A German automotive start-up has gone the crowdfunding route to raise capital for the production of several production-ready prototypes of its electric car, and has exceeded its goal of raising 150,000 euros (RM684,000) for the project.
In July, Munich-based Sono Motors announced its crowdfunding plans on Indiegogo for its Sion electric car, aiming to achieve the targeted sum to begin development work on samples of the car for crash tests and trial runs. As of September 5, the company had raised nearly 195,000 euros (RM889,000), and looks to be well on the way for now, financially at least.
The Sion is a pure EV with a battery capacity of 30 kWh and fast-charge performance with up to 43 kWh, and will have an operating range of around 250 km on a single charge. Novelty for the five-door compact hatch comes in the form of integrated solar cells in the body and a unique self-charging system called viSono.
The latter charges the Sion through solar cells. With a surface area of 7.5 square metres, these cells generate enough electricity to give the Sion an additional 30 km of sun-powered travel.
The company says that the Sion will offer bidirectional charging, which means that not only will it be able to be charged with electricity, but it can also be a mobile power storage device and provide electricity – via a household plug, the car will be able to provide juice for common household electronic devices drawing up to 2,000 watts.
There will be two versions of the Sion when it eventually makes its anticipated market debut, with first trials being in 2017. The first is an Urban model with a 14.4 kWh battery and a 120 km range, and an Extender version with a 250 km range. Tentative pricing is 12,000 euros (RM54,700) and 16,000 euros (RM73,000) respectively.
Highlights of the Sion include the ability to seat six, with each seat able to be individually folded down, a large trunk and a 10-inch display mounted on the central console, which will allow occupants to connect their apps, music and contacts to the car via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth via a smartphone.
The crowdfunding journey doesn’t end with the initial round. Sono says that crowdfunding, angel investors and venture capital are intended to provide the company with sufficient capital for the production of the Sion – which will begin deliveries to buyers in 2018 – as well as help for international consolidation.
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Looks like almost zero front and back bumper protection.
Those protruding headlights right on the edges will be expensive to replace even during light collisions.
please not with this design
With our abundant sunlight throughout the day, this is a perfect car for Malaysia!