hours later, Max, then as now jointly responsible for vehicle development, carefully drove the Sion down a ramp from the stage to the visitors who, after the presentation of our founders, could not wait to see the prototype of the Sion at close range.

From the Munich Technology Center, we set sail to new lands. In the last three years we have completed thousands of test drives in Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, France, Sweden and Italy. In the process, a total of about 15,000 kilometers landed on the digital speedometer. We are certain: without these test drives we would never have been able to convince so many people of our concept.

But just as Sono Motors no longer consists of 15 employees who share a room the size of a single apartment, these vehicles no longer represent the state of the art in development technology. We have not only professionalized and developed ourselves as a company, we have also raised the development of the Sion to a level that is ever closer to the final production version of the vehicle. In short, we think it is about time to send our first-generation prototypes into well-deserved retirement.

CAD Data Transfer to Roding

To be able to start building the new vehicles, the manufacturer needs the current status of the design data of the Sion. The transfer of the CAD data to our partner Roding was an important milestone for us, which we were able to complete in June just as planned.

By the way, “CAD” is the English abbreviation for “computer aided design”. This is because the design process of a vehicle includes the geometric modeling of the individual components as well as the calculation and simulation. In principle, a CAD model is a virtual vehicle.

From the moment it is handed over, the manufacturer is responsible for the construction of the body shell, the “Body in White”, and ensures that the vehicles are assembled as planned by our development team. The handover of the CAD data is, so to speak, the starting signal for the construction of the new prototypes.

After careful consideration, our development team has decided to work with an old acquaintance: The Roding Automobile GmbH. Already our first two prototypes have been built in 2017 in close cooperation with Roding – experts for lightweight construction and e-mobility. Since this exciting time, we have had a close relationship.

Over the past three years, Roding has been responsible for the maintenance and repair of the prototypes. If we had stressed the vehicles a bit too much during the numerous test drives, a quick visit was indispensable. The local proximity was and is also very helpful for our future cooperation.

Apart from our team, nobody knows more about the first generation prototypes than our colleagues from Roding. They have been enjoying a proven expertise in the field of prototype production for over ten years. Here, many things still are taken care of manually and under the watchful eyes of co-founder and managing director Ferdinand Heindlmeier.

“At Roding we specialise in the construction of prototypes. We were aware that we would not necessarily play a major role in the series development of the Sion”, explains Ferdinand. “The fact that Sono has now approached us again, including us in the project, has made us very happy! The Sion also means a lot to us. The construction of the prototypes in 2017 was an exciting and ambitious project that we enjoyed very much!”

“I am particularly looking forward to seeing the vehicle live”, adds Ferdinand. “We all know the new 3D models, but having the new vehicle within reach in our hall will certainly be a unique experience for everyone involved”.

Prototype Construction: The Next Steps

First, Roding will slightly adjust the CAD model to prepare it for the appropriate manufacturing method. During this process all necessary tools will be designed and manufactured. Furthermore, specific parts are produced while our colleagues purchase the required vehicle components from our suppliers.

This is followed by the production of the first body shells, the assembly of all parts, and, of course, the commissioning. Once these steps have all been completed, we can start testing the vehicles.

Previously we had calculated that all these steps would be completed by the end of September. However, as part of the program relaunch and taking into account the effects of the global corona pandemic, we have adjusted our strategy. This has delayed the prototype launch from the end of September to, if everything goes according to plan, November. Instead of the original four vehicles, we have also decided to build just two. There are several reasons for this, which can best be explained by why we develop prototypes at all and have them produced by an external company.

A Snapshot of the State of Development

Philipp is responsible for the management of prototype development. “A prototype is always a kind of snapshot of the development status”, explains Philipp. “Its main purpose is to show the progress of the development. But the development team also learns a lot during the production process, for example about the integration of the components and how well they already work together”.

In our conversation with vehicle developer Max, we could already read that this type of “test run” involves all those areas that also play a central role in series production – from purchasing and logistics, to manufacturing.

“There are two central reasons why we rely on an external manufacturer like Roding for the production of the prototypes”, Philipp explains. “Firstly, we save internal capacities which we use for further preparing the series production. By the way, this is also one of the reasons why we have two vehicles manufactured instead of four. Secondly, by working with the external manufacturer we also learn a lot about our internal coordination processes, which we can then optimize for later cooperation with the series manufacturer.”

