Sono Sion electric car uses its body as a solar panel

As far as standing out in the crowd of electric cars or electric car startups is concerned, Munich-based Sono Motors wouldn’t have a problem with its Sion electric car that has a body made purely of solar panels.

The body of the Sono Sion has 248 solar cells integrated into it, making it the first car to do so as most solar-powered cars or solar-assisted cars have cells on the roof or the hood, case in point, the Lightyear One. In the Sion, the solar cells are placed all around the body so that some of the cells will always be in the direct path of the sunlight during the day. The Sion can run an additional 34 km per day (5800 km a year) with the help of solar cells.

The main source of power for the Sion is a 35 kWh battery pack that offers a range of up to 255 km (WLTP) in a single charge. Its front wheels are driven by a 120 kW/270 Nm electric motor and the car can reach 100 km/h in 9 seconds and a top speed of 140 km/h. The battery can be charged to full capacity in 13 hours with a 3.7 kW household charger and to 80 per cent in 30 minutes with a 50 kW DC fast charger. Other features of the Sion include 10-inch touchscreen infotainment system, front heated seats, ambient lighting, cruise control, driver, passenger & side airbags, rear parking assistance and more. Two years/100,000 km warranty comes standard.

It is reported that Sono Motors is planning to start production of the Sion in 2022. The company said in January 2020 that it has raised over 53 million euros through crowdfunding. It also stated that it has plans to manufacture a total of 260,000 Sion electric cars over a period of eight years at the Trollhättan plant in Sweden, where Saabs were produced before the brand went bankrupt. Sion is said to be having over 13,000 reservations and has priced at the car at 25,500 Euros (INR 21.25 lakh). Initially, the car will be available to customers in the European Union.