#29 (EN): Wannda Circus, Battery Video, Midnight Oil
Have a great Sunday! Eight more days, one more blog post until the live event 2022 of Sono in Munich!
+++ LIVE EVENT 25.07. +++
Many are wondering what exactly will happen on the 25th of July - and whether it's worth traveling to Munich - given the fact that the Octoberfest has not yet started.
We have collected what you can read from the different sources:
In general, a milestone is celebrated, and the assumption is, of course, that the first "SVC3/ SV"-vehicles are ready.
Starting at 4 p.m., you can go to the "Wannda Circus grounds" - by the way, one of the "event locations" that Laurin's brother has established in Munich. https://wannda.de/
We (Sebastian, Astrid, Andreas) will be there from 16.00 and are looking forward to meeting some of you there. We'll be there with cell phones and enough cellular data to report to everyone at home live from the site.
According to the newsletter, there's an agenda item called "Premiere" at 7 pm. And the text talks about the development of the company Sono Motors and the Sion.
Admission to the site is free; vegan food and drinks, etc. all pay for themselves. Registration is required, the site is large, but the number of tickets is still limited, so please register:
https://www.eventbrite.de/e/celebrate-the-sun-tickets-353823524687
"Celebrate The Sun" page on the Sono homepage.
https://sonomotors.com/de/events/
+++ BLADE +++
The battery is a highlight of the "tech video series.” It is the core and the most expensive part of the Sion.
In the F1 Filing of the IPO, it was already stated that FinDreams - the battery subsidiary of BYD (Build Your Dreams), would supply the battery. Now it is also out that it is indeed the much praised "Blade Battery.” The cells are not round but elongated, like swords, hence the name.
The Blade Battery is said to be inexpensive, very durable, and extremely safe; even a hammered nail will not cause a fire.
https://evreporter.com/byd-blade-battery-what-makes-it-ultra-safe/
Even Tesla will be purchasing blade cells from BYD in the future.
In the Sion, the battery it is bolted under the chassis with 14 screws (M12). The long LFP blade cells are really good and can withstand so many charging cycles - it might well outlive the rest of the Sion. The internet assumes 900,000 to 1.2 million kilometers or 3,000 charging cycles on a single pack.
Sono calculates 8,000 operating hours for driving (which can be equated to 150,000 km) and 30,000 hours for V2X charging (for comparison: VW plans a maximum of 4,000 hours of bidirectional charging for the ID.5).So there is nothing to stop it being used as a home storage system from a battery perspective.
Replaceable is only the entire battery, not individual cells or blades, which is a pity at first. I have asked. Replacing individual blades probably makes little sense with LFP, because the cells age quite evenly. And if you mix 10 year old blades with brand new ones, the load is very different and you have to replace the next one soon. Therefore, the plan is to use the old complete packs as Second Life storage (perhaps: to take them in payment) and then have them available centrally for recycling.
Funfact is that the battery was delivered in single parts for faster transport and getting through customs. For the SVV, the batteries were assembled at Bertrandt in Stuttgart with manufacturer support. In the video, a lot is explained and the view into such a battery, you rarely have.
In spite of all the enthusiasm, there is also a bitter pill to swallow: CTO Markus prepares us for the fact that everything will be in place on the hardware side for bidirectional charging at SOP, but the software will only be delivered over the air as an update. There are some details in the video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4LOSvJYMig
+++ INTERIOR PART 2 +++
Many have asked where the video "interior part 2" is. I don't know, it's already shot. Maybe there is something in it that is still to be officially unveiled, like the _/_/. The battery is surely more important.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIDBtWivyfrCZZpJO15IOAN8TV0P50brT
+++ VALOE +++
Sono and Valoe (partner for solar integration according to Sono specifications) intensify their cooperation. For Valoe this is newsworthy, for Sono, not (yet). One million euros “success fee” for Valoe if the validation phase is successfully completed by December.
+++ DUCKLING +++
Already four weeks ago an analyst named Stock Ente (“Shares Duckling”) dealt with Sono Motors. A factual summary of what is currently happening on the stock market and an overview of the stock market performance so far. He personally believes that Sono has money left for two years with the funds currently available. We know Sono needs more to start producing in 2023, no secret.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Li15w2Job5o
The shareholder brought Thursday a renewed analysis including some interpretations due to the Valoe report that we already have in the group. Not quite correct, the all-time low. At the time of writing, we understand that this was significantly earlier at 2.46 euros, but they continue to be cautious with recommendations, which is understandable not least because of the difficult market environment. This is not new, but they continue to monitor Sono. Thus ok.
+++ LEFT AND RIGHT +++
Discussion on the ID series and bidirectional charging: The "Chip" has discovered a screenshot in a test ID5 - according to this VW only allows 10,000 kWh of "buffer power", after which bi-directional charging is disabled. This is understandable from the manufacturer's point of view - to achieve the eight-year warranty in any case - from the customer's point of view, of course, absurd. Chip calculates that every kilowatt hour stored in the ID5 costs at least 40 cents just for storing. An icy wind is blowing through the Elli business plan here, which also wants to earn money from it.
The example shows impressively that there is only one sensible solution for Bidi: use the inverter in the car instead of an expensive wallbox - and LFP batteries in the vehicle, which can withstand significantly more charging cycles than the nickel-manganese-cobalt cells in the ID.
The good thing is, that the standard (ISO 15118-20) provides for both solutions, AC and DC. So we are not running into a situation where someone can rush ahead and create a standard that way. Team AC is also forming, Renault is on it, Hyundai, Lucid, and of course Sono.
+++ THOUGHTFUL +++
After BMW lost interest in e-mobility after the i3, many from BMW's Project i joined Herbert Diess at VW - or Carsten Breitfeld at Byton. It was no coincidence that the Byton has many design elements from the i3 and i8.
Yesterday I stumbled across an old interview with a TU Munich professor from 2018. "I don't want to say many words about Sono Motors. It's not a serious project for me. Byton, on the other hand, with its billions in investor money, could "also put something neat on the wheels with it."
Byton is now history. Failed by its own ambition. Sono has worked very hard since 2018 and has done its homework. The SVC3 is the result, and with Valmet, a partner is ready who not only can build the car, but also wants to build it. I talked to some friends that used to work for Byton, and it seems to me poSono is now - in terms of development - further advanced than Byton has ever been.
Celebrating the launch of the SVC3 is important. So many people have worked towards getting the Sion to this stage. The celebration is honestly deserved. It's also a celebration for the reservists who have supported the mission through good times and bad.
After the celebration, we enter the final phase of Sion development. Scaling. This will be another big challenge; a lot of money will be needed. I am glad to have Valmet as a partner at the side. We have transparently refuted the Prof's first doubts with the tech videos. The Sion has become a serious project - unlike maybe 2018.
After the 25th, it is now a matter of overcoming the last hurdle and securing the start of series production, technically and financially. It won't be easy, a lot can go wrong. But the vision is there, the team is great - also thanks to the criticism. Criticism is the midnight oil, it keeps the team working at night.
https://ecomento.de/2018/06/26/tu-professor-sieht-keine-technologische-alternative-zu-elektroautos/
+++ FUN FACT +++
For the IPO, Sono produced a "Ring The Bell" video, briefly summarizing the Sono company story. The director of that video has now put on a small "Making Of" video on Vimeo - footage from the shoot in the Eisbach studios. 2:30 minutes. There are also a few explanations about the lighting technology used.
Have a nice week. Stay healthy.
Sebastian, Asti & Andreas.