#49 (EN): Sprint report, Seedrs, Dictionary
Happy second Advent! At Sono - the clock is ticking, the design freeze is coming up. After a 10-week break due to the IPO, there is finally a new sprint report - and with it an overview of which topics are currently in the focus of the vehicle development.
+++ DEVELOPMENT STATE +++
Due to the quiet period, some sprint reports could not be published. Now it goes on and sprint report #46 is there.
“All Squads moved to Jira”: Sono is organized internally in “Squads”, ie small sub-units. Jira is a ticket system for project management. That helps if everyone works in one tool.
“After-IPO: wave of contracts for new employees”. The IPO and funding has resulted in more employees considering Sono as an employer. There are plenty of employment contracts to be concluded. What you also have to get rid of at this point: the IPO demanded a lot from the existing employees, it was a Herculean task.
“Wave of purchase orders sent out”. The money arrived on the Friday after the IPO and Sono has to order a lot of tools to make the Sion.
“Crossfunctional Board for crossfunctional requests”: many squads also means a lot of coordination with one another. An example: If you click on preheat in the Sono app on your mobile phone, the command goes through many systems until it finally arrives at the right place in the car and is hopefully executed there. In the end, everything has to fit together.
“Each squad will deliver CAE till 17-Dec-2021”: We are working hard because: By December 17, 2021, each team will deliver CAE models that are required for crash and safety assessments based on the CAD data of the design approval are. Sounds like the sack will be after December 17th.
“Towing Capability vs Target:” The question about the trailer hitch came from the Asti even on YouTube Live. How exactly the Sion can pull at the end of the day depends on many factors, primarily the weight of the vehicle, of course.
“Based on the functionalities CAN messages are prepared will be in progress till design Freeze: CAN.dbc”. DBC file! Some of them are sure to prick up their ears. Control units in the vehicle communicate with each other via the CAN bus using short numerical codes. The DBC file is a kind of “phone book” that breaks down which number means what. When a new car comes out, fans try painstakingly to decipher the message.
“Start / Stop Button for SVC3 might be an after sale switch. No CAD, No DTs”. Something is still with the start / stop button. I have no clue what this might mean.
“ADAS: Indication that supplier will might not provide all ADAS functions until SOP plan B would be to update them over the air (3-6 month after SOP) would not affect SOP and homologation”: The driver assistance systems may not all be available at the start of production be. The homologation will not be delayed and an OTA (over the air) update will be possible.
“Driveshaft piece cost lower than target (~ 125 Euros lower) -> 31 million euros saving over vehicle lifetime”. A total of 31 million euros were saved on the drive shaft and bearings: around 125 euros per car.
“Bi-Directional: Risk with supplier achieving 11 kW AC for SVC3 ---> V2G / H functionality on time for SOP”. There are still problems with the BIDI, the 11 kW alternating current (AC) may not (yet) be achieved in the SVC3 (the prototype that is now close to series production). The V2G (vehicle to grid = network) and V2H (vehicle to home) functionality is not affected at the start of production.
"Crash & Safety: release CAD data by 17th Dec 2021"
It seems that December 17th is the next big milestone for updates,
Here is the full report:
https://sonomotors.com/site/assets/files/7502/sono-motors-dev-sprint-review-cw46-21.pdf
+++ SEEDRS +++
I got a lot of emails about how things are going at Seedrs. In the history of Seedrs, there have only been six companies that have managed an IPO, including Sono - and only one has been able to transfer its shares so far. The other five only allowed to sell the shares.
There is a blocking period of 180 days before the shares can be accessed, so there is time to get everything sorted out. I am slowly beginning to understand why - after an IPO there are so many topics at the same time, you can't have everything ready on day 1. Sono announced, that every share will be converted to 1.71 shares, this chage has been reflected just about now. So you should see more shares now in your account.
The numbers displayed at seedrs are completely weird right now, so someone must have typed in somethig wrong. I think it will get sorted out in a few days.
https://www.seedrs.com/businesses/sono-motors
+++ SONO GERMAN / GERMAN SONO +++
We once collected all the abbreviations that are used at Sono and in the automotive world. The dictionary grows and grows and is a permanent addition. Which abbreviations are you missing? Just put your wishes under the post with the hashtag #dictionary, then we will gradually add important terms in the Sonoversum.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mjv1Akzd2EfXNF08eCNOL0nMApQNIBkCS-BFzmXw7AY/edit
+++ SOLAR ROOF +++
What Tesla does not do, others do: A startup is planning a retrofit solar roof for the Model 3, up to 25km should be possible with it. It's still in a very, very early phase, but it shows - the trend is picking up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhrEaqaVguQ&t=3s
Details:
+++ IN THE PRESS +++
There are also a lot of reports about Sono in the press, I allow myself to leave all these “stock market analysts” out of here. This blog is about the car, not the daily share price. The stock exchange is closed on Sundays.
German magazine “Focus online” reports: “Solar cars could be a reality in 15 years”.
Podcast with Laurin:
Report in Manager Magazin (paywall):
+++ JOBS +++
10 new jobs were advertised in the last week, most of them engineering positions. The job page at Sono is now so long that the jobs are assigned in groups, from Sono Solar to Sono Digital to Group Finance (which now have to create quarterly reports due to the reporting obligation).
https://sonomotors.com/de/career/
Fun fact, last time we reported about the omitted organic bread flat rate. There is something new: a “subsidized vegan catering”. Free drinks stay.
https://sonomotors.com/de/career/job/?id=517332
+++ FUN FACT +++
The change to electromobility is in full swing. And in addition to the mass market, there are always astonishing excesses. In September BMW announced the “VIsion Circular” and the goal that it the company to become the most sustainable car manufacturer. I love the i3, and the vision circular seems to be the follow-up.
https://twitter.com/BMW/status/1434788549883219969
Just a few weeks later, the presentation of the new “monster SUV” BMW XM caused horror among emobility enthusiasts. 2.20 meters wide, four exhaust pipes, a promotional video that triggers “post-apocalyptic nightmares”. "Manspreading on the street" calls it design professor Paolo Tumminelli in the “Spiegel”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXA8BluB8rk
Mercedes, on the other hand, is experimenting with the optics of solar cells on the hood in the over-luxury segment. At the same time, the electric S-Class holds the range record even before Tesla, thanks to its excellent efficiency.
https://jalopnik.com/late-designer-virgil-ablohs-take-on-a-maybach-is-fearle-1848148953
For me, the examples show one thing: change is actively taking place. There will always be people who do not want the road to be shared fairly. But the majority is not like that, they don't need a Urus, CyberTruck or XM. They want to get from A to B. And ideally in a sustainable fashion, so that others can get from A to B too. History in the making.
Stay healthy. Nice week!