#45 (EN): Spot on, Broad Interest, Noise and Vibration
Have a nice Sunday! The warm October is leaving, winter is coming - here in the Isar valley, the drizzle is about to snow today. For the small Sion test fleet, that means even more intensive testing.
+++ SPOT ON +++
Sono Motors. No car delivered yet, but already advertising like the big boys. Just in time for Halloween, Sono has released a 90-second spot for the Sion on various free channels (YouTube, Linkedin, Facebook). The SVC3.9 Venus can be seen as an escape car in the zombie apocalypse. All other cars stranded with empty fuels, but thanks to solar charging the escape succeeds.
It remains unsolved why the dog is not allowed to join the ride, and why the senior citizen with the broken right leg is the designated driver.
In case some Berliners are wondering why there are so many unlocked cars in the video - the Vespa still has all the wheels attached:, it's normal in Bavaria - the film was shot in Munich, at Bahnwärter Thiel. The only location in the state capital where the graffiti is still on the wall the next day.
The spot on YouTube (well done): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12MiU4L4MZg
Sono on the trail of Babylon Berlin. Source: Sono Motors / Youtube
+++ NOISE AND VIBRATION (NVH) +++
Cue apocalypse: At the FAKTMotion test site, OEMs test whether their vehicles pass homologation requirements. The expert on "Noise & Vibration" finishes his work on the Sion here.
Since there are various prototypes on the test site, cameras - even from cell phones - are actually taboo. We only had permission to film for a short time slot, and of all things it was pouring with rain, the waiting room was freezing cold. That's why everyone looks so serious, the mood was otherwise good.
The sound test itself is rather unspectacular: a light barrier, two microphones, two orange high-visibility vests - plus cold, wet rain. We went through with the interview anyway. Somehow I'm glad that the big crash tests take place in the winter months, but - rumor has it - in warmer climes.
The video should be online Friday, but is still missing. Photos from it have already been posted by Sono.
https://www.facebook.com/sonomotors/photos/pcb.1957764531087149/1957763811087221/
+++ TWITTER +++
An older generation of the solar panel allows a view of the layers. During the US tour, the various construction stages also traveled along. In the meantime, Gen. 7 is in use. The series gets Gen. 9 according to plan.
https://twitter.com/ThinkFab/status/1584776816027308032
+++ 25.000 +++
A gap is opening up. With all OEMs shifting to high-priced models in times of disrupted supply chains, the market for affordable, full-size e-cars remains largely empty. Starting in 2025, some manufacturers are looking to close the gap: VW, Elon wants (again - the Model 3 should also cost as much as the Sion). Lightyear. And Fisker. The €30,000 e-car.
On the other hand, new contract manufacturers are emerging: Foxconn is best known as a contract manufacturer for Apple, but now also wants to make cars, preferably for Tesla - in Taiwan and USA. This is actually the perfect time for "fabless" manufacturers like Sono. The Sion has to be finished - one could introduce the "Hon Hai" speed.
https://energyload.eu/elektromobilitaet/elektroauto/foxconn-elektroautos/
+++ TOUR REVIEW II AND US WAITLIST +++
The SVC3.10 Neptune is on its way back to Europe and Sono has published the second part of the tour report, with some new pictures from San Francisco, Los Angeles and from Sibros in Silicon Valley.
https://sonomotors.com/de/blog/us-tour-wrap-up-america-thanks-for-having-us/
On the tour, interested parties could sign up on a waiting list to receive information when there is more to a U.S. Sion. It is not yet known how many are on the list so far.
https://sonomotors.us18.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=88a970fc4276d224aaeb9cb99&id=425e4edf79
+++ MASTERPLAN II +++
The German government has adopted the Charging Infrastructure Master Plan II. By summer 2023, the foundations for bidirectional charging are to be laid, especially in the private sector and in underground garages. Sono has to get on with it now, otherwise politics will be faster than a start-up. An interesting side sentence can be found on page 6 in the PDF: "In addition, regulations for intelligent bidirectional charging are to be introduced in the RED (Renewable Energy Directive) amendment [...]."
"RED" is the funding bazooka and basis of (partly absurd) pots like money for e-cars, money for wallbox. Money for solar cars, money for bidirectional charging - the Sion could be the jackpot here.
+++ Reservations Nov 1, 2022 +++
Another month gone. 20,702 Sion were reserved with a paid reservation on 1 Nov 2022. 305 more than the previous month.
https://sonomotors.com/de/who-we-are/
+++ SOLAR BUSINESS +++
Solar integration on 40-tonners is expected to save up to 1,500 liters of diesel per year, says Lars of Sono Motors in an interview with TransInfo. For the Sion, Sono had to solve two problems that a normal solar installation doesn't have:
Rapid shading: clouds move slowly over stationary solar surfaces, so it's enough to search for a new "best" operating point every few minutes. In a vehicle, the shading changes much faster, so new approaches are needed.
Complex geometry: a normal solar installation lies flat on the roof, with the Sion you have completely different angles and sizes. This has to be taken into account when searching for the optimal operating point. The "MCU" in the Sion is a small computer that is adapted to the vehicle.
https://trans.info/de/interview-sono-motors-solare-e-fahrzeuge-311375
+++ BROAD INTEREST +++
Many web portals nowadays simply copy press releases more or less 1:1 onto their homepage. The whole thing is easy to figure out if there are any rather unusual word combinations in the release. In the Dropbox there was an article from November 1, a review of the U.S. tour with the title "Sono Motors receives wide resonance in the U.S. with its solar electric car - including Oscar winner Whoopi Goldberg" (that was only the headline, not yet the article).
A quick Google search for - "broad interest" reveals the source: Sono itself is the wordsmith in a recent press release: "Sono Motors receives broad resonance in the US with its solar electric car".
”Munich Startup” has more content, and did additional research:
https://www.munich-startup.de/86859/sono-motors-auf-us-tour/
We will re-visit the US tour and the results in a few weeks. Now it's too early, new videos from visitors are still flowing in every day.
Next week, we'll do a review of the IAA transportation, and results first.
+++ GREEN ELECTRICITY +++
Sono uses green electricity: "The e-car pioneer is supported by naturstrom, as the green energy supplier provides sustainable electricity for the more than 400 employees in the office buildings and in the prototype workshop."
https://www.stadt-und-werk.de/meldung_39859_gn
+++ EVENTS +++
Christian, Head of PR & Communications at Sono Motors, describes the diverse communications for the self-charging e-car "Sion" on November 15. November 15, at 6:30 p.m. (press only)
https://dprg.de/singlenews/uid-941430/kommunikation-fuer-das-selbstladende-e-auto/#a941430
+++ OPEN QUESTIONS +++
No official info this week on the question "financing update" or "annual general meeting", Eight weeks left in the year, soon it would be nice to hear something.
+++ FUN FACT +++
70 cm. That's how long the "moss strip" is in the Sion. In essence, it's a thin wooden board with the moss on it, slightly wider than an H0 model train track. There's even a supplier, the thing has a part number. The glass will also be transparent, so nothing stands in the way of Christmas decoration in the car.
Schöne Woche. Bleibt gesund.
Sebastian & Astrid