Of course, one of the most important questions remains: Where are the biggest differences between the old and the new generation of prototypes? After all, three years have passed since we presented our development status in the form of a vehicle.

“First of all, most core components come from our series suppliers”, says Philipp. “The engine from Continental, the cooling system, and the complete chassis will already be installed in the SVC2. So the wheelbase and vehicle geometry is the same as they will be later in the series production. On the one hand, this allows us to validate our simulations under real conditions, and on the other hand, our supporters can get a new impression of what it will feel like to drive the final vehicle. The focus is clearly on a new look and feel”.

This of course includes the external as well as the internal appearance. The integration of the solar cells will already look different than in the prototype and the dashboard. Same goes for the cockpit. There will also be a reduced form of the series’ infotainment system and a reduced set of digital capabilities of some of the mobility and energy service features of the Sono app. These include unlocking the Sion with a smartphone, the functionality of sharing the vehicle with others and the possibility to withdraw energy from the car. They will be included in the current version of the Sono app at that time, in order to test them extensively.

Over many years, we have taken our prototype vehicles very much to heart. Nevertheless, we can't wait for the new prototypes to arrive. Even though it will take a little more time than expected, we are very happy to have found the right partner to get the new prototypes on the road.

One Community, One Car: Insights From the First Sono Motors App Pilot Project

2020-06-04T07:30:00+02:00

The Sono mobility services are designed to make the Sion accessible to as many people as possible. They are the fundamentals of our holistic mobility concept. To validate our product and get early feedback, we have started an exciting pilot project together with a group of volunteers.

A few weeks ago we gave you an insight into how we are proceeding with the development of solar integration. Today we will focus on how as many people as possible can benefit from the Sion. Our mobility services play a decisive role in this. We offer three services in one vehicle and one application: Power Sharing, Ride Pooling, and Car Sharing.

Since all three focus on sharing, the Sion can be used far more efficiently than other vehicles. These services are grounded in our conviction that the future of vehicles lies in shared use.

Early Testing Leads to Early Feedback

However, before as many people as possible can use our mobility services, there is a lot of work to be done. Besides the conceptual development and the technical implementation, the validation of the product and its features plays an essential role.

Of course, the results are only satisfying if we achieve them under realistic conditions. Also, there are a variety of use cases that we can only fully comprehend in contact with potential users. This feedback is enormously helpful when it comes to developing mobility services that meet the needs of our users.

Including customers in the development process as early as possible is decisive in modern product development. This way you receive direct feedback useful for further pilot projects. Luckily, at the beginning of February, we were able to recruit the first participants for our pilot project “Haus im Viertel”.

One Community, One Car

We decided to pilot our first mobility services in a multi-party residential building in Munich's Maxvorstadt district. In this way, we could guarantee close supervision of the project while being on-site quickly in case of any problems. Furthermore, the neighborhood allowed us to conduct regular interviews and stay in close contact with the project's participants.

Eight people had the opportunity to share a Renault ZOE provided by us for about six weeks. Each participant got access to the Sono app to reserve the car and to enable sharing in the house community. The app was updated every two weeks with new features or improvements.

While testing, we focused on three questions. First: Are residents of a household community willing to share a vehicle? Second: Do the users take care of the vehicle? Do they recharge it? Do they leave it clean? Thirdly: Can the vehicle be financially self-sufficient in such use?

Of course, we also wanted to know for what purposes the participants would use the vehicle: Getting to work? Visiting the family? Larger purchases? The results are very revealing and help us to gain a better understanding of the use cases which we now can integrate into the app.

Incidentally, our colleague Noël met two of the participants, Antonia and Philipp, with his camera and asked them about their experience with the app and its services.

What Happens Next?

The team is very satisfied with the progress of the first pilot project. We were able to find important answers to our questions and validate our assumptions. Even while the project was running, we decided to expand the circle of participants and further test the services' conditions with a broader, more anonymous group of people. We call it “Das Viertel” or “The District”, advancing from piloting one house community to piloting several.

Here, a group of people share a vehicle, who do not know each other personally. The relationship of trust is completely different, leading to different assumptions and results. However, this is another exciting use case that is crucial for the development of the Sono Motors app.

