The goal of the Sono Motors tour was to introduce Americans to the concept of solar mobility with the Sion, as well as to generate interest and enthusiasm for a potential future expansion of the company into the USA. According to the Munich startup’s own statements, they met private individuals and business and media representatives in New York, Boston, Detroit, San Francisco, San Jose, and Los Angeles. Visitors also had the opportunity to ride in the vehicle.
Gathering feedback
“In Europe, we’re already seeing great interest in solar mobility. Our goal with this US tour wasn’t just to introduce Americans to the concept of solar mobility, but also to learn what concerns exist, to gauge interest, to build relationships, and to refine our strategy for a mid-term potential market entry in the USA”,
says Laurin Hahn, CEO and co-founder of Sono Motors. He continues:
“The result was overwhelming and consistently positive. Most visitors were impressed by the targeted price, the expected savings, and the extended range provided by solar energy, as well as the car-sharing option. A product promise that resonated strongly and generated significant interest among many visitors. The climate crisis is real, and we all feel its effects now. Moving away from fossil fuels in the automotive industry is more urgent than ever, but people’s mobility must of course still be ensured. We need clean transportation, which is why our mission is to equip every vehicle with solar cells. The solar energy generated by this is the answer, as it enables vehicles greater independence from charging infrastructure. This is not only practical for consumers but also relieves stress on the power grid.”
Production start planned for second half of 2023
In addition to the Sion, Sono Motors also presented the Solar Bus Kit in the USA, a solar retrofit solution for buses as well as other solar solutions for refrigerated trucks, trailers, last-mile delivery vehicles, and many other diesel or electric commercial vehicles that have sufficient free surfaces. The Solar Bus Kit partially powers subsystems such as HVAC, heating, ventilation, automatic doors, and video screens with solar energy.
The Sion is a five-seater solar electric car that will be available in Europe for an expected net price of around 25,000 euros. The production start for the Sion is planned for the second half of 2023. According to the company, it has acquired over 20,000 paid reservations from private individuals and over 22,000 B2B pre-orders for the Sion.
