The Sono Sion was scheduled to start production in Finland in the second half of 2023, with a claimed price as low as $25,000, including EU incentives. It has been a standout idea and a potentially disruptive product from the start as it aimed to employ every body panel as a solar panel<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sono Sion electric car solar panel placement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Sono started in 2016 and raised more than $600,000 with the claim that it could bring a \u201cfamily friendly car\u201d providing up to 25 miles a day on solar only to market for about $18,000. The Sion made its prototype debut<\/a> in 2018, with a production-bound version<\/a> shown a year later. The vehicle was originally due to be made in Trollhattan, Sweden\u00a0<\/p>\n Through that and some innovative technology for capturing the very low-voltage charge coming from the solar cells most of the time, Sono claimed solar could bring up to 152 miles per week\u2014adding to the estimated 190 miles from its LFP battery pack. It also configured the Sion for bidirectional charging tech and the capability for it to become a mobile home-power bank<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sono didn\u2019t give a clear picture of entirely why it\u2019s dropping the program so close to launch, but funding is the obvious answer. It pointed to \u201cdepressed capital market conditions\u201d and the resource-intensive nature of the Sion program.\u201d The company is laying off about 300 employees as part of the decision.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sono Sion and solar kit for city buses<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Sono has already said that its solar solutions, which include a solar retrofit kit for semis and buses<\/a>, will allow it to enter the U.S., Europe, and Asia\u2014markets for which Sono would have faced costly regulatory barriers in attempting to bring its passenger vehicles. Last year it took that tech on a U.S. tour focusing on fleet operators.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cFleet operators can benefit from integrating Sono Motors\u2019 technology to save fuel, costs, and CO2, thereby contributing to the fight against climate change through a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions,\u201c the company explained.\u00a0<\/p>\n With the change, Sono announced that it is shifting to a \u201ccapital light\u201d business model, as 90% of its funding in 2023 was related to the Sion program.\u00a0<\/p>\n The company made 18 vehicles as part of a series-validation program, and it says that it served as \u201cproof that the concept of a solar electric vehicle (SEV) world.\u201d<\/p>\n Sono just earlier this month announced that it has completed some crash tests of the Sion<\/a>, reporting that the panels \u201cbehave as predicted\u201d in a collision.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"Sono](\"https:\/\/images.hgmsites.net\/lrg\/sono-sion-electric-car-solar-panel-placement_100747366_l.jpg\" "\\"Sono")
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