Additionally, future pilots are already being planned. This will also involve ridepooling, the sharing of rides among users. For this, we will bring our mobility services to more rural areas where the concept of ridepooling is not as common as it is in cities.

Application purposes for the Sono app are numerous. Our team receives new input from the community every day and we are looking forward to testing our services in everyday life.

For further pilot projects, we are always looking for participants and interview partners. So if you are interested in the development of the Sono mobility services, please contact us here.

An Update on the Development Status of the Solar Integration of the Sion

2020-05-05T09:00:00+02:00

How do you integrate solar cells into an electric car? A simple question that requires complex solutions. Especially when the solar cells do not only cover the roof but also the rear, the doors, the fenders, and the hood. Our expert for photovoltaic power electronics, Christian, will tell you what kind of technical challenges the integration implies and why we had to develop a completely new type of voltage converter.

To someone who is not an expert in the field, integrating solar cells into a vehicle, seems pretty simple: Just put solar modules on it, connect them to the battery, done. This may not sound very complicated, but in practice, it is very complex. Especially if you integrate photovoltaic cells not only at one but several points on the vehicle body. Mastering this task requires a high level of expertise in a variety of areas, such as photovoltaics, electrical engineering, and vehicle design. We have combined all these skills in our team to develop the most efficient solution for the Sion.

Together with our partners, we have not only developed our own, completely new technology for the integration of the cells, but also a device that makes the use of solar power possible in the first place. We call this device the “MPPT Central Unit”. MPPT stands for Maximum Power Point Tracking, a procedure commonly used in photovoltaics.

To realize the solar integration for the Sion, we had to rethink everything. Developing the Solar Integration, we had to ensure that all vehicle components are optimally prepared for the integration of the solar components. One thing's for sure: The Sion has been developed as a solar vehicle. Every decision in vehicle development, no matter how trivial it may seem, is always made by us concerning the efficiency of the photovoltaic system.

Optimized Performance For Each Cell

Maximum Power Point Tracking plays an important role here. This process adjusts the electrical load on a solar module so that the cells can deliver their optimum performance. Not every cell generates the same amount of power, because our energy supplier, the sun, moves constantly. Furthermore, not all solar cells on the Sion point in the same direction.

This means, for example, that the strength of the irradiation and the temperature on the photovoltaic modules change. Thus, before the electricity generated can be fed into the battery, some electrical adjustments have to be made – and that's where the MPPT Central Unit comes in.

There are different steps involved in the conversion of voltage. First, the MPPT Central Unit combines the different module voltages to a common level below 60 volts. Only then the conversion to the voltage of the high-voltage battery takes place. This is between 300 and 400 volts.

As with any conversion of power, electrical losses occur during this process. Our task was to find out how efficient the conversion of different voltage levels is and how we can optimize it. After all, one question is of high importance: How much electricity generated in the cells finally reaches the battery?

Developing solar modules for the integration into a vehicle is one thing, but adjusting them optimally on the vehicle and providing the power for the battery and propulsion is the real challenge. Earlier this year, we were able to test the prototype of the device, which Sono Motors is developing precisely for this task.

Combining Expertise

The MPPT Central Unit has been developed in very close cooperation with selected partners. To ensure that everything is perfectly matched to the application purpose in the vehicle, one of the most important tasks was to design the suitable electronic architecture for the device, check the circuit diagrams and select suitable components that are approved for use in road vehicles. Also, the interfaces to the other devices, for example the battery, must be precisely defined and tested.

The successful design and integration within the vehicle is a task that particularly drives our team since Sono Motors is the first company to establish such a solar converter not only for research purposes but also for use in a production vehicle.

To make such a project a success, not only the expertise within our team is needed, but also competent partners. The company Tecnalia from Bilbao, Spain, is one of them. The private research institute is one of the largest facilities of its kind in the field of renewable energies and supports us especially in developing and testing the MPPT Central Unit. The team on site works together with our engineers enthusiastically on the project. The results so far, speak for their years of expertise. The successful test phase of the prototype already makes us very confident that we will achieve the goals we have set ourselves.

The first test results have even exceeded our expectations. This applies especially to the converter efficiency. It describes the ratio of the achievable output to input power and is thus a measure of the losses incurred. The average value of 94 percent achieved in our first tests over various scenarios is already top level. We are confident that we can achieve even better results with a little more fine-tuning.

