MUNICH, January 14, 2025 – Sono Motors GmbH (“Sono Motors” or the “Company”), the Munich-based solar technology company and wholly-owned subsidiary of Sono Group N.V. (OTCQB: SEVCD) (“Sono Group”), proudly announces that it has become the first company Germany to receive national road approval in the form of a General Operating Permit (ABE) or Type Approval (TTG) for its Solar Bus Kit. This certification is the first of its kind in Germany for vehicle-integrated photovoltaics (ViPV) and marks a milestone for the expansion and use of ViPV in Europe. This achievement emphasises the company's commitment to innovation, safety and sustainable mobility.
The Solar Bus Kit is a retrofit solution that installs photovoltaic modules on the roofs of buses. The energy generated is fed directly into the vehicle’s electrical system, reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions while increasing energy efficiency.
After extensive testing by the German Federal Motor Transport Authority (Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt, KBA) in collaboration with the Technical Inspection Association (TÜV), the Solar Bus Kit successfully received the General Operating Permit. The KBA, as the central authority responsible for the approval and oversight of vehicles and components in Germany, ensures that products meet the highest safety and environmental standards before they are allowed
on public roads.
This certification is not only a breakthrough in integrating solar technology into public transport but also a crucial step toward expanding its availability internationally. With the ABE or TTG, Sono Motors’ Solar Bus Kit can now more easily obtain national road approvals in other countries adhering to the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) framework. The ECE standards ensure that vehicles and components approved in one member state are recognized and can be approved more efficiently in other ECE states.
Previously, this type of technology was considered unapprovable by type approval authorities due to the lack of testing criteria and standardized procedures. Sono Motors has overcome these challenges, defining and successfully implementing all necessary testing requirements for the Solar Bus Kit.
Key Benefits for Customer:
- Safety Assurance: The Solar Bus Kit complies with all national and international regulations when properly installed.
- Legal Certainty: The TTG simplifies the approval process for customers. After a straightforward installation inspection, vehicle documentation can be updated without complications.
- Cost and Time Savings: The TTG confirms prior safety and environmental compliance eliminating the need for individual approvals. Customers benefit from reduced cost and a faster approval process.
Groundbreaking Innovation in the Industry
The Solar Bus Kit helps reduce diesel consumption, lower CO2 emissions, and improve the range of buses by reducing the load on the alternator. Its inclusion in the KBA’s "green list" represents a significant step toward climate-friendly mobility.
“The receipt of the General Operating Permit for our Solar Bus Kit is a milestone for Sono Motors and the entire industry,” said Denis Azhar, Managing Director. “With this achievement, we are setting new standards for sustainable mobility and once again proving our capacity for innovation.”
Sono Motors is setting new benchmarks in sustainable mobility by combining cutting-edge technology, safety, and efficiency with its Solar Bus Kit.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This press release may contain 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 intentions, beliefs, or current expectations of the Company and Sono Group (together, the “companies”). 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 could cause the companies’ actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties and assumptions include, but are not limited to, risks, uncertainties and assumptions with respect to: the timing of the reverse share split; the goals of the reverse share split; the impact of the reverse share split on Sono Group’s share price; Sono Group’s ability to uplist to the Nasdaq Capital Market, including meeting the initial listing requirements; Sono Group’s ability to satisfy the conditions precedent set forth in the Securities Purchase Agreement and Exchange Agreement; the timing of closing the transactions contemplated by the Securities Purchase Agreement and the Exchange Agreement; the impact of the transactions contemplated by the Exchange Agreement and Securities Purchase Agreement on Sono Group’s operating results; the ability to access the unfunded portion of the investment from Yorkville, including our ability to successfully comply with the agreements related thereto and the absence of any termination event or any event of default; our ability to maintain relationships with creditors, suppliers, service providers, customers, employees and other third parties in light of the performance and credit risks associated with our constrained liquidity position and capital structure; our status as a foreign private issuer under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; our ability to comply with OTCQB continuing standards; our ability to achieve our stated goals; our strategies, plan, objectives and goals, including, among others, the successful implementation and management of the pivot of our business to exclusively retrofitting and integrating our solar technology onto third party vehicles; our ability to raise the additional funding required beyond the investment from Yorkville to further develop and commercialize our solar technology and business as well as to continue as a going concern. For additional information concerning some of the risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could affect our forward-looking statements, please refer to our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including our Annual Report on Form 20-F, 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 our ability to control or estimate precisely, such as the actions of courts, regulatory authorities 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, Sono Group assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements.
Sono Group N.V. (OTCQB: SEVCF) is on a pioneering mission to accelerate the revolution of mobility by making every vehicle solar. Sono Motors’ disruptive solar technology has been engineered to be seamlessly integrated into a variety of vehicle architectures — including third-party OEM cars, buses, refrigerated vehicles, and recreational vehicles — to extend range and reduce fuel costs as well as the impact of CO2 emissions, paving the way for climate-friendly mobility.