#5 (EN): Virtual Test Drive, Poll, ID.4
+++ VIRTUAL TEST DRIVE +++
Many want to know what the new prototype looks like, what the new improvements feel like, what is already in production - and what is still missing. It will take a while until the correct test drives can take place due to Corona.
As an interim solution, I can now offer something as a "Community Advisory Board": a "virtual test drive"! I collect your questions, drive there for you, and will report.
When the test drives officially start, everyone can see for themselves what the prototype looks like. Until then, we can try to do a first virtual session. There are already some topics on the checklist; you can find them in the following link.
If you want to know something that is not one list, feel free to write it in the comment section to add it to the mix:
https://sono.news/testdrives/virtual-test-drive
+++ SURVEY +++
A new survey: "Your feedback on the design: small changes are still possible without jeopardizing the schedule or having to change long-running tools." Everyone is invited to take part - reservations and fans and all newsletter subscribers. The result will be published for sure,. It will be interesting what Sono comes up with based on the new feedback:
https://www.surveymonkey.de/r/MTF5CP8?lang=de
+++ POSSIBLE IPO +++
SwedBank (the fund that invested in Sono) publishes an interview with the fund manager who accompanied the investment. Reasons for the investment are listed. In addition, the second half of 2022 is mentioned for the start of series production, and there is talk of an IPO in the first half of 2021 - with the aim of collecting the missing funds for production (in Swedish).
https://www.swedbank-aktiellt.se/2021/januari/ar_sev_det_nya_suv.csp
+++ SAABBLOG +++
The "SaabBlog" - a more than 10-year-old Saab fan site which has still good connections to Trollhättan - has dealt with the question of whether and when production can start in Trollhättan. With Sono and Koenigsegg, two companies have expressed interest. Evergrande's takeover of NEVS was completed last year, and it is still unclear what the plans for Sweden are.
The Saab blog doesn't know anything exactly either. At least they know that nothing is currently happening on site.
How it goes with the Saab blog itself is currently open. After 10 years of waiting for a revival of the Saab brand and the works, the air is out. The blog is currently being converted to paid subscriptions, a difficult step.
https://saabblog.net/2021/01/29/automobilproduktion-in-trollhaettan-rueckt-naeher/
+++ SWEDEN CALLING +++
"Jag kan garantera att vi och NEVS har fullt fokus på att leverera fordon," said COO Thomas Hausch in an interview with P4 Radio Sweden. "I can guarantee that we and NEVS are fully focused on delivering vehicles. But I can't give an exact date at the moment".
The two-minute telephone interview is a mix of Swedish and English. Mr. Hausch can be heard in English, and a key take away is that the cooperation is definitively considered "active.". Even if you don’t speak Swedish, you can easily get what this is about:
https://sverigesradio.se/artikel/biltillverkning-i-trollhattan-narmar-sig
There is also a text version of it that is based on. the interview:
+++ VIDEO +++
New since Friday: a "Behind the Scenes" video for CES 2021:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41RyJoEoCDQ
Another mix of old and new recordings of Sono's solar integration with the title "Curved Solar Cells Instead of Paint":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voCQb8GCeAE
+++ TELEVISION REPORT +++
Last Sunday, "Nieuwsuur" ran a report on Lightyear and Sono on Dutch television (a few seconds from 3:30 p.m., and the whole report from 11:20 p.m.). Interesting is the insight into the solar roof production of Lightyear, a short interview with Jona, and the thesis that in 10 years, you will see solar cells on almost every car.
https://www.npostart.nl/nieuwsuur/24-01-2021/VPWON_1324107
+++ COMPETITION +++
The first ID.4 are available for test drives at the dealerships. Last week I met the first one with a Munich license plate at a charging station. The ID4 is not a direct competitor to the Sion since the starting price is 10,000 € higher, but a car that you will not be able to avoid, as it is the first "e-world car" from VW, as it is sold globally.
https://www.carwow.de/volkswagen/id4
Tesla has given its Model S and X a facelift: the 17-inch screen is now horizontal like in the Model 3. The 837 km with one battery charge and a top speed of an absurd 320 (!) Km / h should also be the last "only with mine Diesel" Petrolhead drift beads of sweat onto his forehead. The combustion technology is becoming less and less competitive. It fits that even GM has now announced the departure from the combustion engine.
https://www.tesla.com/de_de/models/design#battery
+++ JOBS +++
A new job is available this week: technical editor, for workshop manuals and other documentation:
https://sonomotors.jobs.personio.de/job/308883
+++ EASYMILE +++
After the truck trailer with solar, there is another pilot project: cooperation with EasyMile, a startup from France that is developing an autonomous people mover. The cooperation arises from the sales efforts to open up further sales channels for solar technology
https://ecomento.de/2021/01/25/sono-motors-easymile-entwickeln-solar-elektro-shuttle/
+++ FUN FACT +++
Daniel McGuire equipped his Chevy Bolt with 2,470 watts of solar and created the first "self-charging electric car in North America" (he says) - the "Solar Hawk." It is also charged while driving. The trick he uses is to first store the energy in a lead battery and from there "fill it up" with 8A. This saves him high-tech solutions like in the Sion. The disadvantage is very poor efficiency. As a result, it should achieve a performance similar to that of the Sion with its 1.2 kW peak.
https://www.dansevsolarmods.ca
So. And now, as always - have a nice Sunday! And if you want to have something checked by me in the prototype in the next weeks, please give me feedback!