And how does the car drive? Asks Laurin Hahn after the Sion has been driven back into the Zenith Hall. The Creator looks expectantly. It is also an obvious question, because every automobile is a complicated interaction of electronics and mechanics and you can talk so much about acceleration, steering, acoustics, top speed or ease of use. And in this case, talking shop is particularly exciting for a number of reasons.
This very boxy automobile was originally conceived by people who had never studied mechanical engineering or something like that: Hahn and his friend Jona Christians as well as Navina Pernsteiner wanted to make a contribution in the fight against climate change: with an electric car that at least partially harvested its own energy , by solar cells. After graduating from high school, they screwed and soldered the first parts in a Munich garage, throwing their study plans for it.
The idea became a company in 2016, Sono Motors – and now actually a real car. 4.47 meters long and only available in one color, although one cannot really speak of color: there is a shimmering blue on the roof, the bonnet and the sides: solar panels that are placed over the cladding. In Germany, they should have an average range of 112 kilometers per week, less in winter and more in summer. In fact, the displays previously went up under the evening sun in the north of Munich, showing over a hundred watts of charging power.
Whether the car actually manages 140 kilometers per hour and has a range of around 300 kilometers, which will now be possible with a new battery, is something they don’t want to test yet: there are currently only two copies, called Salt and Pepper. You don’t want to go to the limit, not break anything, especially since everything still cracks and creaks a little, especially when steering: The chassis and the supporting structures are still largely screwed into these test objects. So take the curves very slowly, avoiding potholes on the Zenith site. But yes, the car does run, and it accelerates well, that can be answered to the founder. A success.
It was not always so clear that these two test vehicles actually came about: some time ago the start-up ran out of money and the idea was about to end. Crowdfunding then made it possible to carry on: The team collected 53 million euros from fans and investors in 50 days, one argument: Sono Motors works more transparently than few other companies, speaks and discusses not only about successes like the larger battery now, but also about problems – basically the opposite of Wirecard.
The money raised was used to bring in further specialists – including from the big Munich competitor BMW – who believe that such a car is needed: 25,500 euros, which is actually very little for such an electric car, solar-assisted, with software called Car -Sharing and ride pooling should be made simple – and with moss in the ventilation slots for a better climate and an unusual look.
150 experts have now gathered at this auto start-up. Including old hands who are enthusiastic about the tenacity of the founders, you hear that again and again, and who know that the particularly difficult months are now ahead: rectifying the last mistakes, concluding contracts with suppliers, applying for official approval and then the multi-million dollar Financing the start of series production: A contract manufacturer in Sweden is to build 40,000 Sions annually from 2023 onwards. Cooperation with MAN or the Fraunhofer Institute should meanwhile help to perfect solar technology, to install it in other vehicles and to generate further income.
And will it work? We are on the right track, says Hahn. I hope it’s us, says his technical colleague. Realism is important, both say. One thing is already clear. In the coming year, when the first pre-series models are to be manufactured, the vehicle will be 16 centimeters longer, crash safety wants it that way.