Save Sono Motors! German solar car maker is begging for money

Do you remember the Sono Motors Sion? This is a compact electric car with solar panels that Autovisie was allowed to drive in 2018. The affordable hatchback should have been on the market long ago, but lack of funds killed it.

That doesn’t mean things are going badly for Germany’s Sono Motors. The company has another branch that is very successful in solar technology. But the car business is not going as hoped.

Sono Motors Sion is about to be delisted

Founders Jona Christians and Laurin Hahn say the Sion is close to delisting so the company can focus on its revenue-generating business-to-business division.

But Christians and Hahn don’t want to give up and have therefore started a #saveSion campaign. They hope to raise enough money in fifty days to put the Zion into production.

According to their own statements, 43,000 reservations for the car

According to Christians and Hahn, 43,000 private individuals and business customers have reserved a “solar car”. They are now asking potential buyers to commit and pay a deposit within the next 50 days.

Financing the Sion project increasingly difficult

Financial markets are showing a negative trend, they wrote in a statement, with some tech companies losing more than 90 percent of their market value. “This makes it increasingly difficult to finance our Sion program.”

Sono Motors says it needs 3,500 people to make an upfront payment. With the money raised, the company can prepare for series production. Customers who register their purchase receive a discount of up to 3000 euros.

Sion with solar modules for an additional range of 112 km

The Sion costs around 25,000 euros in Germany. It has a 54 kWh battery with which it can achieve a range of more than 300 kilometers. Its solar panels deliver an average of 112 additional kilometers per week.