From breakthrough inventions like solar roads and solar paint to Tesla’s hyped-up solar roof, this is an era where everything seems to be capable of generating energy from the sun’s rays. Another compelling example comes by way of German startup Sono Motors, which has just unveiled Sion, the solar-powered car born of a $650,000 crowdfunding campaign last year.
The campaign’s success allowed the company to develop the prototype, which has 330 shatterproof, weather resistant solar cells embedded in its roof and sides. Under the right conditions, the Sion can self-generate enough energy to cover about 18 miles—hardly enough for the average round-trip commute, but potentially workable for urban drivers.
Additionally, Sono plans to sell a battery with a range of 155 miles that can be bought outright or rented on a monthly basis. Other notable features include a panel of air-filtering moss built right into the dashboard and bidirectional charging capability to turn the car into a power station for other devices.
The Sion is priced at €16,000 (around $19,000) and preorders are now open. While deliveries won’t happen until 2019 at the earliest, the company is in the meantime organizing a series of public test drives across Europe from August to October.
Via: Inhabitat