The exchange from the combustion engine to the electric car opens market niches. But Start-ups have a hard time in Germany to occur in this gap.

To roll in the next year on the road – the Solar-electric car Sion of Sonomotors photo: Sono motor GmbH/AP Images

BERLIN taz | Proud of 50 million euros has been collected, the Munich-based Start-up Sonomotors in the past few weeks with its Crowdfunding campaign. "Now we can tackle the next milestones. So the production plant building and the prototype for the series to develop,“ says Jonah Christian, one of the three founders of Sonomotors. In the next year, the Munich-based Start-up wants to bring an electric car with integrated solar modules on the market. 34 km to drive the vehicle then in addition from solar energy.

Sonomotors heard in addition to e. Go, and street scooters to the single new company in Germany to develop a complete electric car. The transformation of the automotive industry from the internal combustion engine to the electric motor should open up new niches. However, worldwide, only Tesla has been able to close the gap to the Established; in Germany, the initiatives in the children's shoes.

The reason for this is Günther Schuh, Professor for Production engineering at the RWTH Aachen and managing Director of the electric car manufacturer e. Go see, especially in the German financing of culture: "to bring a car on the road, we need equity, not in homeopathic doses." Since the end of 2019 e. Go from delivering its small car; at least 250 million Euro cost of the development. "Germany is not the Silicon Valley or Shanghai. If money should donors invest 50 or 100 million in a company, immediately come the questions of revenue and Profit,“ says Shoe. The savings Bank mentality.

Also the founder of Sonomotors are pushed against the funding wall. "We have negotiated in the last year with investors. Came out that you our Patent of an electric-Solar-find vehicle is highly interesting, but not interested in a cheap vehicle,“ says Christian. This contradicted the concept of the entrepreneur that would like to sell the combo for 25.500€. Instead, they chose an alternative strategy of profit-sharing and started a Crowdfunding campaign.

But what's missing is the road registration for the Car. For this purpose, Tests in more than 70 categories, as well as guarantees of Origin of over 6,000 built-in single parts. To develop "a nice prototype and on the test site around, is about five percent of the work," says Günther Schuh. His Start-up is the only one in Germany, the Car-registration received so far. Due to this effort of young entrepreneurs would be able to walk not just to the well-established car manufacturers in the past.

More ways to Start would-ups, therefore, in the development of Software or components for niche segments, says Martin Doppelbauer, Professor for hybrid-electric vehicles at the KIT, Karlsruhe, Germany. "The established car companies don't buy for your series production Start-ups." Too big to worry about fluctuating production quality or the Bankruptcy of the company. But for special developments and the race industry are interesting.

Despite the hurdles, Christian and Shoe keep new car manufacturers is indispensable. "Without us, there would be no electric cars to 20,000 euros," says Shoe. Christian's looks, in addition to the investors, the policy is the responsibility: "The support of electric mobility is not designed for small companies." The manufacturer must take half of the production, the buyer for a new electric car. "Large car manufacturers can Finance it. We can't do that.“

Where you are in five years, knows none of the Start-ups. "If we can't get through, it will create none in this area of electric mobility," says Shoe. This year he wants to deliver to 5,100 cars. Sonomotors has 10,000 pre-orders.