Sono Sion: the electric people carrier that recharges itself

This is not the first time we have talked about the Sono Sion, which is making headlines again because, after several initial prototypes, the German brand has now revealed what the final version of its unusual electric car will look like.

We say unusual because it is a model with no equivalent on the market: a people carrier bodywork under 4.5 metres long and a distinctive system made up of 456 photovoltaic cells spread across the entire surface of the bodywork, which allows the Sion to recharge itself without needing a plug.

According to the brand, the first estimates suggest that with this solar panel system the Sono Sion could generate enough energy to travel between 110 km and more than 200 km a week, depending on conditions.

Solar charging… and reduces the need to visit a charging point

Sono Motors says that compared with a similar car, its Sion, thanks to this system, could cut the need to plug in by up to four times when recharging its batteries while used in the city, compared with an electric car of similar size and battery capacity.

Of course, the “solar charging” system of the Sono Sion is a supplement. The car is powered by a 163 CV electric motor that draws energy from a 54 kWh liquid-cooled battery. It can be recharged with alternating current at up to 11 kW, and with direct current at up to 75 kW.

It allows a range of more than 300 km to be claimed, and offers bidirectional charging, a feature we have already seen on cars such as the Hyundai IONIQ 5 or the Kia EV6, and which will become increasingly common in electric cars.

On the Sono website, German customers can already reserve the Sion, priced at 30,000 euros. Production will begin in 2023, and it is not yet confirmed whether it will also be available to buy in Spain in the future.

A solar panel kit for buses

Alongside the Sion, Sono Motors has also presented a solar panel kit designed to be compatible with public transport buses used in most European cities. The solar panels in this kit, which cover roughly eight square metres, are fitted to the roof and can generate 1.4 kW of energy, which can be used to partly power vehicle systems such as heating or air conditioning.

According to Sono Motors, these panels would allow a standard 12-metre bus to save up to 1,500 litres of diesel a year, equivalent to CO2 emissions of four tonnes. In the future, Sono Motors wants to extend its solar panel technology to other vehicles such as vans and trucks.

Sono Sion image gallery