Sono Motors Germany has rolled out the Sion, a production-ready and affordable minivan that you can charge from a wall socket and the Sun itself.
The body of the car contains 456 built-in half-cells, adding 35 km (21.7 miles) to the range of the solar car on sunny days. A 54-kWh traction battery on board yields another 270 km (167.8 miles).
The assembly will begin in the second half of 2023, the company says adding that the entry spec will cost you mere €25,100. While quite affordable, it still exceeds the preliminary estimate of €16,000 by a wide margin.
The developer of the tech ensures buyers that they will be able to repair and maintain the car themselves in most cases using instructions provided by the manufacturer.
Using a fast charging station (CCS, or Combined CS) will let you replenish 80 percent of the charge in 35 minutes or 100 percent in 59 minutes. Plugging the car into a standard Euro power socket will get it up to 80 percent in 12.5 hours. Opting for a faster Type 2 home charger will reduce the 0-80% time to four hours and 0-100% to five hours.
The EV can use a special charging terminal called Sono Wallbox to supply its spare power to external appliances. It comes powered by a three-phase electric motor rated at 163 PS (161 hp / 120 kW) that accelerates it to 100 km/h (62 mph) in nine seconds flat and tops out upon reaching 140 km/h (87 mph).
The interior has room for five and two digital displays on the front panel – the dashboard and the infotainment system. Included in the base spec are a single-zone climate control unit, heated front seats, power windows, a reversing camera and more.