I need a bit of help/advice.
I've been looking at EVs quite a lot these past months. Our Opel Combo CNG is now 10 years old. We had another one that couldn't get through the motor vehicle test because of a speck of corrosion on the CNG tanks two years ago, which essentially amounted to total loss (I sold it to some Bulgarian car dealer for 700 euros). We then bought the same model in January 2017, which didn't have any corrosion on the tanks (yet).
The next motor vehicle test is due next January, and so I was thinking that maybe it was a good time to buy an EV before that, also because incentives are still good now in Austria, but I'm not sure what will happen next year.
The problem is that there aren't any models that suit our situation, or that are similar to what we have now. There's the Renault Kangoo (similar to Opel Combo), but I don't trust Renault, and the Kangoo doesn't have much of a range, charges slowly, and you have to lease the battery (my initial reaction is I don't like that, but maybe I'm wrong).
There's the Nissan e-NV200/Evalia, which is a bit too big, doesn't have quite the range I'm looking for, even with the battery upgrade to 40 kWh (160-200 km, winter-summer), and it is quite pricey (35-40K euros). So far, the Hyundai Ioniq appeals to me most, at around 30K for 250 km range, but it's probably still a tad too small (for the 1-2 times a year we drive to either Croatia or The Netherlands for a holiday/family visit).
Actually, a small car would be fine, because - aside from the holidays - we drive at most 125 km on a single day (when I have to bring my daughter to basketball training, which unfortunately she can only do in Graz). So I looked for a small EV with a towing hook, figuring we could tow a small trailer on holidays, but there aren't any models with a towing hook (because of the batteries).
And that's when I ran into this car/prototype: the Sion from
Sono Motors.
I actually knew about the car because it had been mentioned here by Sig, when the presentation of the car went somewhat viral, mostly because of the solar modules plastered all over the car. The story is sort of classical and goes as follows: Young Germans come up with idea, build a prototype in their garage, do crowdfunding, build two better prototypes, show them all over the country (and parts of Europe) to get at least 5000 pre-orders (minimum 500 euros pre-payment), so they can get enough partners to build the cars and start delivering in 2019.
They have actually managed to do all this, with 5712 reservations so far, and a serious partner company called ElringKlinger AG building the batteries for them. They're now looking for or in talks with a partner that has a production line to build the cars for them.
Pros (for me):
-It's exactly the right size for my family. We probably wouldn't even need a towing hook, but it's optional.
-The range of 250 km is also optimal for us.
-They say the car will be V2G-ready, which appeals to me.
-There's a normal socket in the car, which means I can work while my daughter plays basketball or whatever.
-I like the solar panel gimmick (maximum extra 30 km per day), even though it's not entirely clear if the car gets charged while driving (when it's sunny), or only when it's parked.
-It's a minimalistic car, that uses readily available parts from other manufacturers (cheaper), and a manual comes with it, which means you should be able to do some of the repairs yourself. You get to be much more independent than when buying a car from a traditional manufacturer with dealerships etc.
-People who have driven it are very enthusiastic.
-The price tag is
only 16K euros without 35 kWh battery, and 20k euros battery included. They might even upgrade the battery, but have promised a range of at least 250 km.
Cons (for me):
-If the solar panels don't charge the car while driving, I don't really need them, because I have a PV array on my roof.
-Some other gimmicks, like special moss for air filtering, is entirely superfluous IMO.
-Will the car have many problems? And if yes, how will that be solved?
-But the most important doubt factor: Will they be able to deliver? It's all very cute and they're milking the millennial feel-good aspect for what it's worth, but I can't help but notice the amateurism as well in the videos I've watched so far. It reminds me a bit of myself when I took on a project to build sustainable low-power computers 10 years ago. You try to act like you're a real company and you say your goal is to change the industry, but you're actually some douchebag tinkering in a bedroom.
-A lot is still unclear as of yet, no guarantees whatsoever. On the other hand, they do have 40 people working for the company, they have the partnership with ElringKlinger for the batteries, and partnerships with other serious companies for the LED car lights and software, they have working prototypes, and almost 6000 people have ordered one.
So, do I hope my Opel Combo CNG gets through the motor vehicle test in January and then holds out until 2020 when we may get a Sion? This is also highly uncertain, of course, and means one can lose the 500 euros prepayment.
Or do I buy an EV (Ioniq, Evalia) in the coming months? Or a small (second-hand) one and then rent a car for the holidays?
I had to drive a lot this year because my daughter could no longer play basketball in our town and had to move to a club in Graz, which plays on the national level as well, and so we had to drive to various parts of Austria during some weekends.
I feel disgusted with myself every kilometre of the way, because I'm totally fed up with burning fossil fuels (even if CNG is better/less bad than petrol). I don't know if I can or want to wait another two years.
