#52 (EN): Sprint-Report, THG, Milestones, LightYear Two
Happy Sunday, happy second day of Christmas! I hope you all had a Merry Christmas on Friday. And as you can see from number #52, we didn't miss a single Sunday with the little inofficial Sono news!
A big thanks again to Astrid and Andreas, who held up the flag during the quiet period- and always helped so actively before and after every Sunday. Wolfgang has more time during the winter break. Thank you too. And thanks everyone for commenting and reading. Your feedback really matters.
+++ MAGIC MOUNTAINS +++
The old prototype (SVC2) "Pepper" was polished up again and sent to the winter photo shoot into the Bavarian snow. The pictures can be found on Facebook, Instagram and other social media channels.
https://twitter.com/SonoMotors/status/1474020669537062913
+++ SPRINT REPORT +++
Last Sunday we "subtly" pointed out in this news that the Sprint Report was missing. Sono responded Monday morning and put the PDF online. 58 bulging pages. Week48, that is, as of the end of November. Many wished for a picture of the SVC3 for Christmas, that will be next year. And next year, finally, a few more will be built, and some of them will be driven right back to the wall in crash tests.
What does the report say:
"All squads within releasing their parts": Translated: The departments are about to finish their deliverables for the design freeze. Parts release also means that purchase orders can be issued to the suppliers and machines can be ordered for production.
"Costing | Cost workshop 01.12.2021". Everything is getting more expensive, it is a matter of saving costs and turning over every penny. In the powertrain, a nut was changed and 50 cents saved per vehicle, making €120,000 savings for the entire production. Unfortunately, we as customers don't get the money, it's about bringing the Sion within budget.
"Start discussion LoDMC for ACC and AEB". "ACC" is the adaptive cruise control and "AEB" is the emergency brake assist. It is required by law in 2023. But "LoDMC"? Google says: "Legion of Doom Motorcycle Club". What does that mean? I don't know. But it's DONE - it's done.
"PedPro Status. Pedestrian Protection (PedPro) is pedestrian protection, specifically in the front of the hood. In recent years, it's become increasingly important, and rightly so. Different "squads" report on the same topic, a good opportunity to put this on top of each other and see if they report the same status:
BODY STRUCTURE: Status PedPro simulation: risk that changes are needed (affected area: front end & wiper bracket). Translated: The simulation has shown weaknesses, it could be that we have to change something again. So maybe. Quite sure. Actually quite sure.
GENERAL: PedPro and CV crash & safety: additional loops required. Translated: It's not quite finished yet. Have to do it again.
CRASH & SAFETY: PedPro updates for SVC3 are ongoing. Translated: Everything is running, we are continuously improving.
BODY CLOSURE: PedPro - improvements ongoing. Translated: It is getting better and better.
General: Sion exterior color matching - need grain / color info from solar. Translated: Hey Sono Solar Team - send us the RAL color of the panels. With this we will match the color of the polycarbonate - to match the exact color of the enclosed solar panels. This will be a nice inconspicuous solar integration. Almost a shame again!
Lowlight: Body Closure: Decontent - unclear expectations: SVC3 or SVC4? "De-content" is nasty, it's deleting features. Actually we as a community don't want that at all, neither in SVC3 or SVC4 or in the final vehicle.
Chassis delivered correctly in the report. Eight pages. SVC3 Plan - Done. LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) Done. Legal requirements - Done. It is not until page eight that the blockers are found.
E/E Highlights: SVC3 start/stop button in the right place (carry over part). Design for AVAS, PDC sensors, RF receiver is fixed (the RF receivers are antennas). Little progress in 12V battery management (complications due to CCCV charging strategy of MCU). The MCU is the magic part that brings the solar power to the high voltage storage.
