#41 (EN): Mojo, Bosch Car Service, ARI Motors Coop
Have a nice Sunday. Autumn is coming, now it’s time to finalize the issues that are planned for this year.
+++ NEWS FROM DEVELOPMENT +++
The slide set from the development update on Youtube is now available as a PDF.
https://sonomotors.com/site/assets/files/7242/sono-motors-development-update-en.pdf
On Twitter, someone looked very closely and asked if the small picture on page 7 ("GEN III / 2022") shows the production Sion with the latest changes?
https://twitter.com/SonoMotors/status/1446464724858703916/photo/1
+++ MOJO +++
Some reservationists find the current Sion "boring". It lacks the edgy charm of the first prototypes, the fully folding front seats, the interior power outlet, the eye-catching solar integration. Has Sono lost its "mojo"?
On the way to series production, many things become "standard" due to regulations. The transparent roof with the embedded solar cells is one example. The Sion only made it this far in the first place because a lot of things were thought out differently - and of course the task is to "save" as much of that as possible for series production. Maybe we've just gotten so used to the new things that are coming (solar, bidi charging, price/performance, sharing) that we're mourning the other things a bit. We certainly don't need a flower vase like the one on the Beetle, we have the air filtration moss for that. But maybe something can be done on top.
Last week, McKinsey published an interesting PDF on the subject of what will change in the car market from 2025 to 2030. Much of this is familiar from the Sion perspective:
online sales of cars
cost-optimized e-car platforms
new businesses with software functions such as sharing
the battery as electricity storage for renewable energies.
Check, check, check for the Sion. Unfortunately McKinsey has retracted the document , so I can only give the link and hope it comes back
The internet doesn't forget anything, the PDF has already been captured for your viewing pleasure:
+++ RUMOR: BOSCH CAR SERVICE? +++
The” Süddeutsche Zeitung” (well known German newspaper) also adds an article about Sono and the "IAA Open House". Nothing new in it, the last sentence sounds interesting: "Bosch services and independent workshops are planned as service partners".
So far, the service partner has not been revealed. Bosch Car Service has always been in the rumor mill, after all. It wouldn't be bad, 15,000 bases exist and for some time now they've also been doing high-voltage storage work. And the mindset also fits well with Sono Motors.
https://www.sueddeutsche.de/auto/sono-motors-elektromobilitaet-start-up-1.5426262
+++ SONO SOLAR: ARI MOTORS AND WALLABY +++
Sono Solar is developing solar integration and pushing for marketing the technology as a second pillar. Some familiar names have already been acquired, new to the mix is "ARI Motors", a micro-delivery vehicle that aims to get 20-48 km of range per day from 450 W of solar and Sono technology. There was a demo setup at the intersolar booth in Munich. Andreas and I were there for a short time, today's cover picture is from there.
And also on water there are the first plans for Sono technology: Wallaby Boats, a startup for boats with "suspension" for transport to wind turbines, for example, has also expressed interest and is already working on the electrical integration of the technology.
https://www.elektroauto-news.net/2021/ari-motors-e-fahrzeug-prototyp-solar-integration-sono-motors
+++ SONO DIGITAL: SPRINT REPORT +++
Sono's app is due out in 2022, and they are nearing completion. New addition:
Trip log
Cancel reservations in sharing
https://twitter.com/SonoMotors/status/1446401020620333079
+++ AUTOMOBILWOCHE +++
At the Automobilwoche Congress in early November, the Who's Who of the automotive industry will be speaking. And Laurin. The lineup is quite impressive, among others
Oliver Blume, Chairman of the Board, Porsche
Ola Källenius, Chairman of the Board, Daimler
Laurin Hahn, CEO and Founder, Sono Motors with the topic "The next generation EV does more".
If you want to hear something from BMW you have to arrive the day before, you won't get the info on the working floor but only over appetizers and cocktails:
Cocktail reception and gala dinner at the Reithaus in Ludwigsburg - Manfred Schoch, Chairman Euro and General Works Council, BMW.
https://www.automobilwoche-kongress.de
+++ PROMO TRAILER +++
"The Sion - Your next family member" is the name of a new 54 second promo video for the Sion.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=782NBMHP6vM
+++ REACH RECORD +++
The FullyCharged report on Sono has currently surpassed the 167,000 views mark, putting it in the top 3 most viewed Sono Sion YouTube videos of all time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5LKU6bWScc
+++ JOBS +++
Three new jobs are up for grabs in the Waldmeisterstraße team:
Sion: Lead Steering Systems Engineer (m/fX) - Team Chassis has gone into overtime with the steering "design freeze" and is looking for an active teammate.
Sion: System Simulation and Modeling Engineer (f/m/x) - Support with the "Digital Twin", the virtual vehicle; you simulate different game options and find the best setup
Sion: Automotive Cyber Security Engineer (f/m/x) - Lots of IT means lots of attack vectors. Defensive players wanted.
https://sonomotors.com/en/career/
+++ FUN FACT +++
The A-Class turns 25! What few people know: the Mercedes A-Class was originally planned as an electric car to meet the tough CO2 requirements in California. The battery - quite innovative and as it is standard today - was to be placed in the bottom of the floor, at that time it was called "double floor".
After California rowed back, the battery was mothballed again before the launch and the A-Class came as a combustion engine. Because the heavy battery for the low center of gravity was suddenly missing, the A-Class promptly fell over during the moose test in Sweden.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXs1Bc489V4
Have a nice week, stay healthy!
Sebastian.