Technology company Continental is working with German solar mobility OEM Sono Motors on the development of the Sion self-charging electric car, which will be produced in Finland in the second half of 2023.
Continental Engineering Services (CES) makes available a wide portfolio of products and customized developments for Sono Motors. The current series-validation vehicles, for example, will be equipped with an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) and will be provided with software for torque management, climate control and the energy, charging and thermal management of the powertrain. .
In addition, Continental has been working with Sono Motors since 2018 on Sion’s 120 kW electric motor, the car’s pre-series control unit, the body control module and the airbag control unit. The Sion is special because its 456 solar half-cells integrated into the body enable the car to charge its battery in sunlight, adding an average of 112 km per week of driving range to the car’s battery. It will extend an approximate 305km distance of Sion’s 54 kWh LFP battery.
The Sion can also be charged at public charging stations and at a household socket. Thanks to its bidirectional charger, the car is also able to charge other electric vehicles if necessary after a software update.
“We are particularly committed to sustainable mobility solutions and are therefore pleased to work on a climate-friendly and exciting mobility project with Sono Motors. The Sion is unique for its kind: an electric vehicle that can also run on self-generated electricity from solar energy,” said Dr Christoph Falk-Gierlinger, managing director of Continental Engineering Services.
“By working with an experienced partner like Continental, we have made rapid and decisive progress in our development. Continental shares our enthusiasm for new vehicle development methods and supports us to fully and safely map our customer needs,” said Laurin Hahn, CEO and co-founder of Sono Motors.
Lots of Continental tech at work
The current series-validation vehicles of Sion are available or will be equipped with the following: a customized ADAS system, including multifunction camera, long-range radar and rear-view camera, a comfort control unit, software for the central control unit for the powertrain (vehicle control unit, VCU), software for climate control and thermal management of the electric motor, passive start and entry system and start/stop button.
Many of Continental’s technologies have helped achieve milestones in the course of Sion’s development. At the beginning of the collaboration, CES conducted a threat analysis and risk assessment (TARA) at the general vehicle level. Based on this assessment, cybersecurity and privacy goals for the car and passengers are established. In addition, a specific process for identifying, evaluating and mitigating risks at the level of the electronic control unit has been developed for Sono Motors. This TARA assessment at the overall level of the vehicle and electronic control unit is essential for all additional cybersecurity activities.
As a next step, a proven driver assistance system from Continental was adapted to the needs of Sono Motors. This will enable the Munich-based company to comply with the European Union’s stricter road safety regulations for the production approval of new vehicles (General Safety Regulation, GSR), which comes into effect in 2022. .
Sono Motors, the Munich-based solar mobility OEM, is behind one of Germany’s most exciting startup stories. The company was founded in 2016 by friends Laurin Hahn, Jona Christians and Navina Pernsteiner, who developed the idea of a solar electric car together with their studies. What started with solar cells in an old used car in a small garage led, thanks to the Sono Motor community and established partners such as Continental, to the debut of the first series-validation cars in Sion in 2022. Sono Motors says that the start of production for the Sion is now planned for the second half of 2023 through a contract manufacturer in Finland. As of September of this year, more than 20,000 private reservations have been made for Sion.
