Sono Sion: The world's first solar electric vehicle

In 2017, Munich, Germany-based startup Sono Motors launched the world's first solar electric vehicle, Sono Sion. Recently, the company announced that the Sion solar electric vehicle will be put into production in the second half of 2023 and will be manufactured by Valmet Automotive of Finland.

According to motor1's report yesterday, as of September 1 this year, the car's bookings have exceeded 20,000 units, with an average booking price of 2,000 euros. Sono Motors' official website shows that the current deposit for the Sion solar electric car is 500 euros and the price is 29,900 euros. After completing the ramp-up in capacity, Sono plans to produce about 257,000 Sion vehicles over seven years.

According to reports, the Sion solar electric vehicle is equipped with solar panels on almost every plane, including the hood, roof, fenders and trunk. However, considering the cost of the vehicle after an accident, the front face of the car is not equipped with solar panels. Sono officials say that the car has a total of 456 solar cells and can provide about 112 kilometers of range per week, but if the weather is better, this number may double.

In addition to the solar panels, the Sion solar electric vehicle also has a 54 kWh battery pack with a WLTP range of 305 kilometers. The battery is capped at 75 kW and features bi-directional charging that turns the car into a mobile power station with an output of 2.7 kW. In terms of power, the Sion solar electric vehicle is equipped with a 120 kW motor with a maximum torque of 270 N m.