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Sono
Key facts
- Models
- 1
- Starting price
- 29,900 €
- Best range (everyday)
- 260 km
- Body styles
- Steilheck
About the brand
- Founded
- 2016
- Headquarters
- Munich, Germany
- Ownership
- Independent; in insolvency since July 2026
History
Sono Motors was founded in Karben in January 2016 by Laurin Hahn, Jona Christians and Navina Pernsteiner, and later moved to Munich. The Sion solar car was largely financed by the company's own community of supporters, and in November 2021 the parent company listed on Nasdaq. In February 2023 Sono ended the Sion programme and became a supplier of vehicle solar technology. On 31 July 2026 the company ceased operations and filed for insolvency again.
EV strategy
Sono's idea was a car that generates part of its own electricity while driving, from solar cells built into the body. After the Sion was dropped, that technology moved to buses and commercial vehicles as a retrofit kit for existing fleets, and in early 2025 it received German type approval. Since the summer of 2026 the technology has been up for sale (as of August 2026).
Good to know
- The community funded the Sion twice: 2.3 million euros in 2016 and 53.3 million euros in 2020.
- When the Sion programme ended in 2023, around 50 million euros in customer prepayments had to be refunded.
- In early 2025 the solar technology received German type approval, a good eighteen months before the company folded.
Sources:en.wikipedia.orgde.wikipedia.orgelectrive.netpv-magazine.de
