Solar powered cars are the thing of the future, right? Or if not the future,  then at least something that we will not see in mass usage for at least ten or more years.  At least  that’s what we thought .

But it seems that two European car manufacturers have decided to raise the bar to another level  and announced that new Solar Car prototypes  will be available for mass production by the end of 2019. What is even more surprising – at a reasonable price .

The two manufacturers are two startups, Dutch startup called Lightyear, and the German manufacturer Sono Motors. Sono Motors  already stirred the waters in 2018 by announcing  that their product “Sion” solar powered car will be available for purchase in 2019 – and they sure delivered.

We know that solar powered cars are still distant future here in the US (unless you are planning to import them directly from  Europe ), but this news are more than encouraging.  After all, the solar power is on the rise right now and if Solar Car performs well in Europe and shows enough demand, there is no reason that we can not have our own brand of solar cars in next few years.

So, while we are waiting for that miracle to happen (and for the snow to melt) let’s kill some time and check out this “solar car power race” that is going on in Europe right now. Without further delay, we present you with the two European Solar Cars (both available for preorder), their specs and of course – the price.

Sono Motors and “Sion” – Solar Car from Germany

Sono Motors is Munich-based company that started as a crowdfunding project in 2016. They already had the first successful test drive through Europe in 2017 and a successful launch in 2018. For this year they announced that they are ready for mass production.

Their product, Sion, is first mass-produced solar-powered electric car that can charge its battery using solar power. Sion has 330 solar cells attached to the vehicle’s roof, bonnet and sides and the battery system will offer a range of around 155 miles  before it needs recharging. This solar car can be charged in 3 different ways: from its solar panels,  from standard power outlets and from other solar cars.

According to the carmaker’s statement,  Sion solar car will be able to generate enough energy for a 19 miles recharge per day from those panels.  This solar powered car is available in two models: Urban and Extender.  Urban has a range of about 75 miles on a single charge, while Extender is a Premium version and is offering around 155 miles per charge.

The exterior really stands out, all black – with black solar cells located on both sides, the roof, the rear, and the hood.  Even with solar cells, car itself is lightweight and its exterior is primarily made  of highly durable polycarbonate. The interior is, in true German fashion,  designed to be clear–cut and straightforward. About solar cells themselves, Sono Motors is using monocrystalline silicon cells for their solar modules, and the total of 330 cells can generate a maximum power of 1,204 watts of energy.

Additional details:

Battery: Sion solar car is using lithium ion battery which has a capacity of 35 kWh.

Air Conditioning: Inside the car, one unusual feature is the addition of moss which acts as air purifier to filter out dust and other particles, using electromagnetic charge.

The car also has bidirectional charging which means that its energy can be used both ways,  from charging your phone to powering your electrical camping gear, for example.

And the price? Fairly reasonable considering that we are talking about a ground breaking technology.

Sion, a solar powered electric car from Germany, is available for pre order for a price of about 18,000$  (16,000 euros), battery not included.  With the battery the full price would be about 28,000-30,000 $ in total depending on battery type.

It seems that this price is more than acceptable for German and European byers, since Sion has more than 9,000 preorders so far.

Sion solar car, both by its price range, trunk size and abilities sounds like a perfect solution for a family car, that can also help save environment. Sounds like a real German super star. We will see if it will meet its expectations.

Lightyear One – Dutch Solar Car made for Luxury

Lightyear is a Dutch company that was founded in 2013 by a group of students. Their products – “Stella”  and “Lighyear One “ are solar powered cars with a Dutch passport. Since its first appearance,  the Lightyear company  has already won some prestigious awards for their solar cars,  such as  TechCrunch Crunchie in 2015 (San Francisco ) for Best Technology Achievement (where Stella defeated Apple, SpaceX, and Blockchain as best technological breakthrough, and a Climate Change Innovator Award  for 2018, where their Lightyear One utterly beat the competition.

If both Sion (Sono Motors ) and Stella (Lightyear)  are designed to be a family friendly solar cars, then Lightyear One is a car that you can drive on a red carpet.  And save the planet while you are at it.

Lighthyear One is their pride and joy (the name says it all) and it is not cheap either. It starts at staggering 140.000 dollars (119.000 euros), tax excluded,  as a starting price for its Pioneer Edition (limited first 100 series). It is available for pre-order and the delivery date is the beginning of 2020.

The model is also available at a reduced price, but at a later date, at the end of 2021.

What makes Lightyear One so special among solar cars?

Mostly – its range and power. While Sion is offering 155 miles on average per single charge, Lightyear One can boast with a minimal range of 248 miles  and a maximum range of almost 500 miles  per charge, all depending on the type of battery. This is almost 4 times the power that Sion has to offer. Hence the price.

Lightyear One possesses an extremely powerful battery, which once it’s charged, offers you a smooth ride of almost 500 miles at any weather, even during the night. Lighyear One solar car is offering all three standard charging options (sunlight, standard household power socket, standard EV charging point) plus an additional EV fast charger as a convenient option.

The charging time is also a work of art.  For 1 hour on a household power socket (3.7 kW) you will charge enough energy for 25 miles, and if you choose EV fast charger (75 kW) you will be getting  full power for 500 miles (850 km) in that single hour!

The design of course, speaks for itself. We were not kidding when we said that this car belongs on the red carpet. It is almost a shame that is not available the US. But if you are in Europe and you want to go solar first class then this is the way to go.

With those two cars soon to be on the roads of Europe the future of solar is looking brighter than ever. And we can only imagine the innovations that we will have in years to come. Let’s hope that in a few years we will be able to join this solar car race as well.

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