#6 (EN): ChatGPT, Production of Solar Body Panels, Zusmarshausen
Have a nice Sunday. February. Time is racing- All eyes are on Sono's Finance Team. The Community is waiting. Here is the weekly community update, from the community, for the community.
+++ CHAT GPT +++
Many are currently trying out the artificial intelligence ChatGPT, including the function of having the artificial intelligence "DALL-E" paint pictures. Today's cover picture for the Sion was painted by DALL-E and shows a ticking clock, a gas can, moss and a tire.
To that end, I asked ChatGPT, "How can Sono Motors' Sion be funded?" Here's OpenAI's answer:
Sono Motors' Sion can be funded by a combination of investor money, crowdfunding, and government funding programs. The company has already completed several rounds of funding, receiving millions of euros from investors.
Actually, it could be that simple.
+++ NUMBERS +++
Last Wednesday was February 1, 2023: The updated website shows 22,727 reservation holders, almost 600 more than in early January (22,131). Maybe a few cancellations still need to be booked out, but the community is growing.
What can we do?
That's what people are asking every day, especially in the Facebook group. You, all of us, have already done so much! The remaining money must now come from investors. We as reservation holders can still work on broadening the base #savesion distributed on the net, outside the electric mobility bubble.
Nothing more. Everyone has to decide that for themselves. Making the Sion - and the concept behind it - known.
The counter exceeded €48 million (gross) on Tuesday. Maybe we still manage to get to 50 million? The counter calculates gross (with German VAT) thus with 29,900 € for a Sion equivalent, no matter where the money comes from.
The interest in Sion is there. Someone once calculated that in the five years or so of possible reservation (2018 to 2022), about 80 Sions/week have been reserved, quite good for a relatively unknown car and unknown company to date - and a vehicle not in production.
Since the beginning of December until now it is a good 1600 Sion or about 200/week. We find this very dynamic despite the incentives.
Over 8,000 community members have participated in the #savesion campaign, the counter has now disappeared from the home page again in the extension. The latest figures can be read in the table.
+++ EVENTS +++
February. Clownish time in some regions. Watch out for greetings these days, they are different in all parts of Germany. The Sion ventures into all regions, among others:
Narri Narro at Lake Constance (07.02.) and in Tübingen (08. and 09.02)
Helau in Duesseldorf/Hilden (15. and 16.02) and Essen (17. and 18.02). Don’t say “Alaaf”, this iss what they say on nearby Cologne, and music will stop instantly in the smaller town of Düsseldorf when they hear it.
Leila-Helau it would be Leipzig (23. and 24.02) and Chemnitz (without Layla) - there the närrische time is however already past.
All dates including the one in the Munich showroom can be found here:
https://sonomotors.com/de/events/
+++ SOLAR TECH VIDEO +++
How are the individual solar cells actually integrated into the outer skin of the Sion? In the new episode of our tech videos, we look at solar integration and get to the bottom of topics such as encapsulation, antireflection, injection molding and partial shading. Jörg Palm and Dominik Köhnlein give us exclusive insights into the process, the procedure and the requirements of solar integration. Enjoy!
From the cell to solar integration | Sono Motors:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxdKd-7Rseg
In another video, we take a look behind the scenes and directly into the production of the solar components that will later be installed in the Sion. From the individual solar modules to their integration into the plastic shell. Have fun watching!
SOLAR PRODUCTION | Behind the scenes | Sono Motors
+++ PRESSE/ONLINE +++
ORF: Lukas Epple, Sono employee, whom many know from the events, was interviewed in Vienna. The ORF reports extensively, especially on bidirectional charging. It becomes clear that Sono can deliver innovations. Half of Sono's suppliers are from Germany, it is mentioned in passing. Three quarters are from the EU - Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands. Afterwards, an expert explains how complex the overall system of bidirectional charging is.
https://tvthek.orf.at/profile/konkret/13887640/konkret/14166322/E-Autos-als-Energiespeicher/15327597
The Smarter E: We don't want to deprive you of another current podcast on the increasing topicality of bidirectional charging. According to it, VW limits bidi to 10,000 kWh. Doesn't need it with the Sion, thanks to LFP. (Sion does not appear)
https://youtube.com/watch?v=vQ-05Fy_puI&feature=youtu.be
First hand: I'm still working on the "Bidi" topic, with all your feedback from last year's survey. My pilot installation is progressing, Saturday the first test equipment arrived so I can do the necessary first VDE tests. Next week I'll take on "anti-islanding". The wallbox has to detect if the grid behind it is broken, for example by a power failure, if a fuse blows or if an excavator disconnects the house from the grid.
