#35 (EN): Glass, Sheet Metal, Polymer, Solar Integration
Have a nice Sunday. Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg are always the last in the school vacations, heavily discussed for years. The column is therefore created in Croatia on the beach - once again. This time we arrived with only two charging stops of 20 minutes each and still 60% in the battery, you learn.
+++ TECH VIDEO +++
Sono called again: there was once again the opportunity to drop by Bertrandt. Since I'm on vacation, Max from Sonos had to step in and guided through the questions. Link to the video will follow.
The development status page on the Sono homepage has been revised, the tech videos are now linked to the appropriate topics. So to speak "Content Carry Over Parts".
https://sonomotors.com/de/state-of-development/
+++ EVALUATION Bidirectional Charging +++
Thanks again to everyone who answered the questionnaire on bidirectional charging. As promised, I have prepared and published the results, link at the end. The sample solution is now being built from the info. Findings so far:
What is desired?
- Autarky from the grid
- maximize self-consumption
- Security in the power supply for house and yard
Finding: without a flexible home energy system (HEMS), it doesn't make sense for most power users. However, few have one. Here there is a great need for education, in times of rising energy prices such a system makes more and more sense. The nice thing is, we can still design.
SMA and Fronius for inverters are practically set, many have that. And other components must be able to be connected via open interfaces.
In the comments, there are many very good approaches to measure the CO2 footprint and energy consumption - and then also to reduce it.
Here is the first summary (german only)
https://www.sono.community/bidi-umfrage-2022
+++ RUPERTS ROOFS +++
Listening tip, with mention of Sono as a respectable market companion:
"Podcast: Rupert Kogler, how often do electric cars with solar roofs still need to charge?"
Talking with Rupert from Webasto in Munich, the different approaches to solar integration are mentioned. Listen to it, Carsten has also already summarized some points for us under his post on Facebook.
Webasto can offer a solar sunroof as they work with glass/glass. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 already has Webasto technology installed, as does the solar roof from the Kia. Another one is still to come in 2022. Asti suspects that it is the roof of the Fisker. Lightyear works with sheet metal/glass and Sono with polymer compounds says Rupert.
Earlier solar roofs only provided power to loads and used it to ventilate/cool the car, for example. Today's roofs feed the HV battery, providing free range.
Interesting is his insight that solar has to be thought of from the beginning in the electrical integration in the vehicle - at least in the electronics, in the best case in the whole vehicle design. This is also the reason why Sono can only make reliable statements about the solar yield at a relatively late stage. Even Webasto remains vague. From the interview, we hear respect for Sono's disruptive approach.
It is exciting to hear that solar cells from space research with even higher efficiency could be used in the future (30%). In addition, Rupert mentions further possibilities to use solar cells, e.g. as ceiling heating, which is considered very efficient due to the radiant heat.
Rupert is still cautious about larger vehicles, because more solar yields also mean higher safety requirements. From Sono and the Sprint reports we know how difficult the hood alone is and the pedestrian protection, with glass/glass actually an impossible undertaking - and one of the reasons why no one has it yet.
+++ NEW PICTURES +++
There are some detail photos of the lettering on the headlights, door handles and A-pillar. The sayings on the door handle ("Made to be Shared", "Built to be Shared") have generated some discussion. The rest is so dark in the pictures that it's hard to make out anything.Maybe the social media team should be let out of the basement into the light for a minute....
Pictures in close-up
https://twitter.com/SonoMotors/status/1561716200933138432
Pictures of the trunk are also available, but not much to see:
https://twitter.com/SonoMotors/status/1562474894872674304
+++ NEXTMOVE +++
The video blog of the carsharing company "Nextmove" is back and had already last week Friday Sono as a topic in the broadcast.
Here beside the Celebrate event again on the planned 3-phase current output with 11 kW and the DC converter installed in the car (in contrast to VW which banish that from the car) reference is made.
At minute nine we start with the summary of Sono.
No less exciting is the news after that: the Model Y entry-level model will get BYD's Blade battery in the 55 kWh configuration starting this summer, pictures can be seen. Just like the Sion!
So the new Model Y and the Sion have the same size battery, so much for whether the 54kWh of the Sion are still "contemporary" or not.
+++ PRESS ECHO +++
The funny thing about vacationing abroad is that you get the Google hits and ads in local language. Sono is also a topic in Krotatia, "Jutarnji" (which means "morning magazine") reports about the Celebrate event and writes:
The secret of efficient solar charging with over 200 km per week by the sun is that this not-so-nice car is covered with solar cells. It all sounds a bit strange and too good to be true. In a year and a half at the latest, we'll find out if Sono Motors is really a serious player.
+++ FUN FACT +++
Many cars with "character" have quirks that have divided minds. The Sion is sure to be one of those character cars, and not just because of solar and moss.
"Automobile Annoyances" is a nice series on Youtube about design flaws and peculiarities of the last 50 years in automotive engineering. For example, over 40 years ago VW had a "stop and go" engine shutoff at traffic lights, at that time using a separate button to turn it off. And everyone was worried about pressing this and whether the engine would start again.
Seat belt buckles were not standardized, no one knew where the button was to release them again. Head restraints were not yet standard when the seat belt system was made compulsory, and those who had saved money here had to nod involuntarily at every braking maneuver.
One Ford model had a hole in the glove compartment if you hadn't ordered the air conditioning. And when braking, the contents slipped through the hole onto the road.
And even back then there were solutions (today "life hacks") that were worked out by the community, like the" self-acting backlash compensating splined shaft connector (in the 1981 video)" as a solution for a part that was replaced every 15,000 km.
The Sion is also sure to have idiosyncrasies, as the platform is newly developed and the "shakedown team" won't find everything. Maybe we will find it already during the test drives. But somehow I'm looking forward to it - to the little peculiarities. And to our solutions.
Automobile annoyances 1979 ff (german)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjPuXtQ8JXM
Stay healthy.
Sebastian and Astrid