Maximum Power from the Solar Modules to the Battery

The integration of solar cells has an impact on every area of vehicle development. Especially vehicle design and solar integration must be closely coordinated. A good example are door handles: How exactly do they have to be placed on the car body so that the solar modules can be ideally integrated? If one parameter changes here, the entire power calculation changes, including the voltage levels that the MPPT Central Unit has to convert. Internally, continuous coordination between engineers and designers is therefore necessary.

456 half cells are seamlessly integrated into the body of the Sion.

We have put together a dedicated VIPV (Vehicle-Integrated Photovoltaics) team for this purpose, headed by our Director of Photovoltaic Integration Mathieu Baudrit. Within this team, we coordinate every development decision and its effects on photovoltaic integration, including, for example, the cabling of vehicle components. Therefore the complete transmission line from the solar panels to the battery must be trimmed for maximum efficiency.

The more the battery is charged with solar power, the more efficient is the overall system. That is why the Sion always charges, standing or driving, and even in diffuse light. The MPPT Central Unit is wired in such a way that the solar power can be directly used for the engine and auxiliary units. The solar cells, therefore, support the Sion's propulsion directly with energy from the sun.

Further Testing for Optimized Performance

The first development stage of the MPPT Central Unit has been completed. We will optimize the electrical architecture and mechanical design of the device in the next weeks and months. Further tests with regard to electromagnetic compatibility are now also important, that means determining the emission of unintended signals on the one hand and resistance to external influences on the other.

We will also expose the MPPT Central Unit to high ambient temperatures over a long period of time under full load to see how it performs. This will help us identify those component temperatures that the vehicle system needs to constantly closely monitor in order to ensure the safe and efficient operation of the unit for many years to come.

As soon as the current situation due to the coronavirus allows, we will also expand our test benches at our Munich site. We will then be able to use PV simulators to examine the behavior of the solar cells at different temperatures and light incidence for the fine adjustment of the MPPT Central Unit. Our entire team is already looking forward to the next steps.

The further development of the benches, the production of the new prototypes – this year will be exciting and extremely busy for all of us, but we are getting closer and closer towards our goal. With our Solar Integration we are developing a climate-friendly charging solution that has the potential to completely change the market in the long term.

“We'll Get Through This, Too” – Interview With Vehicle Developer Maximilian Seifert

2020-04-02T10:00:00+02:00

The Sion brings together the know-how of the people behind our vehicle development. One of them is Maximilian Seifert, who, as Director Vehicle Programs is significantly involved in the all the development steps and has been accompanying the Sion since its beginnings. In an interview with PR Manager Alexa Rauscher, he provides insights into the latest state of development, the consequences of the Corona crisis and his own personal highs and lows in over three years at Sono Motors.

Hi Max, the press is reporting that the corona crisis will have a drastic impact on the entire economy, including the automotive industry. Where do you see the Sion development team at the moment?

Right now, the safety and health of the team is the most important responsibility. That’s why we have taken a company-wide home-office approach. We see the same with all our partners. That means COVID-19 and the current situation will affect all of us, including Sono Motors and our future steps. What the current events will mean in detail for our development and prototyping, we can in the end only estimate in the coming weeks. However, since our day-to-day work is largely digitally organized, we are continuing to work with full commitment.

Does the current, difficult situation have an impact on the cooperation with our partners or has the shift to working in the home office also proved successful for vehicle development?

We have handled the situation really well so far, almost everything now runs via online meetings and phone calls. We, and also our partners are well prepared for such a situation thanks to the numerous possibilities to communicate digitally. Nevertheless, this is a challenge, because in the coming weeks the kick-offs, i.e. the starting signal for many of our projects, with our partners will take place. This also includes full-day workshops to discuss the current status, technical content, possible problems, and the next steps. In this process, personal meetings are therefore often almost indispensable. In order to lose as little time as possible, we have to find a way together with our partners to continue to work together in an optimal way. We are now trying to cover all this online.

What has happened in the development team since the Community Funding Campaign was completed? Can you give us an insight?

A lot has already happened in different areas. Most importantly, the Community Funding Campaign has once again shown how much we as a team at Sono Motors stand together, along with our community. A large part of the development team provided massive support to other departments during the campaign. Even in the first weeks after the campaign, during which an incredible number of people contacted us by phone and email with their questions or suggestions. This means that we actually had to get all the engineers back into the development team and we had to re-form ourselves as a team in the vehicle development department. As soon as it was clear that we had reached the financial basis for the development of the new generation of prototypes, we were able to put our full focus on the concrete plans for 2020. A huge thank you again to all the supporters who made this possible.

