German solar electric car Sion will charge while driving

A start-up company from Munich is taking advantage of the strong Bavarian sun this summer to conduct final tests of the power supply system for its Sion model, an electric vehicle that charges while driving through solar cells, writes Autoblog.

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Although Germany is unlikely to achieve its targeted level of a total of one million electric cars on its roads by 2020, the government announced in April that it is ready to support companies that produce batteries for electric vehicles.

Sono Motors, founded in 2016, is developing the Sion model, which is a fully electric vehicle with solar cells integrated into the body. The Sion can be powered by solar energy, through conventional power outlets, or other electric vehicles.

Production is planned to start in the second half of 2019 at a German factory. Sono currently has about 5,000 orders. Sales of the vehicle priced at 16,000 euros will begin next year.

The Sion will have 330 solar cells mounted on the roof, hood, and sides of the vehicle, and its battery system will provide about 250 km of driving range before recharging.

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“The vehicle has seat heaters, air conditioning, and notably a large information system that can interactively connect to a phone. This means it is truly a complete vehicle, very simple and without unnecessary parts,” said Laurin Hahn, founder and CEO of the start-up.