The Sono Sion is the first solar‑powered MPV | FOS Future Lab

So what is it? To appearances, a slightly rough-around-the-edges MPV-style vehicle with a funky paint job. Get up close and you realise it’s a patchwork of sun-sucking solar cells, which Sono claims has the potential to add 150 miles of free range per week in the sunniest conditions. On average, you should see 70 miles of ‘free’ added range a week.

Of course, that’s nowhere near enough for real-world operation, so its 54kWh battery can be charged at up to 75kW on a DC charger and up to 11kW on AC home charging. In other words, it’ll fill up overnight on your driveway with ease. Total range is estimated to be around 190 miles, which isn’t huge in the grand scheme of electric cars, though you can be comfortable in the knowledge you’ll be getting back to your car after work every day with 10 to 20 extra miles of range than when you left it.

In terms of performance, the electric motor provides 163PS (120kW) and 270Nm (199lb ft), making for 0-62mph in nine seconds and an 87mph top speed. Not exactly pulse-raising figures, but perfectly respectable for a day-to-day car.

Though the car is yet to be type approved in its home Germany and is only just entering validation prototype testing, Sono has announced an entry price equivalent to £21,300. Volume, along with clever cost-effective engineering will be the key to that, with over 19,000 deposits taken already according to Car Magazine.

It’s not just at the source that the Sion is expected to be cost conscious. Sono claims that ‘DIY is back’, with standard equipment parts replaceable by the user without the need for much prior knowledge. Even so, a workshop handbook is being published in order to give buyers their best chance of getting jobs on the car done themselves. Obviously, as a high-voltage electric car, repairs involving larger body parts of the powertrain will be handled by European service providers.

What about the looks? It’s a fairly conservative and safe design, which in turn helps inform that low price. No crazy shapes with complicated expensive moulds here. It’s also entirely possible the design will change for production in the latter half of 2023, so watch this space.

The inside is a bit more formed, with a largely basic layout with two screens for the driver’s display and infotainment. The centrepiece in the cabin, and quite a concept car-like piece at that, is the backlit panel of Icelandic Moss – yes really – spanning the dashboard. Otherwise it’s a practical, conventional car with seating for five, heated seats for front passengers, climate control, Isofix and more. Sono is also pushing its ride-sharing service for reducing costs even more, accessible via its app, allowing you to allocate how much energy you want others to be able to use.

So what do you think of the Sono Sion? In a car market where the cheap small car is getting ever larger and more expensive, to the point that it doesn’t really exist anymore, the Sion could be a breath of fresh air. We very much hope it takes off.

Welcome to FOS Future Lab where we report on the latest visions of future technology. We'll be boldly covering flying cars, hoverboards, jetpacks and spaceships with plenty of down to earth topics in between.