Plug In Plus Solar....a solution for the future ?

Germany is the home of Sono Motors and their Sion electric car….but the Sion is a special kind of electric car with built in solar panels on the roof, the bonnet and around the car.

With solar, power is where you park it, or at least were the sun shines…

Sono Motors, the makers of the Sion say:

With solar cells seamlessly integrated into the entire body, the Sion can easily charge its battery through the sun. Thus, under ideal conditions, up to 34 kms of additional range per day can be achieved with pure solar energy - CO 2 neutral and completely free of charge. This means full self sufficiency on short distances. For solar integration, we use monocrystalline silicon cells that produce energy even under cloudy skies or in the shade. At peak performance, the integrated cells can generate up to 1.2 kilowatts. 

Also, thanks to the bidirectional charging technology, the Sion can draw and store energy and, moreover, share it too. A regular household plug (SchuKo) can be used to power all common electronic devices with up to 3.7 kW. The Sion can deliver even more power when using a Type 2 plug. You will be able to power other electric cars and high-voltage devices with up to 11 kW. Combined with viSono, the Sion can be your power plant on wheels.

We at VroomBuzz think this is all wonderful….BUT…. the solar power effectiveness is, of course, totally dependent on Mr. Sunshine. In Winter the boost from the solar power can go down to less than 5kms. Having said that, all praise to Sono Motors as a small start-up producer they need to take credit for their creativity and engineering ability. We look forward to driving the Sion later in the year. In the meantime we hope solar technology will advance so that we can all look forward to the use of dual-powered cars in the future. If you want to know more look at www.sonmotors.com

The Sion from Sono Motors based in Munich.