Sono Community News Blog

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#30 (EN): Countdown, Exterior, Wind Turbines

Have a nice Sunday. Just Sleep one more time, then it's the world premiere by Sono Motors.

+++ CELEBRATE +++

Tomorrow at 7:00 pm, the main event will start. For all those who can't come to Munich in person, there are two live streams for the "Sono Motors World Premiere":

19:00: Celebrate the Sun (English) - LIVE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyIDK_V8ZtU

19:45: Community Update (German) - LIVE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzp94W7SU9k

Attention, you must then quickly select the other link to join the live stream 2.

Andreas, Astrid, and I will be on-site at "Völckerstraße 5" at the "Community" booth from 16:00 and are looking forward to your visit - both before and after the live event. 

The event will take place in the north of Munich on a former railroad depot. “Wannda” is a small festival for alternative art, music, and lifestyle has spread. This is already a tradition in Munich. The community booth will be in a smaller tent that housed a carousel in its former life.

Please travel by bicycle or public transportation. Freimann stop (U6).

+++ ON SITE +++

Newsletter update: We fully agree with Sono's request for mutual responsibility!

At “Celebrate the Sun” there are basically no separate Corona rules, but due to the current situation around COVID-19, we would still ask you for the following:

Please do a quick test before arriving to be sure that you enter the area healthy. Proof is not necessary. In case of COVID-19 symptoms, we ask you to follow Celebrate the Sun safely from home via the live stream.

https://www.youtube.com/sonomotors

Feel free to volunteer to wear a mask.

The weather forecast calls for 34 degrees with sunshine throughout. So please remember important companions like sunscreen and headgear.

https://www.facebook.com/events/460099995938705


+++ VALMET AUTOMOTIVE +++

Valmet Automotive Management GmbH (not to be confused with Valmet Oyi - the paper mill!) has been in the Sonoversum news twice this week. 

Valmet Automotive made headlines as number 89 among the top 100 suppliers in the automotive industry. Congratulations on that to the Sion builders from Uusikaupunki. 

https://www.pressebox.de/pressemitteilung/valmet-automotive-management-gmbh/valmet-automotive-erstmals-unter-den-100-weltweit-groessten-automobilzuliefern/boxid/1120759

Two days later, Sono followed up with its own video and directly clarifies the correct pronunciation of Uusikaupunki as well. The video sheds light on the collaboration and shows why this time, they are sure they have found the right partner. We also learned that the Finnish word Sisu fits Sono Motors quite well - even though only Finns can really be "Sisu.” Sisu is untranslatable, meaning "determined, persistent, level-headed." 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEaCHhd5V6Q


+++ EXTERIOR TECH +++

New highlight from the "Tech-Video" series on the Sion build - #9 Exterior. All about doors, flaps, rattles, and solar integration in the "body panels".

For me, this was one of the days on-site where I learned the most myself, and there are a lot of details in the video that you never think about in normal circumstances - for example, how a side window goes on in the door. I had never seen the part of the window inside the door. Because many people are interested in the sound system, there are some close-up shots of the speakers in the doors. The front of the Sion was still covered, but the new headlights could already be seen - see for yourself:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkPWYmbY1MY



+++ SIONDRIVER +++

Ashes over my head. On SionDriver.de there was a very detailed analysis of the interior video on July 6, and I only saw that this week. So here, with all due respect - "SionDriver Reacts" - a detailed look at the interior.

https://www.siondriver.de/neue-info-videos/



+++ CARSHARING APP +++

The Sono app allows access to open communities, not just people you know. Ecomento reports on the details. 

Another update: In the app, at the "my Sion" tab, you can see your reservation date and the price you have "secured" (25,500 € for me).

https://ecomento.de/2022/07/22/sono-motors-erweitert-carsharing-dienst-um-funktion-find-a-community/



+++ VIDEO PODCAST +++

Laurin, in video call with The Buzz EV News about the Sion and solar integration. Laurin still is not revealing if and when he wants to enter the US market:

https://www.thebuzzevnews.com/solar-ev-sono-motors-ceo/

+++ FUN FACT +++

As an e-car driver or fan, you have to deal with ever-changing conspiracy theories for many years. The summer trend 2022 is the theory that wind turbines are taking so much energy from the wind that the current drought is the result.

The evidence is based on a paragraph in a study that states hat the "average specific rated output" of wind turbines has dropped by as much as 30% in the last 10 years. This, they say, is evidence that we are practically past the peak of possible installation of wind turbines. They take away all wind enery.

Fortunately, no. The way to trick you here is “rated power”. That's the range in which an electric engine is operatig most efficiently, be it as a motor or generator. In the past, wind turbines were built larger and larger, with more power. However, this meant that the turbines did not operate for many hours in their optimum range.

Wind turbines with a low specific rated power are able to generate electricity even at low wind speeds. Lower rated power is not necessarily bad, it means a better understanding of how much material to use for maximum efficiency. As with the Sion. The bigger an e-car battery is, the more miles you have to drive with it until it's worth the effort to produce it. 

You can verify his in the study that is often linked in this conspiracy context: Page 10 states “Rated power goes down” - but on page 19 you can see that the yield goes up, and also the times the turbines operate at their peak performance. It does not always have to be more to be more efficient.

https://www.windguard.de/veroeffentlichungen.html?file=files/cto_layout/img/unternehmen/veroeffentlichungen/2020/Volllaststunden%20von%20Windenergieanlagen%20an%20Land%202020.pdf

Stay healthy, have a nice week - and maybe see you on Monday.

Sebastian, Astrid, Andreas.