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Mercedes-Benz Citaro C2 equipped with 16 semi-flexible photovoltaic panels
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Further weight reduction through first-time use of robust double-sided tape
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Pilot project marks important step towards reducing CO2 emissions of local public transportation in Hof
MUNICH, Germany, 27th July 2023 – Last month the solar technology company Sono Motors launched an innovative pilot project in public transportation in Hof in the north-east of Bavaria. A bus operated by Stadtwerke Hof was equipped with an updated version of Sono Motors’ Solar Bus Kit, a solar retrofit solution for buses.
The installation was carried out for the first time together with ÖPNV-Service Hagen. The expertise of the company extends to the areas of cabling, repair, maintenance and services for local public transportation. The company has more than 15 years of experience as a service provider for local public transport and modernises around 4,000 commercial vehicles every year.
In Hof, a Mercedes-Benz Citaro C2 was equipped with 16 semi-flexible PV panels, the installed power of the modules in total is around 1.4 kWp. To install the modules on the roof of the bus, double-sided tape was used for the first time, with a total weight of only 50 kg for all materials used in the project. The solar power generated in this way is fed into the battery to support the conventional diesel engine and save CO2 emissions. The first HofBus bus with integrated solar bus kit from Sono Motors has been on the road in the city of Hof since it received road approval from the German Technical Inspection Agency (TÜV). To serve as a comparison, an identically constructed mild hybrid bus without a PV system is being simultaneously operated. These comparative figures will make it possible to optimally compare driving performance and energy consumption within a certain distance travelled.
Working together to make local public transportation emission-free
“We at Sono Motors are very pleased to partner with HofBus GmbH. We believe the installation of our Solar Bus Kit for the first time on a vehicle from the HofBus fleet will demonstrate what a quick, easy and cost-effective solution the Solar Bus Kit is for sustainable reduction of emissions from public transportation,” says Jona Christians, CEO and co-founder of Sono Motors.
“We are very excited about the results of the pilot project. We hope that it will serve as a model for other environmentally friendly mobility solutions,” explained Stadtwerke Hof Managing Director Jean Petrahn. The project is part of Stadtwerke Hof’s long-term strategy to promote the switch to electric mobility. The HofBus fleet is to be continuously converted to emission-free power trains in the coming years.
“We are proud to present our first project in cooperation with Sono Motors. We will continue to work with Sono Motors’ customer service and logistics in order to maximise production capacity in Europe and offer fast, professional retrofitting and maintenance. We are looking forward to future projects,” said Luca Bochhammer, Managing Director, ÖPNV Service.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This press release includes forward-looking statements. The words “expect”, “anticipate”, “intend”, “plan”, “estimate”, “aim”, “forecast”, “project”, “target”, “will” and similar expressions (or their negative) identify certain of these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are statements regarding the Company’s intentions, beliefs, or current expectations. Forward-looking statements involve inherent known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and contingencies because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that may or may not occur in the future and may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. These risks, uncertainties and assumptions include, but are not limited to the risks, uncertainties and assumptions set forth in the Company’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), which are accessible on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov and on our website at ir.sonomotors.com. Many of these risks and uncertainties relate to factors that are beyond the Company’s ability to control or estimate precisely, such as the actions of regulators and other factors. Readers should therefore not place undue reliance on these statements, particularly not in connection with any contract or investment decision. Except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements.
