Coming soon: A $25,000 solar-powered electric SUV

A very interesting car, although it doesn't look particularly sexy on the outside, the interior is pretty good (generic air vents aside).

What's new: Germany's Sono Motors, which went public on the Nasdaq last year, may have cracked the code with a $25,000 electric SUV called the Sion that's covered pretty much bumper to bumper in solar cells.

• Instead of a solar glass roof, the Sion's 456 cells are integrated seamlessly into its plastic hood, fenders, sides, roof and rear panels.
• Together, they provide enough energy to extend the car's 190-mile battery range by an average of 70 miles a week — or up to 150 miles per week in perfect conditions.
• For people with short commutes in sunny locales, that could mean never plugging in again.

This kind of range would work well for us in a second car. Might be a bit tight for the primary one but with an outdoor plug or charging point those concerns go away.

The one thing I don't get is the inconsistency of what the car looks like. If you head over to Sono's website, you'll see some pretty nice LED headlights in the hero image at the top. Scroll down, or look at their brochure, and they will headlights that look like they might have been lifted from a Jaguar XE.

The Sion actually looks like it is the direct competitor to a BMW 2-Series Active Tourer.