Add-ons for World’s First Solar-powered Car

The Sion from Sono Motors is an electric car with a range of up to 305 kilometers, that charges itself through the power of the sun.

Sono Motors, a Munich-based automotive company, used Wikifactory to incubate and develop some key interior components of the company’s Sion car, the world’s first solar-powered electric vehicle. The car costs approximately €25,000 (~$29,407).

The primary goal of the project was to enable a hardware development ecosystem that leveraged input from the community while relying on open-source development. This spring, Sono Motors held an online challenge on WikiFactory and invited designers, engineers, crafters, and creators to build cost-friendly vehicle add-ons using additive manufacturing technologies via the Wikifactory platform. Designers were asked to develop add-ons to the car that would provide creative solutions to challenges faced in day-to-day vehicle use.

The Results

As a result of the project in collaboration with Wikifactory, users collaborated and developed a variety of add-ons. For example, the grand prize winning design is the Sion Powerplanter which allows you to track your car’s charging status via your mobile phone. Runners up prize goes to the Sion Phone Holder and the Student Prize goes to the Sion Essentials Toolkit. Designers used additive manufacturing and gave them the opportunity to design with industry experts on real-world problems, get feedback on your designs, and win prizes.

Find out more about this project and WikiFactory.

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Viewpoint articles are tech-focused editorial from the CAD industry.