Sono Motors Unveils Final Design of Solar-Electric Passenger Car And Solar Bus Kit Details

Munich-based Sono Motors has revealed its solar electric vehicle (SEV), the Sion, in its production design, and has unveiled the ‘Solar Bus Kit’, a B2B retrofit solution that reduces fuel consumption and inner-city greenhouse gas emissions.

The Sion’s revamped exterior design includes new headlights and rear lights, a new bottom sideline design, new door handles, a streamlined rear with new camera and 3D lines, and a new charging lid. 

The outer shell of the family-friendly Sion will consist of 456 seamlessly integrated solar half-cells and will enable self-sufficiency on short journeys.

The energy generated by the solar cells is expected to extend the estimated 305 km range of the Sion’s 54 kWh LFP battery by an average of 112 km (up to 245 km) per week. 

Sono Motors is currently building its fleet of series-validation vehicles in Munich close to the company’s HQ, ushering in the Sion’s testing program, which has already commenced. 

Laurin Hahn, co-founder and CEO of Sono Motors, says: “We are tremendously excited for Sono Motors’ journey towards providing clean, affordable, and accessible solar transportation for the masses. The premieres of the Sion in its production design and the ‘Solar Bus Kit’ represent a giant leap forward in realizing our vision for a sustainable world, furthering our mission to reduce carbon emissions.”

Hahn adds: “Production of our series-validation fleet and presenting the Sion in its production design is a further step towards delivering on our promise of an affordable solar-electric passenger vehicle. In addition, business diversification through the establishment of our B2B solar business as a strategic pillar helps us to achieve our key targets. We are scaling up our Sono Solar business with our new ‘Solar Bus Kit’ and have successfully increased our B2B customer base.”

Sono’s Solar Bus Kit is a solution, optimised for the most common 12-meter public transport bus types on the European market, including Mercedes-Benz Citaro and MAN Lion City.

Sono will offer a complete and efficient retrofit solution for bus fleet operators who have a need to reduce diesel consumption and CO2 emissions to meet their sustainability goals.

Jona Christians, co-founder and CEO of Sono Motors, comments: “We’re proud to celebrate the unveiling of our novel solar product, the ‘Solar Bus Kit’, which will truly push our mission of making every vehicle a solar vehicle to the next level. The all-new Solar Bus Kit allows us to strengthen our solar business by maximizing the scalability of our technology to a huge market: the public and private bus fleet sector. It also represents a milestone on our path toward a world without fossil fuels.”

Sono Motors has over 19,000 reservations with advance down-payments for the Sion as of 1 July 2022.