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#25: SCCM, Functional Safety, IAA 2021 (EN)

Little Sono News #25. Nearly half of 2021 has already passed. Time flies. This week, a lot of news on Sono Motors accumulated in my Dropbox, so we dive right in: 

+++ DEVELOPMENT +++

What interests us most is whether the Sion development is on schedule, so the Sion 2023 on the road is coming. The last sprint report from development was published a little later, so let's take a particularly close look at whether that might have a reason or just stressful deadlines. 

https://sonomotors.com/site/assets/files/6256/sono-motors-dev-sprint-review-cw20-21-1.pdf

The first piece to notice is that the SVC2 page is missing. The last report stated, "SVC2.2 hand over to market: 11.05.2021 - DONE". The SVC2 is now on a press tour in Berlin and Munich. So it makes sense to focus on the next iteration and remove the SVC2 page.

The first page of the report is concise:

"Highlight: DVP follow-ups, Blocker: Revision F release delay". 

"DVP follow-ups" is the advisory language for "we have continued to work through the Design Validation Plan, but nothing tangible to show". The blocker is a bit cryptic: what is revision F and why is it delayed? Further back there is a reference to a "body style F.1". Apparently there are again minor adjustments to the external appearance. In autumn, everything has to be lashed down, final and final, and small adjustments can still be made. 

There are also other interesting references:

  • "Charger Lid Development progresses well". The huge loading flap - the "ironing board" - will probably be redesigned at the front. That makes perfect sense, the thing is just a snow and ice catcher and much too big and the mechanics too filigree.

  • "SVC3 CAD Upload Problems". This is also my standard excuse when I'm not finished, "I couldn't upload the file" :-)

  • Antenna for the radio: a better position is sought to improve reception.

  • There is a new preliminary design for the axle, 2.5 kg instead of 5 kg, a significant weight saving. The word "temporarily" worries me a little here.

  • "SCCM issue not solved". SCCM is the communication with the steering wheel. If you follow the pictures, the steering wheel in the Sion is more on the simpler side: steering, airbag and horn - that's it. I recently drove the new electric EQA from Mercedes, the steering wheel combines all the operating concepts of the last 40 years, but does not save any: rocker buttons, rotary wheels and buttons, more touch fields than a Playstation controller. You get SCCM problems just looking at it. I'm sure the steering wheel problem with the Sion is solvable, whatever it is.

+++ LEFT AND RIGHT +++

The Sion should get Android Automotive and "Android Auto" and "CarPlay" - so you can mirror your mobile phone in the Sion's display - and use optimized mobile phone apps in the vehicle. Suppose you want to know how it feels. In that case, you can watch the latest video from BMW from the "Coal Bunker Munich" (exactly where Sono was): the new fully electric clearing armor from Munich (BMW iX, an "SAV", Sports Activity Vehicle ) relies on Google navigation from the mobile phone and voice control with "Hey Google". BMW only launched its in-house "Hey BMW" voice control system a year ago. Already over again.

It shows one thing: you no longer need a team of 5,000 developers to bring modern services to the car. Regardless of whether SEV (Solar Electric Vehicle) or SAV, they all have the same apps to find charging stations, avoid traffic jams and pay for parking tickets. Hopefully one more app in the SEV for sharing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlIOyNvBaeQ&t=52s

+++ EASY MILE +++

Solar cells with a total output of around 1-1.5 kWp could be installed on the fully electric "People Mover" EZ10 from EasyMile, similar to the Sion and an estimated 3-5 kWh yield. Easy Mile now wants to know the bottom line with Sono technology actually arrives in the battery. A prototype is to be built to answer the question:

https://sonomotors.com/de/blog/an-easymile-to-explore-an-update-on-the-ongoing-shuttle-prototype-cooperation/

+ ++ JOBS +++

A new job: the "Functional Safety Engineer" defines functional safety requirements on a technical level and supervises the implementation.

https://sonomotors.jobs.personio.de/job/371817

+++ DATES +++

Test drives for the press in Berlin at the "Motorwerk" from June 21 to June 23. Unfortunately, the mail was probably only sent to Berliners; all appointments are already gone.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/625212687869456/permalink/1666403240417057/

There was already a press event in Munich. The content is still secret, but if Sono itself posts pictures on Instagram, these are certainly no secret. Todays teaser image is a compilation of these images

https://www.instagram.com/p/CQQ5jQenO1n/

+++ BIDI WITH Quaschning AND Laudeley +++

In a long but overall informative and critical video, Professor Volker Quaschning and Holger Laudeley discuss the necessary energy revolution. Starting at minute 30 onwards, the trio elaborates on the benefits of bidirectional charging. The Sion is briefly mentioned at minute 35. The two energy experts are interviewed by Dennis Witthus. 

https://youtu.be/ob63wlUOBkA

+++ IAA 2021 +++

The IAA will take place in Munich from September 7 to 12th. The exhibitor directory is not yet online, so it is not yet possible to say anything precisely. But there is already a nice report on solar electric cars avaliable on the IAA website; the Sion is included with lots of pictures and text:

https://www.iaa.de/de/mobility/besucher/iaa-erleben/trends -themes / with-the-power-of-the-sun

+++ ON YOUR EARS +++

Episode 19 in the ADAC Podcast from June 16: In the current episode, Alexander Schnaars talks to Laurin Hahn about the advantages of a solar-powered electric car, climate change as a motivation for sustainable car construction, and how it all started in a garage.

https://www.adac.de/der-adac/verein/corporate-news/podcast/

+++ FUN FACT +++

VOX writes: "The Zion is powered by solar cells." Of course, no solar park will be built on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem - although there should be enough sun. The VOX editors consistently misspelled the name “Sion”, on the web, in Teletext - everywhere.

https://www.vox.de/videos/der-zion-wird-mit-solarzellen-betriebe-60c369cd9c019045435aa972.html

If someone missed the post on VOX last Sunday, here is the link. The article can be found in chapter 2 (you can switch from 1 to 3).

https://www.tvnow.de/shows/auto-mobil-174/2021-06