Sono Motors, a photo voltaic electric-vehicle producer in Germany, has stopped its Sion passenger automobile improvement program, as a result of it did not get sufficient funding to help pre-series manufacturing. It says it can now focus completely on retrofitting and integrating its patented photo voltaic expertise into third-party autos.
Sono Motors has determined to finish the event of Sion photo voltaic electrical autos, in order that it might deal with a capital-light, “solar-only enterprise.” The Munich-based firm, which went public in November 2021, stated on Friday that it was shedding 300 staff as a consequence of a change in its enterprise mannequin. COO Thomas Hausch additionally stepped down from his publish.
The corporate’s choice to finish the Sion program seems to have been pushed by the excessive prices of its marketing strategy, mixed with the “depressed state of the capital market.” Sono Motors stated that roughly 90% of the funding wants for 2023 are devoted to the photo voltaic automobile program.
Sono Motors first publicly offered its plans for the Sion photo voltaic electrical automobile in 2017. The Sion is being marketed because the world’s first reasonably priced photo voltaic EV, with a price ticket of round €25,000 ($26,375).
The outer shell of the Sion has 456 monocrystalline photo voltaic half cells to extend the time between expenses and allow itself on brief journeys. Its 54 kWh lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) battery will enable a most charging capability of as much as 75 kW (DC) and 11 kW (AC). The automobile additionally has an 11 kW, on-board bidirectional charger.
Nevertheless, pre-series manufacturing of the Sion remained elusive, as Sono Motors repeatedly did not safe ample funding. In December, it launched the #savesion marketing campaign to supply prospects a €3,000 low cost in alternate for advance funds. It goals to safe €100 million.
Sono’s plan is to begin manufacturing of the Sion automobile in Finland within the second half of 2023. Nevertheless, “given the resource-intensive nature of the Sion program, together with personnel necessities, the corporate is at present implementing the a major value discount program,” it stated in an announcement.
“This was a tough choice and regardless of greater than 45,000 reservations and pre-orders for Sion, we have been pressured to answer the continuing monetary market instability and streamline our enterprise,” stated Laurin Hahn, the CEO of Sono Motors.
The corporate says the success of the 18-vehicle series-validation program proves the viability of its photo voltaic electrical car idea. For this reason it can proceed to make use of its proprietary polymer-based vehicle-integrated photo voltaic expertise, however solely by retrofitting and integrating the tech into third-party autos.
It additionally plans to market its Zion program. Along with the passenger automobile program, it can supply PV options for buses, e-vans, and refrigerated autos. It’s going to launch its Photo voltaic Bus Package retrofit answer within the second half of 2023, the corporate stated on Friday.
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