Sono Motors will in the future offer its solar panels under the brand name SonoSolar. The renaming is intended, according to company information, to mark its position as one of the leading providers of solar elements for manufacturers and operators of commercial vehicles. The Munich-based start-up, founded in 2016, which develops solar panels for commercial vehicles to reduce fuel consumption and thus CO2 emissions, had parted ways with the parallel-running project of a solar-powered electric car for the mass market ('Sion') in 2023. As a subsidiary of Sono Group, the name Sono Motors remains legally in place, but outwardly the company will appear with its products under the designation Sonosolar, according to the company report dated August 5, 2025.
With this step, the company aims to sharpen its profile and emphasize its exclusive focus on solar technology for mobility, it continues. The message is: Sonosolar provides high-quality solar technology for fleet operators and vehicle manufacturers. In this way, innovative solar solutions would be advanced in the mobility sector. The solar panels consist of thin, flexible solar elements of various sizes, which are mounted on the exterior or on the roofs of vehicles to contribute to reducing fuel consumption by supplying additional power when the sun shines.
Georg Zurmühl, Head of Commercial at SonoSolar, explains the renaming:
„With the renaming, we want to make our ongoing development visible and push the term ‚Solar‘ to the foreground relative to ‚Motors‘
— after all, we have not been manufacturing motor-powered vehicles for quite some time. Instead, we stand as a leading provider of solar solutions for the automotive industry. The new brand name and the logo reflect this change while still maintaining the connection to our groundbreaking beginnings.”
Solar energy for every vehicle
At the interface of solar technology and mobility, SonoSolar develops and supplies, according to its own information, easily integrable solar systems for use across all vehicle categories: vans, buses, trucks, trailers and long-distance coaches. The offering includes, in addition to solar modules adapted for the automotive industry, for example solar charge controllers for low- and high-voltage applications, digital solar data services, flexible and customized integration concepts and
complete retrofit systems.
With the solutions, SonoSolar aims, in addition to reducing emissions, to contribute to lowering total cost of ownership and increasing energy independence—without having to compromise on design, weight or performance. The concept prompted the European Commission at the start of 2023 to boost the concept as part of Europe’s decarbonisation, with generous funding.
Das Geschäftsmodell von SonoSolar ruht auf den zwei Säulen: Hersteller-Integration von Solarsystemen, so dass Solarmodule bereits ab Werk in die Fahrzeuge integriert sind; das zweite Standbein sind retrofit kits for fleets.
On the website it says: „These are designed for high modularity and fast installation, thereby lowering the hurdles for deployment.“
Das Bus-Solarkit from Sono Motors, for example, was officially approved earlier this
