Is This the $25,000 Electric SUV We’ve Been Waiting For? Could a $25,000 Electric SUV Be the Cheapest Electric SUV You Can Buy Soon? The world is going electrified, but let’s face it, the range and price of many SUVs we can buy today limit them. Today, the cheapest electric vehicle you can buy is the Chevy Bolt EUV, at around $26,500. But German startup Sono Motors promises that the new Scion SUV will not only undermine that, but also charge via solar panels. So, could the new (!) solar-powered Sono Sion SUV really be the $25,000 electric SUV we’ve been waiting for?
Is This the $25,000 Electric SUV We’ve Been Waiting For?
What Is The $25,000 Sono Sion And Is It Really Solar Powered?
German company Sono Motors is preparing to sell the new Sion that can be self-charged on the body. The company is now taking orders for Sion and says it has received more than 42,000 reservations. And yes, the company says it should start at $25,000 and seat five in comfort. The company plans to start production of Sion in Finland in the second half of 2023. It aims to produce 275,000 Sion in the next seven years.
It also promises a solar powered car soon.
Sono covered Sion with 456 semi-solar cells. These cells are not as efficient as charging from the network. But the company says it has boosted its 190-mile range by 70 miles per week or up to 150 miles in optional (very sunny) conditions. SUVs have power, which means they can return power to the grid.
What is Sono Motors other than the cheapest electric SUV?
Sono Motors is a German company that has developed partnerships with a company in Finland to produce the Sion. It has a patented polymer-based technology that it uses for its solar panels, according to . But the company has plans that go beyond the funky, all-black compact SUV.
“Our solar solutions aim to enable trucks, buses, trailers and other commercial vehicles to harness the sun’s energy to reduce fossil fuel use and costs without compromising on range — or anything else. “Companies across Europe and the United States are already using or piloting our licensed technology on their fleet vehicles, and we are eager to help more U.S. fleet operators,” Sono CEO Laurin Hahn said in a press release.
In October, the company announced that European bus manufacturers Scania and LLT were testing their solar array for EV buses.
If you’ve been in Los Angeles or San Francisco, you’ve probably seen a prototype of Sion walking around. The car, officially called 3.10, has been affectionately named “Neptune” for this ride. They have appeared in many well-known locations, such as the Golden Gate Bridge and the Nasdaq offices in San Fran.
The tour took her to New York, to Los Angeles, where she found a welcome audience with Whoopi Goldberg.
