What if your electric vehicle (EV) could power itself" That?s a question that automotive startup Sono Motors hopes to answer with Sion, the world?s first solar-powered passenger EV. 

Between the new technology and a proposed price tag that would be extremely affordable for many buyers, the company has generated a lot of interest around the world. However, Sono recently announced that it had fallen short of its funding goal, threatening the chance that Sion would make it to market. Now, the German company has reached out to potential buyers to raise those funds directly.

The Sono Motors Sion Is an Ambitious Solar-Powered EV

The EV sector is one that is tied closely with technological innovation. But Sono Motors? plan for the Sion is ambitious, even by the standards already set by the forward-thinking, feature-rich vehicles that it hopes to compete with.
The headline-worthy technology is, of course, the car?s ability to use solar power to charge the battery directly. Sion features 330 photovoltaic cells mounted onto the body of the vehicle, capable of producing 1208 watts at peak. This means that the solar cells could power the Sion for 21 miles (34 km) of driving under ideal sunny conditions in Central Europe ? where Sono Motors is based ? and about six miles (10 km) per day in an average year.

Yet solar energy is not the only way to charge the vehicle. The Sion EV also comes with a standard combined charging system (CCS) with a Type 2 plug, which is...