The Munich-based start-up OEM Sono Motors has released video footage of its Solar Car SION completing handling and comfort suspension tuning and road load data acquisition. The car is now undergoing durability testing in Spain. It is being tested at the Applus IDIADA test track to complete the accelerated durability test cycle on the proving ground in various rough road conditions, equivalent to 150,000 km of customer usage.
The company says the tests will confirm the complete vehicle's structural durability as part of Sion's extensive and uncompromising test program. The program involves 18 complete cars and several bodies-in-white in the U.S., Germany, Sweden, Italy, and Hungary.
Sono Motors tests a fleet for various homologation-relevant aspects throughout the Sion series validation. The company has wrapped the car to save money and entirely focus on the main objective of this test vehicle, which is to perform accelerated structural durability testing.
The solar cells' durability has already been and will be further tested on both component and whole vehicle levels in several tests, e.g. during hot and cold weather testing. By the start of production, the company says it will have conducted hundreds of thousands of test kilometers to ensure the Sion offers maximum safety and reliability for their customers.
According to Sono Motors, the Sion is the first series-produced car that can additionally charge its battery using solar power. The Sion is equipped with a 54 kWh battery, which corresponds to a total range of up to 305 km. Additional range is also provided by the solar panels, seamlessly integrated into the body of the car. These can harness the sun's power and generate up to 245 km (average 112 km) per week of additional range at peak. Furthermore, solar charging will be available whilst driving to enable the most efficient use of daylight hours.
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