The United States and China may be at the forefront
of electric vehicle startups, but that doesn’t mean other countries are
standing still. Take Germany, for example. There is another
German-based startup called Sono Motors that builds an electric vehicle that
charges its battery using solar power.
It’s called the Sion and it comes in at a similar
starting price to the e.Go Life — € 16,000 (US$ 18,100), excluding
the battery pack (which the customer could rent/lease or buy it outright). The latest episode of Fully
Charged takes a close look at the Sion, an awkward-looking vehicle that is
pretty clever though. It integrates solar cells no only into the roof but also
on every reasonably flat surface of the car: the bonnet, the doors, the rear
fenders, and the tailgate.
Sono Motors claims the Sion’s 35 kWh battery offers
a range of 255 km nder the WLTP standard. In Germany, the company
estimates the Sion could generate up to 30 kilometers of
additional range per day, just by being parked in the sun.
The total number of 330 cells can generate a maximum
power of 1,204 watts with 24 percent efficiency. And since it features
bidirectional charging technology, the Sion can draw, store and share energy —
as demonstrated in the video where the car powers a coffee maker.
Another interesting thing about the Sion is that it
comes with a natural air-filtration system called “breSono” that features moss
integrated into the dashboard. According to Sono Motors, the system uses
electrostatic gravitation to filter up to 20 percent of particulate matter out
of the air.
Finally, the electric motor that delivers 120 kW
(163 PS) and 290 Nm (of torque ensures the Sion is no slouch.
The car can reach a top speed of 140 km/h and sprint from 0 to 100
km/h in under 9 seconds. Head over to the video to learn more about
this intriguing electric vehicle from the makers themselves.
