#47: Showroom, School, Transport Evolved
Happy Sunday. This week we have three breaking news from the Sonoversum: pepper motion as a new customer in the solar business, showroom opening in Munich and new photos from the production at Bertrandt.
+++ SHOW AND TELL +++
The showroom in Munich with the SVC3 is opened! And here you will be the first to know and you can already book an appointment. Social media and the newsletter will come later. On the website it is since Friday.
From Thursday, 1.12.2022, there are the first bookable time slots in the Waldmeisterstraße. For now, there are only appointments until mid-January on Thursday and Friday, each afternoon. Touching, measuring, folding over are allowed - driving is not.
Of course, you can also ask questions there and " if the dates don't fit at all, feel free to write to info@sonomotors.com " Sono told us.
Here is the link: https://sonomotors.as.me/showroom
+++ PEPPER +++
Apparently, the Sono Solar Kit is also well suited for electric buses. Pepper Motion with its 100 employees is a specialist for "retrofitting", i.e. converting existing vehicles to electric drive. I know the topic myself from projects for municipalities: Many special vehicles are superstructures of commercial vehicles, and the platform became wider from generation to generation - and at some point the models no longer fit through the medieval city gates - so they are cared for and nurtured and even converted from diesel to e-drive.
Currently, the solar kit only supports the auxiliary consumers on board. It only relieves the load on the drive battery - but does not feed it, as it will in the Sion.
+++ LEFT AND RIGHT: POSTPONED +++
VW wants to bring a low-cost e-car, in a new plant near Wolfsburg. The launch has now been postponed from 2026 to 2030. The MEB - Modular Electric Building Kit - must serve as the basis for other models. The reason is technical problems, the "Trinity" project has to be rescheduled. The potential for the Sion continues to grow.
+++ BACK TO SCHOOL +++
Ten complete validation vehicles/prototypes are built, two of them for marketing and us - the community. The prototypes are expensive and rare, and many things are actively developed and tested with the vehicles before going into mass production.
To be allowed to drive all SVC3 - not just the marketing vehicles - you have to go back to school, and do three additional qualifications:
High-voltage training
Safety training specifically for the SVC3
Intensive training at the ADAC
I've already done the safety training, I'm looking forward to the high-voltage training, and I'm registered with the ADAC. Everything for the dachshund, everything for the club.
+++ TRANSPORT EVOLVED +++
"The future is solar" is the title - and the video is pure enthusiasm for the Sion. The authors are ecstatic about the price point - sub 30k sticks out, there are hardly any usable new cars under 40,000 euros. And the only one with solar included.
That the Sion has what it takes to become the new "people's e-car" is then also shown by the comments under the video. Square - practical - ecological. That sounds like a lot of potential and work.
+++ QUESTIONS +++
Astrid wants to know: Unfortunately, there is still no date for the Annual General Meeting. According to the FAQ, shareholders can attend - and Astrid (Co-Admin of the Facebook Fan Group) offers to go there on behalf of all those who cannot.
I've already been caught on the question list when the report from the Community Advisory Board is (I've already given it away, it's not me, I could explain the reasons there). Please put any questions in the comments.
https://ir.sonomotors.com/ir-services#idm-tab-block-01
Here's the link to the doc for your financial questions (German, sorry):
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1g_QibQgeIsIN9hIDfjlxExuYqNgMMh4jyBN98IAAlY0/edit?usp=sharing
+++ SUN KING +++
AHK stands not only for Anhängerkupplung - the German word for trailer hitch, but also for the German-Dutch Chamber of Commerce. They briefly describe Sono's development to where they are today:
"The forward-thinking start-up based in Munich is on the verge of putting an affordable, solar-powered electric car on the road." It's been a long and bumpy road for Sono Motors. The remarkable journey included several crowdfunding campaigns and a near bankruptcy."
https://www.dnhk.org/newsroom/blog/blog-details/pendeln-mit-dem-sonnenkoenig
+++ PHOTOS AT BERTRANDT +++
In Munich at the Frankfurter Ring, work on the validation vehicles continues diligently. A small photo gallery shows a few impressions. On one picture it is noticeable that the side solar panel looks a bit funny. This is due to the model and its purpose - but of course it won't go into series production like that.
https://twitter.com/SonoMotors/status/1592536771342249986
+++ FUN FACT +++
In China, where more than one in five new cars sold this year is an electric car, more and more drivers are discovering the car as a mobile power storage device - and electric vehicle manufacturers are now touting their products as "batteries on wheels." But it's now about more than "coffee on wheels" - the power outlet also helps during power outages. A bidirectional AC wallbox is the next logical step here, allowing the car to be conveniently used as a powerful emergency power generator.
Source:
Without paywall: https://financialpost.com/pmn/business-pmn/two-way-charging-is-chinese-ev-drivers-favorite-life-hack
Have a great week, stay healthy.
Sebastian, Astrid, Andreas