Forget All That Marketing Nonsense, the New Sono Sion Will Fill Up With Juice Just Sitting There

People get very upset at the thought of self-charging cars. In the comments, it has become a battleground with both sides hurling poorly written opinion grenades with furious abandon.

Although petrol hybrid drivers have more or less hijacked the term, we still have very different images in our minds. We saw a demonstration in Amsterdam or similar, where an electric Volkswagen Golf ran through a car park looking for a free parking space and then plugged itself in. Whatever happened to this fancy technology? It could save every electric vehicle driver a week of lost time spent wandering around car parks and plugging in.

Perhaps most people think of this when they hear the term ‘self-charging’, whereas the reality is more akin to a Toyota Corolla with a small battery that charges when you step on the brake. Hence the raging disappointment.

But there is an electric vehicle on the way that charges itself miraculously and that you can show off to friends, acquaintances and strangers. The Sono Sion (not to be confused with the Japanese filmmaker Sion Sono) has 456 photovoltaic cells seamlessly integrated into its body. Its makers claim that it covers about 70 miles every week on its juice in Munich’s middle of the year.

That’s every electric car driver’s dream. If you lived in a sunny place, you could enjoy an extra 150 miles of range that you do not have to do anything for. Except maybe find a south-facing parking space. That’s the only thing that beats charging while driving.

The Sion is built by German start-up Sono, launching its new car via a crowdfunding campaign. The electric car is not quite ready yet, but Sono expects it to be on the market by 2023. Do not be in a hurry, guys.

The Sion will initially be available for the impressively low sum of €28,500 (a little less than £25,000), with the cost kept down by selling it as a single-vehicle. So you can get it in any colour you like, as long as it’s a matte black. But that does not mean the equipment has been skimped on – you get heated front seats, air conditioning, cruise control, a rear parking camera and a 10-inch infotainment display with Apple and Android.

The tech features are equally exciting – the Sion has a 54-kWh battery with a range of 190 miles and a 50-kWh CCS charging station. The sockets are bi-directional, meaning you can power the car with up to 11 kW or even charge another electric vehicle. The top speed is 87 mph, and the sprint from 0 to 62 mph takes about 9.0 seconds.

But of course, there’s always bad news – and in this case, the car is not coming to the UK. It’s always sunnier on the other side of the Channel, etc. Best have another look at the old Toyota Corolla brochure.

Best Self-charging Electric Vehicle – Sono Sion

Price: £25,000
Range: 190 miles
Engine: 161hp electric motor
Battery: 54kWh
Top Speed: 87mph 0-62mph: 9.0sec
Boot Capacity: 650 litres
Number of RHD Models Built: 0

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