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Hours after posting its Q3 2022 results, Sono Motors CEOs and cofounders Jona Christians and Laurin Hahn offered a public statement outlining the financial struggles of its Sion solar EV program, which now teeters on the edge of being scrapped so the company can focus on its revenue-generating B2B solar technology business. Before it gives up however, the Sono team has launched a 50 day campaign called #saveSion which implores its community of reservation holders to commit to a solar EV purchase to help kick off a 12-month journey to get the Sion into production.

Today’s news is particularly disheartening since we have covered Sono Motors for several years now, as it has progressed from garage prototypes to a series validation Sion solar EV which debuted this past summer, complete with its most sleek solar panel technology yet.

To date, Sono has approximately 21,000 direct-to-consumer orders for the Sion, in addition to about 22,000 B2B orders. In six short years, the solar EV company has not only built a production-intent mass-market solar EV but also a community of fans and potential customers across Europe.

Although the company’s B2B solar technology business continues to flourish, the Sion program has stumbled recently, to the point that Sono may have to abandon it altogether in order to survive. But the fight is not over. Sono’s robust reservation book shows there’s a clear appetite for its solar EV, and its cofounders are humbly leaning on that community to help bring the Sion to fruition.

Purchase commitments that include robust down payments from potential customers over the next 50 days could at the very least, give Sono enough time to acquire additional funding to deliver the Sion by 2024.

Today, Sono has launched the #saveSion campaign.

Sono Motors

Sono Motors leaves Sion’s fate in hands of its community

Following today’s Q3 financials showing great progress with its B2B solar business, the Sono Motors cofounders released a public statement sharing the recent struggles of the Sion program, relaying a situation in which equity financing has become increasingly challenging:

Sono Motors has achieved important operational and commercial milestones throughout the year. These include signing promising partnerships in our solar business and presenting our first Sion series-validation vehicles. At the same time, financial markets have experienced a negative downturn, with many tech companies losing up to 90+% of their respective market cap, and shares in mobility tech companies have been hit particularly hard. As a result, financing our Sion program through equity has become increasingly challenging and dilutive. Raising money takes much longer than expected, since we failed to explain to investors why the Sion has the potential to become the world’s first affordable solar-electric vehicle and that there is a huge demand for it.

Rather than simply abandon its solar-powered child immediately, Sono is launching one last ditch effort to (partially) solve its current financial dilemma in the form of a campaign it hopes will go viral and bring enough of its reservations to fruition to keep Sion development going.

The start-up explained that its roughly 21K private reservations equate to about 465 million euros, in addition to another 600 million euros in potential revenue from business commitments. Of those approximately 43,000 reservations in its backlog, Sono looks to receive payment on just 3,500 of them over the next 50 days to #saveSion.

In 2019, the start-up launched a crowdfunding campaign that raised over 50 million euros in 50 days, but this latest plea for financial support from its community of solar believers comes at a much different time. Sono Motors is now significantly larger, the Sion is further along, and Sono has a separate solar business pillar it can prioritize. All that said, 3,500 sales of a 25,000 Solar EV remains the target, but will only get Sono so far. Per the release:

Developing a car usually costs up to 1 billion euro. We’ve come close to pre-series with spending less than half of that money. #saveSion is our non-dilutive solution for funding the majority of the Sion program and the first part of a broader funding strategy for the next 12 months, which includes of course the capital markets. We believe we will be able to continue to acquire more funding and continue to pay the remaining machinery, tooling, and production setup to achieve the planned pre-series production in 2023 and make it to SOP in the first quarter of 2024.

Sono is offering those reservation holders who commit to a Sion purchase a discount of up 3,000 euros – the more you put down as a down payment, the more you save on the final price. Those committed customers will only be held to payment if and when the 50-day campaign proves successful.

Should the community funding raise fail, Sono Motors says it will turn its attention entirely to its B2B solar business. The company states its current and expected liquidity should allow for a pivot to solar tech only, so the start-up itself is not in dire straits. However, the fate of the Sion is certainly in peril.

Reservations can currently be made in 27 different European regions, but unfortunately, US consumers cannot join the movement. You can learn more at the #saveSion dedicated page.

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A wind farm in Texas will help power Rivian’s Adventure Network

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A wind farm in Texas will help power Rivian's Adventure Network

Rivian will power its DC fast-charging network with renewable energy company RWE’s Champion Wind farm in Texas.

The two companies just signed a 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA) for electricity from RWE’s repowered Champion Wind in Nolan and Mitchell counties, west of Abilene.

The 127-megawatt (MW) Champion Wind is getting new turbine nacelles and blades, which will extend the wind farm’s lifespan. Originally commissioned in 2008, the wind farm is expected to be fully upgraded by mid-2025. When the wind farm is back online, it’ll be capable of generating enough electricity to power nearly 1 billion miles of renewable driving every year for Rivian, or the equivalent of powering 36,000 homes annually in Texas.

This wind power is set to support Rivian’s DC fast-charging Adventure Network with renewable energy. Rivian has set a specific goal to enable 7 billion miles of renewable driving.

Paul Frey, Rivian’s VP of propulsion, charging & adventure products, said, “Champion Wind is a powerful enabler for Rivian drivers to become active participants in building a cleaner grid every time they charge their vehicle. This project shows the potential to meaningfully decarbonize the grid and support a more circular economy through reuse and recovery of existing infrastructure, all while maintaining highly competitive economics.”