At the moment, I'm holding back; it's more important that the Sion survives.
Nextmove: NextMove's NextNews provides a good market overview of what's happening in the emobility market every week. Now it was time and finally Stefan dedicated himself to the current campaign. The report is neutral, introducing the campaign, pointing out the test drives still to come and that there are almost 50 million in commitments. It is also correctly pointed out that it is clearly a risk to invest, as the money alone is not enough and more money must be collected and everyone should make up their own mind. Nice of them to link #saveSion.
https://youtu.be/JUFTYSUpZJ4?t=479
BR: QUER: Ingenious and a failure? Munich solar car too little lucrative
It could shake up the automotive industry: a car that partially refuels itself, without charging stations, and at an affordable price. Developed by a Munich-based start-up, the company already has 45,000 inquiries. Still, production may have to stop, because the money has run out. Large investors are hardly biting, the profit margin is probably too small. And although politicians profess to want to defuse the climate crisis with innovations, only minimal support comes from the state. Now crowdfunding is the last hope. Bayerischer Rundfunk reports:
Focus, Glimmen: Thanks to Kay from the community for the link. Focus once again reports on the Sion and the campaign:
Here the lights are not yet off, but the glow has become more of a glimmer. In times of climate hype and energy crisis, the solar car from Germany actually has perfect prerequisites: A vehicle that runs at least partly on solar energy alone - who wouldn't want that? But the road to series production is rocky.
The commitment of thousands of community members has once again proven the demand for the Sion," says Laurin Hahn, co-founder and CEO of Sono Motors
Trending Topics: The (for now) shattered dream of the startup solar car, the text once again questions the usefulness of solar integration:
https://www.trendingtopics.eu/der-vorerst-geplatzte-traum-vom-startup-solarauto/
AutoZine: SBeautiful photos at autozine from the Netherlands:
The article is full of praise. One picture is old and the interior socket is unfortunately not available in series, all other photos, very appealing. Asti is totally enthusiastic about the "Black Panther Look" of the Sion. I was in Zusmarshausen on Wednesday, it looked similar, maybe Sono found a solar polish or this is the Gen 7 of the panels, but they are still too wavy for that, it looked much better in the tech video.
Zusmarshausen on Wednesday. the “Black Panther”.
+++ INVESTIGATE +++
Criticism is somehow part of Sono. Fully ok, and often justified. But recently there is a new trend of throwing dirt: (anonymous) peope ask "questions" that are not questions at all, for example: Sono would deceive about the development status ("they are not an OEM"), the founders would enrich themselves in a second GmbH etc ...
We are investigating many of these on behalf of the community, and in some cases, Sono is putting out a comment. But somehow none of the "questioners" has ever the grandeur to link the answers and set the record straight if they were plain our wrong. Here is an example of the most recent “issue”:
https://twitter.com/LaurinHahn/status/1621465649649262594
+++ FUN FACT +++
Encouraging news for the middle of society in Texas, too: renewable energy sources are the way to go. Any land used is valuable. Even that of the Sion.
Der Spiegel reports that in 2022, for the first time, the EU as a whole generated more electricity from renewable energy sources (solar and wind) than from gas. Germany is the front-runner. In terms of solar energy, the Netherlands - as a proportion of the country's typical energy mix, would you believe it - is ahead of Hungary and Greece. What does this show? There is movement in the market. And things are changing in the U.S., too: Bobby and J. R. have surprisingly hit wind and are leaving more and more black gold in the ground for a stiff breeze.
Nice week, stay healthy
Sebastian, Astrid, Andreas, Wolfgang