E/E Lowlight: SCCM: supplier still not defined. A supplier for the SCCM module is still missing. The SCCM (Steering Column Control Module) combines, among other things, the switching functions for turn signals, headlights, high and low beams, windshield wiper system, the adjustable steering column, the signal processing of the steering wheel switches (if there are any) and the steering angle measurement. So steering column, to put it simply. This also includes the turn signal reset, so that it goes off by itself after turning.
All 58 pages as PDF:
https://sonomotors.com/site/assets/files/7523/sono-motors-dev-sprint-review-cw48-21-2.pdf
And once again - here is the link to the dictionary “Sono - English / English Sono”, in case anyone wants to treat themselves to the whole sprint report over the holidays: https://www.bitlylinks.com/SvtUNx_4e
+++ MILESTONES +++
A lot happened at Sonoversum in 2021. Each:r can decide for themselves what was most important, highlights like the 54 kWh battery with 305 km range, the IPO or lowlights like the date shift to 2023.
2022 will be the decisive year at Sono. In the new year they will start building the new prototypes, hopefully we will be able to test drive them in early summer. There was a slide on Twitter showing the history in solar integration - as an example of what progress has been made.
And if everything works out, we'll receive the purchase contracts at the end of 2022. After 5 years, it almost feels a little strange.
https://twitter.com/SonoMotors/status/1473681102661459980/photo/2
+++ LEFT AND RIGHT +++
Cheap: Lightyear is about to launch its first vehicle next year. And they already announced another one: the Lightyear Two is due in 2025 for €30,000. It is said to be the second model of Lightyear and, like its predecessor, equipped with solar cells and much more affordable.
https://energyload.eu/elektromobilitaet/elektroauto/solarauto-lightyear/
Delivery: Like Sono, the e-car brand Polestar relies on online-only sales. I took delivery of my Polestar 2 at a car wash in August 2020, with 18% charge - as there was nothing for customers yet. Now Polestar is setting up "handover centers" in addition to showrooms to make sure it's done properly. If Sono's plan works out, 3,000 Sions will have to be handed over every month starting in 2023, every month for eight years. That's a good place to start looking at what solutions are available.
https://ecomento.de/2021/12/23/polestar-baut-handover-center-netzwerk-in-deutschland-auf/
+++ SONO & THG +++
As part of the GHG (greenhouse gas reduction) quota, electricity that is charged in e-cars is subsidized. Some companies like Chargepoint, Greentrax or Polarstern - and Sono Motors - are now lobbying for solar power that goes into the car battery to be subsidized through the incentive program as well.
The logic behind this goes like this: every kilowatt hour of solar that is driven saves fossil fuels. And that then generates "CO2 credits" that can be sold to CO2 guzzlers to help them meet their climate goals.
I make no secret of it, for me this is a sale of indulgences: An e-car drives climate-neutral in the best case. If you calculate that against the kilometers driven by a combustion engine, you can generate a climate 0 on paper, but in practice you've still blown the kilometers driven by a combustion engine into the air. But if there is money, why not. Pedestrians should actually get the most, if you take the issue seriously.
In the news #42/2021 I have already dealt with the GHG quota in detail, interesting also how the prices have developed upwards since then. 300 € are now available for an e-car.
+++ NEXT BIG THING +++
Electric cars that start to charge themselves via solar are the next big thing - says Julius from Sono. The building blocks for Solar Electric Cars have been around for a long time - but only in the last few years have solar cells and batteries become cheap enough to make it economically viable - and with bi-directional charging, the technical standards are in place for the whole thing to really start to take off.
https://sonomotors.com/en/blog/solar-will-be-the-next-big-thing/ (english)
https://sonomotors.com/de/blog/solar-will-be-the-next-big-thing/ (german)
++ FUN FACT +++
The year is over. A few numbers - 91,698 retail investors on RobinHood bought Sono shares for $15 apiece on issue day according to RobinHood.com
Thank for reading, all the comments and likes. Next Sunday we will continue with Sono, Sion and all the rest. Have a nice week, stay healthy. See you in 2022.
Sebastian