Sono Motors has further developed its electric car with Sion solar modules and presented it at the virtual CES. The second generation of prototypes differs from the first in that all straight and curved outer parts of the vehicle are equipped with solar panels, the company announced. High-quality surface materials and the near-series dashboard should give the vehicle a modern look.

The Sion should be for 25. 500 Euro come onto the market. The solar modules should extend the range of the battery (71 km according to the WLTP standard) in favorable weather by up to 34 km per day.

” We found a way to provide sustainable, free energy across various forms of transport by replacing the traditional painting process with integrated solar technology, “explains Sono Motors CEO Jona Christians. The solar technology from Sono is cheaper, lighter and more efficient than conventional glass solar cells.

Parts for series production Overall, Sono Motors built into the current Sion prototype parts that are intended for series production. These either come from series suppliers or are near-series components. This includes the electric drive unit, the chassis and the MPPT Central Unit (MCU) successfully implemented.

Series design of the Sion electric solar car (36 Pictures) In January 2021 Sono Motors presents the second generation of prototypes, …

The control units in the car now communicate with the app and the infotainment, for example for live tracking of solar energy, keyless entry, opening the loading flap or checking the temperature and lighting mood in the interior. Sono Motors has also presented the first prototype of a photovoltaic trailer for trucks, which it produced together with the Finnish solar manufacturer Valoe.

Patent on body parts with solar panels Sono Motors explains the principle of its technology in a September 2019 published patent. In a classic body construction, cladding elements on a structurally load-bearing frame, it can be complex to integrate solar cells. If solar cells were attached to the outside of the trim parts, they could protrude from the outer contour and adversely affect the aerodynamics of the vehicle. In addition, it is usually expensive to integrate solar cells into the body and it may be difficult to replace them, for example if they have been damaged.

The patent relates to a body part with a frame component and a trim part arranged on it with an airtight and watertight recess and a solar cell embedded in it. In this case, the outside of the cladding part has, in addition to the solar cell, a three-dimensionally curved external shape, which in turn forms part of a vehicle external contour. The cladding part can have a comparatively much smaller structurally load-bearing portion. With an appropriate connection of the cladding part to the frame component or an appropriate selection of material for the cladding part, the cladding part could possibly take higher structural loads.

(anw)