Solar technology company Sono Motors presented its latest developments in solar solutions for buses at Busworld Europe 2023 in Brussels this October. The focus was on the Solar Bus Kit, Sono Motors’ complete and efficient solar retrofit solution for buses.
Busworld is considered the world’s largest trade exhibition for buses and coaches. Due to the Corona-related break, this year’s edition is the first in four years. The topics of sustainability and clean energy will also be in the spotlight at Busworld. Public transport in particular has to make great efforts in this area, not least due to legal requirements such as the European Union’s Clean Vehicles Directive. Transport companies are faced with the task of switching from diesel buses to climate- and environmentally-friendly public transport with alternatively-powered buses. However, the transition is long and expensive: among new vehicles sold in 2022, around 70 % still run on conventional combustion engines.
The Solar Bus Kit from Sono Motors can serve as a bridging technology here. It consumes no diesel and produces no CO2 during operation. Bus roofs offer a lot of free space for use as a solar surface; the energy thus generated enables cost- and emission-reduced operation of the electrical systems and relieves the on-board power generator (alternator).
Sono Motors is also working on solutions for electric buses in addition to its Solar Bus Kit for diesel buses. For example, a customized version of the Solar Bus Kit with 14 semi-flexible solar modules was installed on an electrified Mercedes-Benz Citaro from the demo fleet of pepper motion, a specialist in the electrification of new and used vehicles.
In addition to retrofit solutions, solar integration in the course of series production could be another answer to current industry challenges, such as the limited range and charging times of electric buses, as well as rising energy prices for electricity from the grid and diesel.
“As sustainability and clean energy become more of a focus, we want our solar solutions to make an important contribution to reducing CO2 emissions and increasing efficiency. With our Solar Bus Kit, we can demonstrate a simple and cost-effective way to sustainably reduce bus transport emissions. We are pleased to be able to present this solution to the interested trade fair audience,” says Jona Christians, CEO and co-founder of Sono Motors.
