How the Sono solar panels work
a few bright cones put down for direction – this car isn’t road-legal – you still get a good sense of the solar EV’s make-up. It may only have average build quality and panel gaps that need resolution, but that’s typical of an early prototype. It accelerates in reasonable EV fashion – Sono says 0-62mph takes 9.0 seconds – and it definitely does so with more oomph than a Citroen Ami, if less rapidly and assuredly than a
BMW i3. Manoeuvring via what looks like an offthe-shelf steering wheel is okay, but the turning circle is wide. Braking levels were fine at the low speeds tested, but high speeds were not safe to try in Sono HQ’s compact grounds. However, a top speed of 87mph is listed, with 163hp on tap from the electric motor via a single-speed transmission.
The prototype’s interior, while commendably using recycled plastic on the dash, feels a little grey and oldschool. It’s a big cabin, though, with room for up to three child seats and a 650-litre boot that rises to 1,200 litres with rear seats folded (plus an extra front boot, too).
Despite the smart 11-inch colour infotainment screen, the stand-out cabin feature is arguably the air-con system, where living moss is used as part of the air filtration. Its bright green but natural cloud-like structure is displayed under a clear panel running across the dash and will feature in the production version, although Sono’s interior designer when we visited (who’s just joined BMW) told us the moss might have to be processed with a few chemicals to stop it going mouldy. Still, it’s a distinctive detail – and could well be a unique feature for a production car.
The 2022 production-ready model was revealed in July and looks to have considerably improved the quality and design of the prototype we drove, despite having the same basic spec. Exterior changes include new front and rear lights plus cleaner surfaces. There is a new steering wheel and a different seat design front and back inside.
Sono had earmarked 2022 to start production at the ex-Saab NEVS facility, but has now shifted this to Finland’s Valmet Automotive in 2023. The firm is also slated to make vehicles for another solar car brand, Lightyear (see page 21), and is already a well established supplier and contractmanufacturer, making the Mercedes A-Class and GLC. If all goes to plan, it aims to produce more than 250,000 Sion cars over seven years.
But Sono won’t be just relying on Sion sales to pay the rent. As important to its business plan is diversification into other transport sectors. It recently launched a ‘Solar Bus Kit’ optimised for the most common 12-metre public transport buses in Europe, including MAN and Mercedes, and offers a complete retrofit solution for fleet operators by adding about eight square metres of solar panels that are able to partially power the large air-con needs of such vehicles.
Sono claims the kit can save 1,500 litres of diesel and up to four tonnes of CO2 per bus, per year. Nineteen companies have already signed up and Sono suggests a return on its investment in three to four years.
The company has also launched an app, which aims to let German owners rent out their Sions – like a cross between Airbnb and Zipcar – to utilise them fully. Customers set the rental prices and gain income from the deal, while Sono takes a 20 per cent fee for each transaction.
All of which makes Sono seem more credible than many EV startups, which often tout expensive, small-run and limited-use EVs. Unfortunately, in spite of recent recordbreaking sunshine, there are there are no plans for a right-hand-drive version of the Sion here in the UK.
In the next few years we’ll just have to watch the firm’s plan unfold from afar, but Sono and other solar-powered transport startups could finally be a useful partial solution to the currently low number of European charging points and the pressure that increasing numbers of regular electric vehicles on the road will add to the power grid.
Succeed or fail, it feels like Sono’s staff have their hearts in the right place, as chief operating officer and auto industry veteran Thomas Hausch concludes: “I’m dumbfounded by the clarity of Sono’s vision, and when I retire I want to be able to justify my career to my kids.”
“I’m dumbfounded by the clarity of Sono’s vision, and when I retire I want to be able to justify my career to my kids”
THOMAS HAUSCH Sono COO
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Sono claims up to 70 miles a week can be added to the Sion’s 190-mile range thanks to the solar panels, which can also be fitted to commercial vehicles (below)