Sion, a compact electric car — propelled partly by solar energy — is set to go into production soon, and this could not only give a big boost to clean energy efforts in the automobile sector… but also see the launch of an affordable car in Europe!
The design of the Sion, the car to be made by German electric vehicle (EV) start-up Sono Motors, was unveiled in the recent past at a company event in Munich.
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| Sion would be partly powered by solar energy -- Source: Greencarreports.com |
The Sion is partly powered by solar energy and soon (maybe within five years), we may see fully-solar-powered vehicles, which would slash car prices and this could lead to mass market car sales going up substantially.
After all, a fully-solar-powered car would neither need petrol or diesel (the prices of which are surging) nor batteries (for EVs), which could cost a whopping Rs 700,000 or more (at current prices).
But this partly-solar would depend on how much solar…if the car can be driven 50 per cent of the time in solar mode — while travelling 100 km (62 miles) — it would be commendable as the technology is still nascent now.
This concept of powering a passenger car with solar power isn’t new. There have been a slew of unsuccessful attempts in the past. This includes a prototype built by General Motors (GM) during the 1950s.
This car wasn’t successful and engineers then had come to the conclusion that solar power isn’t suitable for everyday driving. This is because of limitations in energy storage, conversion as well as the weather.
But now, we are not only talking about a partly-solar-powered car, the Sion, but an affordable one too.
Sono plans to resolve this issue (of solar energy not being suitable for cars) with a hybrid strategy. And, to maximise energy output, solar panels surround the Sion fully other than the windows.
The Sion’s exterior can be seen covered with over 450 solar half-cells, which, under normal weather conditions, allows up to 112 km (70 miles) of driving range every week, the company claimed.
However, for the purpose of long-range driving, the car comes with a 54 kWh lithium-ion phosphate battery, which paves the way for 305 km (190 miles) of driving range on a single charge.
In fact, in totality, the Sion’s driving range can be compared to the Tesla Model 3 (Standard range).
In the case of Sion, the USP is that its solar power alone could cater to most of the daily driving requirements. In Munich itself, the headquarters of Sono, Sion’s solar cells would provide 33 km (20 miles) of driving range.
That is enough for most car owners in Europe, who drive less than 34 km (21 miles) a day (on an average). This is unlike the US, where the daily driving distance is much more (48 km or 30 miles) on an average.
Sono said it has set aside over 19,000 reservations for the Sion in Europe itself, which implies $424 million in potential revenue.
The Sion could be priced around the $25,500-mark, making it among the most affordable EVs in Europe. It would slug it out with the likes of Chevrolet Bolt.
Other companies in the fray to roll out solar-powered electric vehicles include Netherlands-based Lightyear as well as US-based Aptera Motors.
The prices of these cars could be over $100,000 and would be for a different segment altogether.
At $25,000 plus, Sion, the car partly powered by solar energy, could be on the expensive side if it comes to India, as it would be priced around Rs 20,00,000 (Rs 20 lakh) (current prices) and we also have to wait and see how much solar powered the car will be.
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