Climate-Friendly with Solar Power: Continental supports Sono Motors in Development of Solar Electric Car

Continental technologies for the Sion solar electric vehicle (SEV).

Continental is working with German solar mobility OEM Sono Motors on the development of the Sion self-charging electric car, which is to be produced in Finland in the second half of 2023. Continental Engineering Services (CES), the technology company’s in-house development service provider, has made available an extensive portfolio of products and tailor-made developments for Sono Motors. Current series-validation vehicles, for instance, will be equipped with an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) and will be provided with software for torque management, climate control and the energy, charging and thermal management of the powertrain.

In addition, Continental has been working with Sono Motors since 2018 on the Sion’s 120 kW electric motor, the pre-series vehicle control unit, the body control module and the airbag control unit. The Sion is special in that its 456 solar half-cells integrated into the body enable the vehicle to charge its battery with sunlight, adding an average of 112 km per week of driving range to the car’s battery.