From pv magazine Germany
Sono Motors GmbH, a German electric car manufacturer, has revealed that it has secured 43,000 orders for its Sion electric cars to date, contributing to potential net sales of €1 billion ($1.06 billion). However, CEO Jona Christians has acknowledged that the company still has yet to raise enough money to actually produce the solar cars.
“We failed to raise enough money. We failed to explain to investors why the Sion is truly needed and that there is a huge demand for it,” Christians said in a statement. “To make matters worse, we are living through multiple global crises, causing most investors to avoid taking risks and look toward more mature companies. They are telling us to not build the car, to restructure the company, and to lay off 70% of our people. To refund the community and to disregard the Sion and our reservation holders. But, for us, this simply can’t be an option.”
By the end of January, the Munich-based startup wants to offer customers €3,000 discounts via a dedicated “#saveSion” booking campaign, as long as they pay for their cars in advance. With full down payments, the company will reduce the price tag to €26,900.
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Sono Motors first publicly presented its plans for the Sion solar electric car in 2017. It also offers photovoltaic solutions for buses, e-vans, and refrigerated vehicles. It initially aimed to start production in 2023.
However, the financial downturn has hit the share prices of many tech companies – especially mobility specialists. As a result, many potential investors have advised the company to focus on the less capital-intensive business-to-business space.
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I saw your company tonight for the first time. I was very impressed with your idea, of solar along with plugin, to get the extra millage electric cars need! Keep up the good work for, us and the world!
have they though about selling stock in there company to gain the capital they need. I would be interested in investing into the company.
That would be awesome, though I’ll believe it when I see it. No matter how many miles I drive in a year, even in the PNW, if I parked it outside, I probably would never have to charge. Or do some ridesharing and maybe make some money from it (though then I’d have to charge, of course). Either way, I hope products like this become more popular and help improve solar panels (or make them cheaper)!