Munich-based Sono Motors, creators of the Sion solar car, is buying more time to survive by extending its #savesion campaign until the end of February 2023. “As talks with potential investors are in progress”, the founders announce in a press release and a video.

So far, they have managed to secure 47 million euros of the 100 needed from over 8 600 community members and other sources. Dark winter clouds obscure the future of solar car start-ups, as Dutch Lightyear is also struggling to keep its head above water.

Seeing 5 000 people in 50 days

Jona Christians and his friend Laurin Hahn, the co-founders and CEOs of German Sono Motors, say in the video they spoke to over 5 000 people in 13 cities over the last 50 days since they kicked off the campaign.

Reservations for the Sion solar car now total more than 44 000, including 21 000 private reservations with deposits, of which 1 500 joined last two months. Add to that around 22 000 non-binding B2B pre-orders, which in total would represent a net sales volume of about €1 billion, assuming that all result in sales.

Recently they also secured €1,46 million in funding from the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) to advance the development of the company’s proprietary solar technology. But still, the non-disclosed potential investors who have to cough up the additional €53 million to keep the company afloat “need more time”.

Against all odds?

That’s why the two young entrepreneurs desperately keep on trying and decided to prolong the campaign until February 28th for the time being. They believe it is still possible to find new investors and pay for the remaining machinery, tooling, and production set-up to achieve the planned pre-series production in 2023 and make it to a high-volume start of production in 2024. Against all odds?

Sono Motors presented the Sion in 2017, and the manufacturer has been able to record over 21 000 pre-orders with a €500 down payment for this car, listed at €29 000 in Germany (VAT included). It’s not in production yet. Manufacturing would start in 2023 at the former Saab plant in Trollhättan, Sweden, with deliveries in 2024.

The Sion is a five-seat family car with solar cells integrated into the roof and the hood. It has a liquid-cooled battery with a capacity of 54 kWh, which enables it to drive up to 305 km on a single charge. The solar panels add 112 km to that range on average, up to 245 km per week, they claim.

Now the Sion is threatened in its very existence before the first production car is built. After releasing the SVC2, the second generation prototypes, Sono Motors, which grew to 418 staff in a few years, says “it is well underway with a fleet of its successor, generation 3 or series-validation vehicles.”

Pricey Lightyear 0

At least the Sion is intended to be a more ‘affordable’ solar car than the Dutch Lightyear 0, which was to be offered at a whopping €250 000 euros. The Lightyear 0 went into production last November at subcontractor Valmet in Finland at a rate of one unit per week. The aim was to build 946 vehicles in total, a referral to the length of a lightyear, 9,46 trillion kilometers.

The Dutch solar carmaker now says that it is forced to cease production of its high-end solar car 0 to secure the development and planned arrival of the more accessible 2, for which it has opened a waiting list and targets production at the end of 2025.

For the 40 000 euro prized Lightyear 2, the company managed to attract 40 000 orders from private buyers, while leasing company Arval signed for 10 000 units and LeasePlan 20 000.