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Sono Motors unveils a new and improved production design of its Sion solar EV

by Scooter Doll

During its inaugural “Celebrate the Sun” community event held in Munich, Sono Motors debuted the production design of its upcoming Sion solar EV.

Not to be outdone, Sono Motors followed up with an additional world premiere, unveiling its new “Solar Bus Kit” that can be retrofitted on existing city buses to help reduce carbon emissions.

Sono Motors is a German automotive startup founded in 2016 that focuses specifically on solar electric vehicles and solar cell technology. Through an integration of proprietary solar panels into the exterior of its flagship Sion SEV, it can gather an additional 70 to 150 miles of range per week from the sun alone.

It’s been a long but progressive journey for the Sion, which began as a project out of a garage by cofounders Laurin Hahn and Jona Christians. We at Electrek first covered the Sion in its first iteration when it was still being crowdfunded.

Since then, we’ve since seen a second generation prototype and upgrades to the battery, not to mention several partnerships to integrate Sono’s solar technology into other vehicles, as well as bidirectional charging solutions for the home.

This past spring, Sono shared that its Sion solar EV had entered its series-validation phase, consisting of thirty-seven SEVs, some of which are full builds and some just body-in-white for testing purposes. Out of these series validation vehicles, a production design has emerged.

As Sono Motors celebrates the sun in Germany, it has officially unveiled its latest upgrades to the Sion solar EV as it moves ever closer to series production.

Sono unveiled the revamped solar EV to a crowd of over 2,000 in Munich, during its inaugural “Celebrate the Sun” event. The weather in the mid-90s (℉) and record highs throughout Europe can serve as a timely and sobering reminder of climate change, echoing the need for sustainable solutions like solar EVs louder than ever.

Continue reading to learn more about the new and improved design of the Sion solar EV, watch the production version unveiling video, and read Electrek's Take.