Photo: Sono Motors
The last time we checked, Tesla had received 1.5 million reservations for the Cybertruck. At $100 a pop, that has made the company earn $150 million without delivering a single vehicle since presenting the prototype on November 21, 2019. Sono Motors now offers a similar situation with the Sion, the company’s first solar car. According to the startup, it has already made €40 million ($39.6 million at the current exchange rate) from reservations alone.
The company did not disclose that precise number, but it was easy to calculate with the information Sono Motors provided. The startup revealed that it had received 20,000 reservations for the Sion, which the company expects to become the first solar for the masses with a price tag of €25,126 ($24,877). On average, Sono Motors received €2,000 ($1,980) for each reservation: there you have it.
For that money, the Sono Sion will offer its buyers a vehicle that is 4.47 meters (176 inches) long, 1.83 m (72.1 in) wide, 1.66 m (65.4 in) tall, and has a wheelbase of 2.83 m (111.4 in). That makes it equivalent to the Peugeot 3008, which starts at around €30,000. In other words, Sono Motors expects to sell its solar electric vehicle for less than Peugeot manages to sell its C-segment crossover.
The Sono Sion will have a 54-kWh LFP battery pack that will give it a 305-kilometer (189.5-mile) range under the WLTP cycle. Although LFP cells are more affordable and safer than ternary batteries, they are still expensive.
Remember that the Sion has 456 “seamlessly integrated solar half-cells” in its body. They can give the car an average of 112 kilometers (69.6 miles) of solar range weekly in Germany. Sunnier places can get up to 245 km (152 mi) of range per week if you always park it outside.
All things considered, it will be impressive if Sono can sell the Sion for €25,126 and still make a profit from them. Valmet Automotive will manufacture the solar car in Finland, and deliveries are expected to begin in the second half of 2023. We have no idea why it will take so long for them to start, but further development and Valmet’s capacity to start production probably have something to do with that.
For that money, the Sono Sion will offer its buyers a vehicle that is 4.47 meters (176 inches) long, 1.83 m (72.1 in) wide, 1.66 m (65.4 in) tall, and has a wheelbase of 2.83 m (111.4 in). That makes it equivalent to the Peugeot 3008, which starts at around €30,000. In other words, Sono Motors expects to sell its solar electric vehicle for less than Peugeot manages to sell its C-segment crossover.
The Sono Sion will have a 54-kWh LFP battery pack that will give it a 305-kilometer (189.5-mile) range under the WLTP cycle. Although LFP cells are more affordable and safer than ternary batteries, they are still expensive.
Remember that the Sion has 456 “seamlessly integrated solar half-cells” in its body. They can give the car an average of 112 kilometers (69.6 miles) of solar range weekly in Germany. Sunnier places can get up to 245 km (152 mi) of range per week if you always park it outside.
All things considered, it will be impressive if Sono can sell the Sion for €25,126 and still make a profit from them. Valmet Automotive will manufacture the solar car in Finland, and deliveries are expected to begin in the second half of 2023. We have no idea why it will take so long for them to start, but further development and Valmet’s capacity to start production probably have something to do with that.
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