#26: Bigger Battery, More Range, Faster Charging: 54 kWh (EN)
Have a great Sunday! The big news this week was the boost of the battery pack: 54 kWh, 305 km of range. Up to 75 kW charging power. No cobalt. Same price.
++ 54 kWh +++
The larger battery was at the top of the Community's wish list - 90% wanted it, 85% would have been willing to pay more for it.
The press coverage on the news was enormous in the German press: Spiegel, Welt, Heise, Auto-Motor-Sport, Süddeutsche Zeitung - big articles everywhere. The international press also picked up the news: Ecomento, GreenCar Reports,
The battery capacity of the Sion is thus roughly on par with the ID.3 Pure and enables a range of over 300 km.
LFP is used as the cell chemistry, i.e., no more cobalt or nickel in the tank. LFP is thermally safe, so it doesn't burn easily. LFP is known from electric buses: since the first LFP batteries were inexpensive but significantly larger and heavier than the well-known NMC cells, they were only used in local public transport, where the price per kWh plays a role, but the size does not.
In the meantime, LFP research has made great strides - and since Tesla has also been using LFP in Model 3, the mixture has become socially acceptable. In the beginning, Tesla still had problems offering decent charging speeds with it; the problems are now under control.
CTO Markus and engineer Arvind give some technical details:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfAz4E78YIs
The survey that delivered the final argument - 90% of all votes for the bigger battery (page 45)
https://sonomotors.com/ site / assets / files / 5089 / results_design_survey_sonomotors_pptx.pdf
Details on sonomotors.com:
https://sonomotors.com/de/sion/battery/
+++ STRETCH +++
For crash safety, the Sion is increased by 20 cm in length in order to move from "sufficient" crash protection to "very good crash protection." The information comes from the large Newspaper "Süddeutsche Zeitung." The new dimensions are confirmed in the information sheet on the Sono homepage. Disadvantage: This increases the weight a bit.
https://www.sueddeutsche.de/muenchen/muenchen-sono-motos-auto-solarenergie-1.5330791
+++ FINE PRINT +++
The information sheet has been updated. We usually go through the slightest changes in detail. Sono has now done this itself and summarized and justified all changes. Noice!
A few points are worth mentioning:
The bad news first (page 18): "Since the vehicle's total weight has increased due to the increased battery capacity and the increase in the full length, we can no longer guarantee the initially assumed tow capacity." 1,730 kilos is the new weight of the vehicle, including solar. The "agricultural hook" or trailer hitch itself is definitely set. The adjusted allowed towing capacity will be published later when calculations are completed.
Another mood buster - the range through solar will be revised: Page 22: "The consumption of the vehicle directly influences the exact number of kilometers of the solar range, which we will also adjust with the final consumption values." At that point, I'm relaxed. There will be solar charging, how much exactly will be seen, and there are good engineers on the subject.
"The driver's seat is height adjustable"! I'm glad, and I actually assumed that being there anyway :-). Something like this should be standard today, especially in car sharing.
The reference to the two-year guarantee on the battery has been removed: "We are currently working with our battery supplier to determine which guarantee we can offer you for the battery." It really can't get worse than two years. That's how long a battery always lasts, even without temperature management and capacity reserve.
Battery leasing is off the table. I know there are some who have wanted to lease the battery, and we've discussed it many evenings on the forums - but honestly, the time to lease part of the vehicle is over. With LFP, the battery lives longer than the car. The 3,000 cycles that the new battery should perform correspond to 900,000 km. You will be able to lease, finance, or buy the Sion as a whole (me saying this) - even if Sono doesn't make an offer - there are enough providers who create leasing options for every car.,
+++ 94% NET +++
Sharp calculators have noted that 19 kWh more battery gives - but "only" 50 km more range. There are many reasons for this: an e-car battery also lasts so long because the battery is treated gently. It is never charged to the brim or driven completely empty - both cases cause the battery to age quickly. That is why a buffer is provided "above" and "below." The Q4 E-Tron, for example, has a 55 kWh battery (gross), of which 51.8 kWh net can be used. The rest is a buffer.
With the old Sion battery, an extremely small buffer was originally planned (not to say too little) to scrape out the 255 km range. And consumption was planned very optimistically at the time.
With the new battery, you now had the option of smoothing it out and providing a solid buffer - and you seized the opportunity. 94% net can be used, which is close to what Audi and BMW also offer. That's why it doesn't come out 330 to 360 km, but only 305 km. Consumption is given as 16 kWh per 100 km in the information sheet.
Other factors - such as more weight - also play a role but are of minor importance. The new value - 300+ kilometers of WLTP from a battery larger than 50 kWh, I think anyone can sign with a clear conscience.
Laurin has also announced a few details:
https://twitter.com/LaurinHahn/status/1407963719066435584
+++ YOUTUBE LIVE +++
On June 30, 7:00 pm (CET) there is a question and answer session held in German:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgr6ujQaJITyWAXVrHjGGWQ
And on 30 June, 8:30 p.m (CET) in English:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaJBDRJU7Lys2-zXcURjzbw
If you have any questions - or new ones, you can enter them in the following list:
HTTPS: //app.sli.do/event/ohwbqmmz/live/questions
+++ ROBIN in the HOOD +++
For a while, there was radio silence between Sono and Robin from RobinTV. The folding chair is buried, the battery is fully charged again - and Robin has brought everyone in front of the camera: Laurin, Jona, Matthieu (with fluent German!), Thomas H…. Two videos from Berlin:
The battery is finally bigger - Sono Motors Sion Update:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IM7Ke9ng0RM
What's going on at Sono Motors? Interview with the founder:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSXLs3fpfvY
Robin even dares to tackle the steepest slide of all in the Sono press package - the "If you drive 1000 km in two months, you only have to charge once". As an e-mobility expert, he has to grin himself, bob his feet and add: "I trust the boys and girls completely." Here is the link to the scene:
https://youtu.be/IM7Ke9ng0RM?t=736
+++ TIMELINE +++
Some press reports stated that delivery would be made at the end of 2023. However, this only applies to new reservations because the previous ones utilize the capacity during the ramp-up of production. The timeline is still the same. In principle, it is simple: the design freeze has to work, then the Sion is built according to the plan.
https://twitter.com/laurinhahn/status/1408430153043218434?s=12
++++ JOBS +++
Four new jobs are available this week:
Senior Corporate Business Development Manager
Employee Financial Reporting
Test Engineer Battery Systems
Employee ERP Specialist
https : //sonomotors.com/de/career/
+++ SUMMARY +++
The battery is the heart of every electric car. Behind the larger battery in the Sion are months of preparatory work, cost calculations, construction planning, setbacks, and compromises.
A few are still struggling with whether 54 kWh is even necessary. Over 90% of the Community had a clear opinion on this. I personally think the decision is absolutely right. The Sion is back in the game by now at the latest. 35 kWh may be enough for everyday life. 54 kWh provides security and also allows sharing and power grid stabilization at the same time without being restricted in everyday life.
And the 75 kW peak charging power made possible by the larger battery allows faster charging on the go. Fast charging stations on the autobahn are used for a shorter period of time - so more people can use the infrastructure. There are currently increasing signs that Tesla's superchargers will be opened for everyone in Europe in autumn 2022, and penalties are under discussion here if a station is busy and you load too slowly.
Congratulations to the whole of Team 54 - also on behalf of the Community.
Fun fact: since the top 1 point "range" is now off the table - 85% of the Community want to put their charging cable in the Frunk, i.e., at the front of the charging flap. In one compartment. Front. Just for fun :-)