#34: Evergrande & NEVS, VLOGs & Tuscany (EN)
Ciao, greetings from Tuscany in Bella Italia. I’m on vacation, but the news never stop, so here we go:
+++ SION ON TOUR +++
The Sion tour has arrived in the north of Germany. Pictures from Hamburg show the Sion in front of the famous silhouette in the Port of Hamburg. Currently, the tour is in Berlin - before the final stop in Leipzig.
https://twitter.com/SonoMotors/status/1428356992796565507
As always, when the Sion comes into town, there are mentions in the local press. The "Abendblatt" reports quite humble: "Car with solar power and Weltmeister chassis soon in Hamburg. "Weltmeister" refers to the fact that racing champion Nico Rosberg is involved in the fine-tuning.
+++ EVERGRANDE +++
We had new news two weeks ago: Evergrande, the parent company of Sono Motors contract manufacturer NEVS, is not so grande anymore. Now the cost club strikes, half of the workforce in Trollhättan has to go - over 300 people.
As long as those who work on the Sion are not laid off in Sweden, the effects are limited. But, of course, you have to monitor recent events closely and prepare for alternatives if things get worse. But it's not that far yet. So at the moment, we can say: better now than in a year.
https://www.elektroauto-news.net/2021/haben-sion -sono-motors-vor-dem-aus-weg-evergrande
There is also some hope: NEVS could use the crisis to restructure into a modern car manufacturer. Chances and risks, close together.
+++ OFFICIAL REPLY +++
Christian, Sono's spokesperson, clarifies: “The production of Sono Motors Sion has not been affected by the restructuring of our partner NEVS. The preparations for the production facilities for the pre-series production in 2022 and the Sion series production in the first half of 2023 are proceeding according to plan ”.
https://twitter.com/christiangue/status/1428996082571300877
+++ OPINION PIECE +++
A few background facts about China and the automotive market: the parent company of NEVS - "Evergrande Auto" - is one of the most valuable automakers in China. Why? Because China is still a planned economy, and Evergrande is one of the companies that hold all the necessary licenses to be active as an e-car manufacturer in China and worldwide. That alone has immense value.
Companies like Nio, Xpeng, and Xiaomi have already expressed their interest; I would also add Alibaba and Huawei to the list. The cooperation between NEVS and Sono began when Kai Johan Jiang was still at the helm of NEVS, and the real estate company Evergrande only took over the operation later. Another change of ownership of NEVS does not have to mean stopping all activities. On the contrary.
+++ HIGH PROFILE +++
There is a high profile live stream on September 10, 2021, at 7 p.m., from the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs - as part of the IAA in Munich:
Speakers: Hubert “Hendl in your hand” Aiwanger, Jutta Kleinschmidt (rally driver), Marianne Janik (Microsoft) and Laurin from Sono Motors.
The registration for the live stream is somehow not possible, but it could be because I'm currently in Italy. Just in case anyone wonders why Microsoft is there: Microsoft is stepping on the gas with their Azure Automotive Cloud and all major European car manufacturers in Munich are working with them. For VIP customers there is even an "Executive Lounge" in Munich with a showroom for machine learning on the 4th floor.
https://www.bayreuth.ihk.de/system/vst/4214258?id=369056&terminId=631643
+++ TV TIP +++
"plan b: Something's going on, Germany!" is airing a new episode: Who makes my environmental sins climate-friendly?
Spoiler alert: A fuel-guzzling car, more clothes than necessary in the closet, and technical devices that consume a lot of electricity: we all commit environmental sins. But there are alternatives. "plan b" reporter Antonia Lilly Schanze has the opportunity to test drive the Sion in Berlin - together with actress Nora Tschirner, who has been a fan from the start.
Saturday, September 4, 2021, 5:35 p.m., ZDF
from Saturday, August 21, 2021, 10 a.m., in the ZDFmediathek
https://presseportal.zdf.de/pressemappen/mappe/haben/Special/plan-b/
+++ JOBS +++
More than 200 employees at Sono is really something. There is a lot going on. Two more new interesting jobs are available in the Sono Solar Group:
Integration Engineer Battery & Solar
Development Engineer Solar Integration
https://sonomotors.com/en/career/job/?id=98455
+++ VLOG and more +++
More video snippets from Cologne and Mainz - and very basic information about bidirectional charging:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkjAPPRUyUc&feature=youtu.be
The "163 Grad". TV team also reports on the Sion in front of a Hamburg backdrop, including some details from the interior:
https://www.youtube.com/watch ? v = uKQnHHvk3fM & feature = youtu.be
Blogger "Nino" from BuzzingDANZEI was on the test drive, and reports from the "Hilden charging park":
+++ FUN FACT +++
DON'T DO IT! The further you drive an e-car to the south of Europe, the further away from norms and standards for electrical installations. For example, in Tuscany (Italy), the red power socket with 11kW has four pins instead of five like a standard three-phase plug. Who needs a neutral wire at the winepress anyway?
All of the "mobile chargers" refuse to charge without a neutral pin for safety reasons. Over-engineered chicken stuff….
The electrical engineer helps himself. A normal socket and blue camping plug both have a neutral pin (one of the two pins, either left or right) - so you take it and merge it with the four others of the winepress. Result: you can assemble a five-pole CEE with 11 kW.
The chance of frying everything is 50% if you tap the wrong pin from the regular power plug. With a measuring device, you can increase your chances of success to 100%. However, the construction then only applies to precisely this one installation measured by the installation. Great joy when it works. Charging speeds of 60km/h are sufficient at the holiday apartment (that and 35 miles per hour for the imperial unit folks).
There are no building instructions but a photo in the comments for a reason. Electricity is dangerous. In this case, the water pipe was close by, very close by. So don’t do it. But the plan worked out. That's all that counts.
Stay healthy.