cadalyst
Sponsored Content
Collaboration

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

10 Sep, 2021 By: Aaron Arnold

CASE STUDY: Sono Motors used Wikifactory’s Workspace to hold a friendly competition to develop add-ons for its solar electric car.


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.


More News and Resources from Cadalyst Partners

For Mold Designers! Cadalyst has an area of our site focused on technologies and resources specific to the mold design professional. Sponsored by Siemens NX.  Visit the Equipped Mold Designer here!


For Architects! Cadalyst has an area of our site focused on technologies and resources specific to the building design professional. Sponsored by HP.  Visit the Equipped Architect here!