“We actually had to get all the engineers back into the development team and we had to re-form ourselves as a team in the vehicle development department.”

This means that after the extension of the campaign, you had to discuss the timetable and the goals for 2020 in detail again. Did this lead to a delay in the timing of the new prototype generation? Is it possible to make a concrete prognosis there?

Correct, we have extended the campaign by four weeks. In vehicle development, the entire team was only available to us about five to six weeks later. The same applies to the budget to really start all necessary projects and kick-offs. This means that we could only start a little later than originally planned. Our goal is now to make up for this delay in the projects. But, of course, none of us can say today how long the restrictions for protection against the corona pandemic will remain in effect, and what this could mean for our plans.

The development team is now again formed and the necessary resources are available. What exactly has happened on the strategic side in the meantime?

For me, strategy always means defining goals, i.e. determining the "what" and the "why". After that we work out in detail "how" we want to achieve the set goals. Therefore, we defined appropriate measures internally and discussed them intensively with our external partners in the last weeks. Our strategy in vehicle development is based on three pillars, namely progress in virtual series development, the construction of test benches, and the next stage of prototype construction, which has already been announced.

Very exciting! Let's talk about the construction of the new prototypes right away. Can you explain how such a prototype is built? The production methods that are used for the prototype build, for example, clearly differ from the ones applied for series production, is that correct?

That is correct. One reason for this is that we only build a small number of prototypes. That means that other production methods and tools are used, for example for the trim components of the vehicles. On the other hand, the delivery times of some series tools take over 30 weeks. However, this does not mean that these prototypes differ greatly from the later series product in terms of appearance and function. Only the manufacturing method is different.

And what does this mean for the technical features of the Sion, especially the solar integration or the technology of bidirectional charging?

Every development goes through various stages of maturity and is carried out in so-called sample phases, which primarily define the software status and the production method of individual components. In our current prototypes, the vehicles that we have presented on our test drives, mostly A-samples, or concept components, have been used, i.e. components with a rather low degree of maturity. In the new generation of prototypes we can mostly look forward to B-samples. This means that the functionality, i.e. the software and the form of the components are already a great deal closer to the later series product. In the subsequent prototype generation, which we will build next year, C- and D-samples will already be used.

These prototypes are also developed with the aim of being presented to the community. But their development is also relevant from a technical point of view. Can you explain what functions they actually fulfill?

Basically, you learn an enormous amount in each phase of the vehicle development, which is why each individual phase is so important. Especially when working with the entire project team. You could describe the construction of the new prototype generation as a kind of test run. All of the departments that will also be working together on the construction of the series vehicle are involved – from purchasing to logistics, to production. Close cooperation with our prototype builder is also crucial in this phase. So we can learn above all to optimize our coordination processes, but we can also gain important insights into the integration of individual components into the overall vehicle. After all, one of the greatest challenges in vehicle construction is bringing together the various areas and components into one product; this is how this step in the production process is described.

And why is this important for your team now? Isn't the interaction of individual vehicle components already being tested on the virtual vehicle?

The biggest challenge for every vehicle manufacturer is that in the vehicle and in the vehicle system, no component, not a single part can function in any way on its own or change without affecting all other areas. The complexity, and thus the challenge, lies obviously in the interdisciplinary interaction of all vehicle areas. Of course, this can also be adequately developed and tested on the virtual vehicle. However, it is still necessary to keep track of the development status at certain points in time and validate it by building hardware, i.e. real components. Commonly named test benches are suitable for testing vehicle systems, for tests in the vehicle environment, we build prototypes.

In general, vehicle development requires increasingly flexible adaptation possibilities. We are responding to this by constantly improving our processes and, since the beginning of this year, we have switched even more strongly to an agile and lean working method. The modules in vehicle construction are grouped according to their functionality and cooperation. As project managers, we work with these groups on an interdisciplinary basis with regard to the entire vehicle in order to optimize cooperation between teams and thus, make it even more efficient.

Would you say that the way the Sion development team works is different from the way classic OEMs work?

