SUVs are frequently associated with gas-guzzling extravagance. The UK’s climate campaigners have even started deflating the tires of these highly polluting cars, whose drivers collectively produce as much greenhouse gas pollution as the seventh-highest producing country. But what if you could operate a solar-powered SUV?
A solar-covered electric SUV is available for presale from the German company Sono Motors, which thinks it will be the first of many of its like.
CEO, we believe it has the potential to become a popular technology.
Telling CNBC, Laurin Hahn. Our goal is to install solar on every vehicle because there is no reason not to. It is quite economical. It doesn’t significantly raise the cost of the car’s bill of materials. Therefore, there is really no excuse for not integrating it.
The car, known as the Sion, is anticipated to hit the European market in the middle of 2023. According to the website, the automobile has a total of 456 half-solar cells, which enable it to travel an additional 70 miles each week on average to its batteries. According to Axios, the cells are integrated into the car’s fenders, hood, rear panels, sides, and roof.
In addition to the solar panels, the car includes a 54-kilowatt liquid-cooled battery that, according to the website, enables it to go about 190 miles on a single charge. At a typical fast electric charging station, it takes 35 minutes to charge the battery to 85% of its capacity.
Read More: Manchin and Biden Argue Over Coal.!
Axios pointed out that you could get away with never using anything other than the sun to charge your automobile if you live in a sunny area and don’t have to travel very far.
According to CNBC, the new vehicle costs $25,000 less than the majority of American EVs. Axios noted that it won’t be qualified for tax advantages in the United States because it was not produced there.
- It contracted Finnish company Valmet Automotive to manufacture the cars.
- It only offers one version of the car.
- It sells it directly online instead of through dealerships.
- It uses only aluminum, not steel.
- It doesn t require any paint because the solar panels supply the color.
According to CNBC, Hahn stated that the business maintained costs low in four different ways:
As long as it’s black, this car is available in any color you like, according to Hahn.
According to Valmet Automotive, there are currently 42,000 reservations for vehicles throughout Europe. And by 2030, they intend to produce 257,000 Sions.
Read More: IRENA Report: The World Is Falling Short of Its Energy Transition Goals.!
According to the Sono Motors website, the car just finished a tour of the United States that included stops in New York, Boston, Detroit, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
Sono Motors explained the rationale for the travel in the statement, “Our aim, solar on every vehicle must be a worldwide effort.” Germany cannot fight climate change on its own. We believe that now is the ideal time to individually engage with individuals working to create a future that is climate-friendly on a global scale.
According to Axios, they are currently searching for ways to offer the vehicle to the American market. Even if other businesses are developing solar-powered EVs, such as the Dutch Lightyear and the Californian Aptera, the Sion is still a significant advancement for EVs.
According to Axios, Wedbush Securities analyst Daniel Ives praised Sono Motors for discovering a potential that other automakers had passed over.
