Munich just got its first solar-powered bus — why arent all buses solar?
Sono Motors technology used in Munich’s first solar bus trailer
Buses get the solar treatment
Today the company is deploying its solar technology as a diesel bus retrofit solution. As Hahn notes, “There are thousands of buses in existence. And they will not be put away tomorrow.” So, the first step is to reduce the diesel consumption of existing bus fleets.
Sono Motors’ solar bus trailer will soon hit the roads in the Munich metropolitan area, offering savings of up to 2,500 liters of diesel per year for a medium-sized fleet of 300 buses. This could lead to an annual local CO2 saving potential of more than 6.5 metric tonnes per bus.
Each trailer comes with 20 semi-flexible special photovoltaic (PV) modules, providing over 2,000 watts of energy to power the vehicles’ battery and electrical loads, such as heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and the trailer’s steering system.
Besides saving diesel, the additional electricity stabilizes the battery’s energy supply. This extends its service life and reduces maintenance costs. The energy generated is monitored online using integrated software.
Sono Motors has already signed more than ten letters of intent and contracts with companies such as MAN, easymile, and ARI Motors since the beginning of 2021.
The Sono solartechnology is suitable for integration into existing vehicles and during the production phase of manufacturing.
When e-buses are factory-equipped with Sono’ssolartechnology, the additional range can be generated immediately through solar energyon the roof and sides.
Hahn explained that this reduces the standstill times for charging processes and protects the battery through a constant charging process. “As a result, the e-bus can operate longer.”
The Sion solarEV is still on track
The company still plans to roll out the solarEV, publishing news of their development progress on their website each fortnight.
Hahn shared, “We’ve been very transparent about our car development, including what’s going well and what’s going not so well.” The company is so far unaffected by the industry’s supply chain woes, but is monitoring the situation closely.
The Sion costs a mere €28,500 ($31,600). The company expects to start production in the first half of 2023. There are over15,000 reservationsvalued at $385 million.
It’s a great day for solar tech, and it’s a great day for the environment.
Story byCate Lawrence
Cate Lawrence is an Australian tech journo living in Berlin. She focuses on all things mobility: ebikes, autonomous vehicles, VTOL, smart ci(show all)Cate Lawrence is an Australian tech journo living in Berlin. She focuses on all things mobility: ebikes, autonomous vehicles, VTOL, smart cities, and the future of alternative energy sources like electric batteries, solar, and hydrogen.
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