What certainly distinguishes us is that, on one hand, we have a particularly high proportion of software development due to the integration of sharing services in vehicle development; for this reason alone, we have to work in an agile manner. On the other hand, vehicle development requires synchronization points or milestones at which all development areas reach a certain level of development simultaneously. One such milestone is, for example, the design release.

This is when the procurement of components begins. We will continue to need these synchronization points in cooperation with our partners because in the automotive world, work is still not moving quickly and easily. What we have changed for us above all is that we have switched to hybrid project management. In principle, this means that we combine the advantages of classic project management, i.e. the organization of a process in sequential successive project phases and the waterfall model, with agile working methods such as SCRUM.

Earlier you spoke of the three pillars of the next development stages. Could you explain them in more detail?

Of course. The first pillar is the virtual series development. Here, we work together with all our series partners on the construction (CAD; computer-aided design) and simulation using computer-aided engineering (CAE), or in simple terms, the virtual validation of our vehicle. The second pillar is the construction of the prototypes, which we will produce this year together with a prototype builder in order to carry out further tests. The third pillar is the construction of various test benches for the areas of powertrain, electrics and electronics (E/E), thermal and infotainment. All serial parts will be put into operation on a workbench there. The advantage of this is that we can already test the functionality and communication of the individual vehicle parts quickly and cost-effectively in the subsequent vehicle environment.

Powertrain and E/E: These terms are certainly new to a lot of people. Can you briefly explain which components will be tested there?

On the E/E Bench primarily the components from the low-voltage vehicle electrical system are tested. These are, for example, the control units of the window lifters, wipers, lights, or the eCall function. On the powertrain bench, the powertrain components are tested, for example the engine, the battery, and the bidirectional charger.

Why did we choose these four benches in the first instance?

This selection allows us to test all the important and critical systems in parallel with the virtual development directly at our site and ensure that all components interact with each other as planned. By the way, it's also a lot of fun.

I'm sure it is! Can you now give us a personal insight into the life of a developer? You have already accompanied the construction of the first prototype generation. Can you tell us what the difference is between then and now is? Back then, you were a very small team. What are you particularly looking forward to, what challenges do you expect?

What everyone is most looking forward to, and what delights every developer the most, is the phase in which that, what has been developed virtually so far, is finally put together and begins to exist physically. When I look back on the construction of our current prototypes, the greatest thing was the cooperation within the team and with the prototype builder, but also how motivated we were despite how stressful and hectic it felt. Being on-site, seeing how the vehicle is built piece by piece from the body to the installation of the solar panels and then in the assembly – that was simply indescribable. I am, again, most looking forward to seeing what we have conceived, planned, and developed standing before us in reality. And one of the absolute greatest moments for us will be when we can present the vehicles to the community.

“What delights every developer the most, is the phase in which that, what has been developed virtually so far, is finally put together and begins to exist physically.”

So you will be closely involved with the construction again?

Max: Yes, of course. This is an enormously important phase. Especially in the crucial last weeks we will be on-site non-stop to learn and document as much as possible from this phase. I am even looking forward to working through the night when the final phase is about to start, to stand there until 5 o'clock in the morning assembling the car.

What particular challenge or difficulty do you remember?

To be honest, I have only positive memories of building the first prototypes. Something we should not repeat, however: the last time, the car was completed the night before the release event. Due to small beauty corrections, we took the dashboard apart, because we thought the moss was not optimally illuminated. This caused a short circuit and at five o'clock in the morning we had to disassemble the whole instrument panel again to put in a new cable. That's when you reach your limits.

Last but not least: Maybe you can tell us how the cooperation with the suppliers and our partners we will build the new prototypes with looks like?

After the end of the campaign it was important to reactivate all partners as quickly as possible, to get new offers and to negotiate, in order to then go into the kick-offs accordingly. Our partners also followed the Community Funding Campaign closely and joined in the excitement. Now they are all trying to adjust their capacities as quickly as possible and start working with us on the project. Like last time, a prototype builder will then build the vehicle for us at their location. We will then work side by side with this partner.

There is one question I still have to ask. Who will be the partner who builds the new Sion prototype?

I knew this question was coming (smiles). Currently we are still in the final coordination rounds before we make a final decision with which partner we will join in these next steps.

So is this the cliffhanger?

This is the famous cliffhanger (laughs).