Sono Motors Sion
A German automotive start-up has gone
the crowdfunding route to raise capital for the production of several
production-ready prototypes of its electric car, and has exceeded its goal of
raising 150,000 euros for the project.
Munich-based, Sono Motors
announced its crowdfunding plans on Indiegogo for its Sion electric car, aiming
to achieve the targeted sum to begin development work on samples of the car for
crash tests and trial runs. As of September 5, the company had raised nearly
195,000 euros, and looks to be well on the way for now, financially
at least.
The Sion is a pure EV with a battery
capacity of 30 kWh and fast-charge performance with up to 43 kWh, and will have
an operating range of around 250 km on a single charge. Novelty for the
five-door compact hatch comes in the form of integrated solar cells in the body
and a unique self-charging system called viSono.
The latter charges the Sion through
solar cells. With a surface area of 7.5 square metres, these cells generate
enough electricity to give the Sion an additional 30 km of sun-powered travel.
The company says that the Sion will
offer bidirectional charging, which means that not only will it be able to be
charged with electricity, but it can also be a mobile power storage device and
provide electricity – via a household plug, the car will be able to provide
juice for common household electronic devices drawing up to 2,000 watts.
There will be two versions of the Sion
when it eventually makes its anticipated market debut, with first trials being
in 2017. The first is an Urban model with a 14.4 kWh battery and a 120 km
range, and an Extender version with a 250 km range. Tentative pricing is 12,000
euros and 16,000 euros respectively.
Highlights of the Sion include the
ability to seat six, with each seat able to be individually folded down, a
large trunk and a 10-inch display mounted on the central console, which will
allow occupants to connect their apps, music and contacts to the car via Wi-Fi
or Bluetooth via a smartphone.
The crowdfunding journey doesn’t end
with the initial round. Sono says that crowdfunding, angel investors and
venture capital are intended to provide the company with sufficient capital for
the production of the Sion – which will begin deliveries to buyers in 2018 – as
well as help for international consolidation.
