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Sono Motors: Bavaria botches the "official car of a better world"

It had become apparent: The Munich start-up cannot get the Sion on track or financed and decides to focus on the solar sector. However, the end of the fantastic vision of a "better automobile" also raises questions about why politics in Germany does not support such a project, whereas well-off plug-in hybrid drivers, fossil-fueled SUV company car users, giga-factories of billionaires, or financially strong large corporations on short-time work are supported. 

When the cars wear mourning: VM editor was connected to the Sion from the very beginning because it corresponded so perfectly with the concept of VISION mobility (and started almost simultaneously). He hoped for a breakthrough for the visionary rational car - because it proved that automobile mobility can also be more environmentally friendly. What a "Black Friday"! And yet: This is how a Green Car should look. Demonstrating this is a lasting achievement of the Sono creators. | Photo: Sono Motors
When the cars wear mourning: VM editor was connected to the Sion from the very beginning because it corresponded so perfectly with the concept of VISION mobility (and started almost simultaneously). He hoped for a breakthrough for the visionary rational car - because it proved that automobile mobility can also be more environmentally friendly. What a "Black Friday"! And yet: This is how a Green Car should look. Demonstrating this is a lasting achievement of the Sono creators. | Photo: Sono Motors
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Johannes Reichel

It had unfortunately become apparent that financing the development and production of an automobile is almost impossible for a start-up. At least Sono Motors tried to develop an "official car for a better world," so to speak, the "Bionade among mobiles." And the unpretentious, pragmatic, and essential-focused concept for people who have no desire for the "worship of the golden calf" but are looking for an efficient, environmentally and human-friendly means of transport at an affordable price is still impressive. Combined with range-boosting solar technology, the sharing concept anchored through their own app, the V2G technology thought of from the beginning, consistent recycling and raw material concept, sustainable "right sized" instead of "oversized" battery and charging technology, and a price under 30,000 euros, it would have become a remarkable "people's car" for the new era in terms of product, something Volkswagen has not managed to achieve to this day.

Just to make the relation clear: The Sion, as large and spacious as a VW Touran, would have cost 14,000 euros less than a VW ID.3. And the last pre-series vehicles of the Sion drove really well: mature and serious, not a rickety or compromise vehicle. Incidentally, the second lively Munich-based e-car start-up ACM also failed with an even more radical downsizing and minimalist approach with its Fiat-Panda-like van City One with portable suitcase batteries, which aimed for a purchase price of just 10,000 euros: A high triple-digit million amount was missing for further development.

It repeatedly shows: Ideas and a visionary concept are one thing. But industrialization is a completely different story, and numerous much more financially strong companies have already cut their teeth on it. Tesla also went through the "production hell," as Elon Musk candidly put it, before even achieving larger scaling with the Model 3. Well, nowadays the Tesla boss can choose his locations based on the amount of government incentives. Motto: Who offers (me) more?

The still down-to-earth and unpretentious founders of Sono Motors are not entirely wrong with their accusation against politics: When considering how many billions of euros the still brilliantly earning automotive industry was supported with during the short-time work phase, how much money flows into research projects of volume manufacturers, who are highly resourceful in fund acquisition, not to mention the years of indirect promotion of outdated technology or hopelessly oversized vehicle concepts through company car, diesel, or tax privileges, commuter allowances, or the insane PHEV funding, or even the settlement incentives for renowned US car manufacturers, who would never have come to Grünheide without plenty of government money.

Quite honestly: Half a billion euros of taxpayers' money would have been better invested in Sono to help a German manufacturer with a revolutionary idea get on wheels - location promotion in the best sense. Words almost fail to come to mind.

Therefore, finally, an unusually personal word: We at VM have accompanied the unconventional and environmental project from the beginning with great sympathy, almost from the garage, when a dismantled Renault Twingo made the beginning. All the more we regret that it will come to nothing with the "Better-Mobile from Bavaria." And we hope that the second pillar that the makers wisely set up years ago will at least carry parts of the company into the future. The idea and the vision would certainly deserve it. Today, not just the Sion wears "black," but an entire vision of "more sustainable automotive mobility made in Germany."

Translated automatically from German.
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