#6 (EN): Development Update, No Frunk, Jobs
This week, Sono went live on air to provide fist hand information on the state of development. Long story short - the definition of the final vehicle is nearly finished. 11 components are not “frozen” yet, way more than 1.000 parts are fixed.
The “missing” 11 parts (like the steering wheel control module) do not block the development of the series validation vehicles, so we should be able to see the final vehicle later this summer.
+++ YOUTUBE LIVE +++
The highlight of this week was without a doubt the “Youtube Live” on Thursday. There was a lot of familiar stuff, but also some new information. For example, it was announced in the video that the FRUNK (front trunk) did not make it into the series production vehicle in the end. So the charging cables will have to be stored in the rear trunk. The reason for this according to the video are the new pedestrian protection guidelines, a compartment directly under the hood would have made it too hard, due to the fact that the solar panels also add some stiffness. Also the 230V socket inside the vehicle has been finally dropped, there will. be just the one one the outside.
There will also be no lockable compartment for personal items (especially useful for sharing). What there is, however, are more solar cells. By using half cells and lengthening the car a little bit, 16 more light catchers make it onto the body. Also good: the A-pillar, which has severely limited visibility, is getting a diet and will be slimmer. The reason here is also an automotive guideline, the A-pillar may only cover a maximum of 6% of the viewing angle when looking forward.
NEVS will continue to be the production partner for the series vehicles they said. Before series production, Thyssen Krupp and Bertrandt will be used to produce the series validation vehicles. The fleet this year will consist of 37 bodies, an undisclosed number of which will be converted into complete vehicles for road tests and the community test drives.
Nothing was said about financing. Instead, an oversized object was held up to the camera. The molded aluminum part look a little bit like Godzilla's food bowl, but is in fact the so-called splash guard. The first aluminum part supplied by Thyssen Krupp. The splash guard is the part that separates the passenger compartment from the "engine compartment" or the space under the front hood. So the one where the steering column goes through, among other things.
But here are all the questions and answers again at a glance:
+++ 220 QUESTIONS +++
More than 220 questions have been submitted prior to the event - impossible to answer all of them in one hour. But the questions were categorizable.
In advance, finances were not a topic, we had that in detail last time. This time it was about development.
State of production:
Purchasing processes are underway.
Parts of the Alu Space Frame are already in production for the SVC3. They are mainly produced with "soft tools". They can be produced faster and cheaper than hard tools, but they only last for a few hundred or thousand pieces, not for all 257,000 Sions. Another advantage is that soft tools can be replaced and remade on the fly.
Chip shortages are not a problem at this stage. How things will look in 2023 is hard to predict.
37 bodyshells/SVC3 are being built in and around Munich (Bertrandt and ThyssenKrupp) - for various tests and also for the first test drives. From the end of June, according to the plan, at least one SVC3 will be on display at the Munich headquarters. It is to be expected that this will be a major press event and therefore not everything will be shown yet.
The series will be built according to plan at NEVS.
SOP (start of production) and the very first deliveries are scheduled to take place in the first half of 2023, and around 14,000 Sions are expected to leave the plant for customers in 2023.
The first SVC3 prototypes will be named after planets.
Equipment:
Due to the now longer vehicle, 16 more solar cells could be accommodated.
The battery is still fixed at 54 kWh and it will be LFP.
There will not be a frunk after all, two reasons are given. First, the trunk is really big, the frunk weighs and also costs extra. But equally important, the size of the front hood with the PV cells has an influence on the stiffness of the hood, and with the compartment underneath it will be too hard for the pedestrian protection. Wash water will still be allowed to fill up, we assume.
Only when the first SVC3 is built, we can say something about the AHK and the loads. Whether the agricultural hook is already mounted at the factory or whether it will be mounted at the time of delivery was not clearly answered.
The front seats are not foldable forward. The rest can be folded down flat.
The SCCP (steering column) is still causing some problems - the bag with the supplier is not yet closed. That doesn't stop the store, but at some point the lid has to be put on it. I'll keep watching, after all - it was worth a whole slide. 11 parts of the approx. 1,300 parts are still missing.
The 230V outlet inside the vehicle also did not make it Only USB and 12V. The 230V outlet outside remains.
What was missing was a picture of the new Sion, a rendering, at least of the headlights and the tailgate, maybe also of the narrower A-pillar. But that's supposed to come at a press event first, to get maximum attention.
Also missing is the information on what will happen to the sprint reports on the website. There has been no recent update anymore.
+++ BEHIND THE SCENES +++
At the last Youtube live for the IPO there was some criticism, too dark, gray men in suits. This time the video crew brought much more light and with Lucy we also had a "native speaker" among us.
What was funny - I was there quite early, and just as I was on my way to the entrance a sprinter of a forwarding agency arrived. The driver said to me "I have a delivery here from ThyssenKrupp, where do you want it?". This is a good way to rehearse a "just in time" delivery.
For the livestream I had only one announcement, please do not make any jokes about dead martens. From Lucy I had learned while talking through the questions from the run-up that martens are practically extinct in England, the problem is completely unknown in the south of the island. Martens were hunted down in the 19th century in such a way that they only live in the Scottish Highlands anymore. On the question of whether the Sion has special marten protection, I wanted to add that a marten will usually only bite a high voltage cable once. "We don't talk about dead martens live please" they said.
The second announcement went to Markus, “please do not touch the engine in the back because the camera does not have that in the picture when you speak”. Telling a mechanical engineer "don't touch the machine" is of course out of the question. He didn't care about the director's announcement, at 3:30 it was time for touchdown. And rightly so!
https://youtu.be/0nuWuztcM64?t=209
+++ PODCAST +++
Wirtschaftswoche already interviewed our Jona two weeks ago. Sono Motors CEO Christians: "Solar cars are the logical step after the e-car":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9gk3Uw6ht8
+++ COMPANY PRESENTATION +++
On the Investor Relations page there is an updated company presentation.
https://ir.sonomotors.com/static-files/d4605548-c4f6-4e5a-8f92-cc3a1c972ec5
+++ JOBS +++
Sono needs and wants to grow further. 88 jobs have just been advertised. Let someone say that e-mobility does not create jobs. To present them all is beyond the scope - a lot of engineering positions - so only two that stand out for the Sunday conversation:
"Responsible for first impressions".
A student job: "You greet and look after visitors:inside - especially Sion fans and Sono partners. Prerequisite: student ID and enjoy interacting with people."
https://sonomotors.jobs.personio.de/job/578338?display=de
The next job here is also new from last Friday and makes it clear that ADAS are coming to Sion:
"Homologation Engineer ADAS"
Support for homologation in compliance with the law for the specialty ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems), planning of the corresponding tests. Law-compliant preparation of homologation documents, contact person for technical services, authorities and developing specialist areas.
https://sonomotors.jobs.personio.de/job/580656?display=de
+++ FUN FACT +++
Several media outlets are covering the topic of PV over the highway. Switzerland is planning big:
Germany is heading of a similar approach, but on a much smaller scale:
https://facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10159971937142318&id=333992367317
What is evident everywhere is that solar is on the verge of a new wave. It is now the cheapest form of energy generation - and sustainable too.
Maybe the energy transition to renewables will work out after all.
Stay healthy. It remains exciting.
Astrid, Andreas, Wolfgang und Sebastian