Siemens Gamesa is supplying 41 turbines with new nacelles and blades on existing towers. The nacelles and blades are being manufactured in the US. In addition, as part of the repowering project, six new Siemens Gamesa turbines rated at 3.1 MW each will also be added to the wind farm.

The decommissioned wind turbine blades from Champion will be repurposed. RWE is working with REGEN Fiber, an Iowa-based company that recycles wind turbine blades to make reinforcement fibers for the construction industry. Those fibers are then used in concrete to add strength and durability, extending the lifespan of infrastructure.

RWE is the third-largest renewable energy company in the US.

Read more: This renewables giant is going to use wooden wind turbine towers


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Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisers to help you every step of the way. Get started here. –trusted affiliate link*

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Rivian offers $3k discount to buyers switching from a gas car, with a catch

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Rivian offers k discount to buyers switching from a gas car, with a catch

Rivian is bringing back its “All-Electric upgrade offer” from now until November 30th, but with some changes to the program.

Earlier this year, Rivian offered $1k-$5k off a new Rivian if you trade in an old gas car, from April to June. The offer was available for specific vehicles, and with a sliding discount scale based on which Rivian vehicle you order.

Now the program has come back, but with quite a few changes from the previous version.

As of today, October 31, if you buy a new Rivian R1T or R1S new inventory vehicle from the R1 Shop, you can get a $3,000 discount if you also prove that you own or lease a qualifying gas-powered vehicle.

This is simultaneously simpler, more lenient, and more restrictive than the previous offer, in various ways.

First, the discount is a flat $3k (or $4,100 CAD), rather than having a scale based on what model you order, which is more streamlined.

Second, the discount applies to every gas or hybrid vehicle owner – you don’t have to trade in your vehicle, and you’re not limited to a specific list of vehicles. Just prove that you own or lease a gas car (copy of registration, proof of insurance, etc), and you get the discount.

However, third, it’s more restrictive as to what vehicles you can purchase. The current offer applies only to Rivian new inventory vehicles in the R1 Shop, and excludes demo vehicles, pre-owned vehicles, or custom build vehicles. It also does not apply to Rivian’s base Dual Standard models, but everything else is fair game.

In order to qualify, you need to place your order between today and November 30, and you must take delivery of the vehicle before December 31. Check out all the specifics of the offer on Rivian’s site here.

Electrek’s Take

Rivian is clearly trying to round out its yearly numbers with this offer, as the market for pricy cars is somewhat soft with increased interest rates. It just slightly lowered its annual delivery guidance, now planning to see roughly similar deliveries this year than last.

But its R1 vehicles just got a huge refresh to help the company with costs and to offer new features. The R1S is still one of the most popular high-priced vehicles in the US, and the company’s products earn universal acclaim from owners.

The interesting thing is that Rivian had a similar offer earlier this year, before the refresh, to help clear out inventory of older vehicles. It didn’t see it fit to offer the discount last quarter, perhaps buoyed by the updated model, but after a rough Q3 of deliveries it now brought the offer back.

Rivian is still guiding to reach a slight gross profit in Q4, though we’re sure we’ll hear more about that in its upcoming quarterly earnings next week.

If our coverage of Rivian has helped inform you about the brand, feel free to use our Rivian referral code to get 6 months of free charging or 750 Rivian Rewards points with your purchase.


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Hyundai Casper EV Cross spotted for the first time with new design upgrades [Video]

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Hyundai Casper EV Cross spotted for the first time with new design upgrades [Video]

Hyundai’s new low-cost EV is getting a bold design upgrade. The Hyundai Casper EV Cross was spotted for the first time in public, revealing new design elements.

Although we knew a rugged “Cross” variant was headed to Europe, this was the first time the domestic model was spotted with an upgraded design.

Hyundai unveiled the Inster EV Cross earlier this month, giving the electric city car an off-road new look.

The Inster EV is Hyundai’s overseas version of its domestic Casper Electric model. In Korea, Hyundai’s Casper EV starts at around $20,000 (27.4 million won). Hyundai said its new EV can be bought for under $8,000 (10 million won) with subsidies.

In Europe, it starts at under $27,000 (25,000 euros). The Cross variant is built for “those looking for an EV with a more adventurous look,” Hyundai said.

Although it offers the same versatility as the standard model, the Inster EV Cross gains rugged design elements, including new front and rear bumpers, black claddings, skid plates, a roof rack, and more.

Hyundai-Casper-EV-Cross
Hyundai Inster EV Cross (Source: Hyundai)

Here’s our first look at the Hyundai Casper EV Cross

After a rugged new variant with the Casper EV logo was spotted in Korea for the first time, a Cross model is expected to debut shortly.

The new video from HealerTV reveals added design elements, including the roof rack and more aggressive black trim.

Hyundai Casper EV Cross spotted for the first time (Source: HealerTV)

The reporter notes that the Hyundai Casper EV Cross has a “much more mechanical and futuristic feel than the existing model.”

It almost appears “robot-like” with an added off-road feel. The Inster EV Cross gets up to 223 mi (360 km) WLTP driving range. In Korea, the Casper Electric is rated with up to 195 miles (315 km) driving range.

Hyundai-Casper-Electric
Hyundai Casper Electric (Source: Hyundai)

Although Hyundai Casper (Inster) EV is not expected to launch in the US, the low-cost model was spotted driving in California for the first time this month.

In the meantime, off-road fans can get in line for Hyundai’s upgraded 2025 IONIQ 5, which will be available with a rugged XRT trim. The 2025 IONIQ 5 XRT model was also recently caught testing ahead of deliveries.

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