#49 (EN): Waiting List, Sprint-Report, LHA-Express
Happy second advent. Here is the unofficial summary of the week of our favorite start-up.
+++ WAITING LIST POSITION +++
The concept of the reservation number has been revised. Everyone can now see their waiting list spot. All those who have not yet received a reservation number can see their waiting place, and all previous reservers also get a "live update" of where they are on the list.
The current location is available in the login area on the Sono homepage, and also in the app when viewing the reservation. The number is now dynamic, meaning - if someone cancels, everyone behind them immediately moves up a position.
Anyone who joins is at the back of the queue. The highest number is the same as the current number of reservations. This is made possible by a CRM system that now manages all reservations, deposits, discounts, referrals and Sono points.
Of course, you can also see directly how many cancel. On the other hand, this is real transparency and you can also see that there are not so many cancellations. On the website, the reservation counter has currently disappeared, but I suspect this is just an IT change.
Some turners were probably still in it, others could not log in Snnerstag immediately because the mail system for registration has slipped by the rush on a blacklist. This is apparently both fixed.
Everything about reservations has been moved to a separate "ordering portal". Here is the link:
https://order.sonomotors.com/#/orders
+++ INFOTAINMENT +++
Mitchell - responsible for the infotainment system and sound in the Sion - explained the state of play in Tech Video #20. The most important findings:
Yes, there is a regular FM radio, not just digital music from the internet
He defended the speakers against all budget-cutting attempts. I was afraid it would end up with a mono squawk in the middle.
The steering wheel has buttons. On the left, safety-relevant functions like cruise control can be placed (ASIL), on the right, non-critical functions for well-being like volume and voice control. We have to thank Mitchell - and Google and Apple, who both demand a button (it may be the same one) - who pulled this off and defended all (!) speakers against cost-cutting.
There's also an FM radio for the retro faction. The antenna is integrated into the back of the car. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are up front, on top, as is the microphone for the voice control/phone functions.
I wasn't allowed to check the sound quality yet. Mitchell insists on the magic of the first time, and that's only when everything is perfect. He cites a study that says first impressions make or break a car's life-long love affair with the sound system. Over-the-air updates are planned and the system will always be improved.
You can't buy Mitchell's sweater, by the way. Now that the sweater has been requested several times, maybe I'll give it to Sono after all.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrDbRXMBvS0
ASIL:
https://www.itwissen.info/automotive-safety-integrity-level-automotive-ASIL.html),
+++ LIGHTYEAR +++
To whom honor is due. Lightyear starts the manufacture production of the Lightyear 0 at Valmet with one vehicle per week. A vehicle costs from €250,000 - plus VAT.
In the coming weeks, things should pick up a bit. 964 vehicles will be built in total because 964 times 10 to the power of 10 kilometers is a lightyear. Sounds far-fetched as a rationale? Sure. The primary reason is probably that 999 is the maximum they are allowed to make with a small batch to get homologation exemptions. 35 units they probably need elsewhere. Nevertheless praise. Gefeliciteerd. Prachtig gedaan.
https://insideevs.de/news/624415/lightyear0-serienproduktion-valmet-finnland-auslieferung/
+++ ECO SNOOKI +++
"Eco Snooki" reports on the Sion: Five years of development and 3000 tests are reported in terms of solar integration into polymers. The figure shows the effort that the development devours, in terms of time and money.
The video provides a sympathetic summary of the current technical status. Finally, there is a short look to Finland to Valmet in the production of the market partner Lightyear.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXwbrZKSGoM
+++ SPRINT REPORT +++
The column was actually already full enough, when the Sprint Report KW 44 came along as well. A compact summary:
Highlights:
SVC3 weight status full on target. Important for the trailer hitch.
11 more battery packs have arrived for the prototypes, driving can begin.
Tooling for headlights (pre-series and series) nearly ready. Good to hear that things are progressing with the tools for the SVC4 and series production.
Interior: Parts have been delivered to Italy for testing. Further tests are taking place in Italy.
Contact HV battery 2nd life provider: Sono is planing for a battery's life after the vehicle's existence.
Neutral:
Upcoming integration of hands-on/hands-off sensor in steering wheel: This is important for detecting whether the driver has his hand on the steering wheel during assisted driving.
Lowlights:
Increasing risk of delay in appointing a series builder due to dependence on external financing. This was already in last time: the expensive parts now have to be ordered from Sono - and the dough has to be there for that.
Still facing SVC3-05 delays: The SVC3-05 still seems to be the Monday car.
https://sonomotors.com/site/assets/files/9237/sono-motors-dev-sprint-review-cw44-22-1.pdf
+++ PAY DAY +++
Part of the money of the 50 million campaign was collected as a subordinated loan, about 2.5 million. On November 30, there was interest on this, and those who participated could look forward to a small inflow of money.
https://invest.sonomotors.com/projects/592-sono-motors-nachrangdarlehen-2019/emissions/759-20191108
No news from Sono side regarding financing towards series production in the last week.
+++ FUN FACT +++
We've been better already. The Lufthansa Airport Express (LHA for short) was a type of train used by Lufthansa from 1982 to 1993 as a replacement for short-haul flights on the connections from Düsseldorf and Stuttgart to Frankfurt Airport.
Quelle: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=8299666073440250&set=p.8299666073440250&type=3
Thank you Hans-Peter for the image
Nickname was "Donald Duck" and the equipment was on business class level. The slogan was "Flying at flight level zero". Over 3,000 flights were saved per year, and more than 270,000 passengers were carried annually.
The era of low-level flights ended in 1993 because the railroad and Lufthansa could no longer come to an agreement. Today, the ducks stand on sidings in near Meissen, Dresden and Pulitz, rotting away.
The LHA was before my travel time, I only know the successor - the ICE connection from Cologne to Frankfurt, which had a flight number. On Saturdays and Sundays, you could always find frequent flyers on the train who pushed their mileage account to Senator status here and went back and forth several times in one day. That was the cheapest way to premium status.
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lufthansa-Airport-Express
Have a great week. Stay healthy.
Sebastian, Astrid.