Aptera Motors has shared another exciting progress update video, giving us our best look yet at its production-intent solar EV out in the real world. The SEV startup recently completed the PI build’s first-ever road trip, traveling over 300 miles using an all-electric battery and free energy from the Sun.
They did it!! Another round of funding! Next update in 10 years.
It makes so much sense to have EVs be solar-powered, and would also ease my worry about running low on electricity and not finding anywhere to charge. I hope they’re a reality sometime while I’m still driving.
One interesting tidbit is that due to the aerodynamic design, bugs are swept over the windshield and don’t splatter. This effect was theorized in simulations but they were able to demonstrate it during the roadtrip.
We’re also going though an insect apocalypse. You probably won’t hit a dragonfly, butterfly or thick and smeary grasshopper on any road trip anymore.
Yes, we’re all gonna die.
While that’s quite sad, in the case of their road trip, the comparison was made against the many splatters on the chase vehicles making the trip with them.
That is indeed quite interesting!
I ordered one of these in 2021. Delivery expected end of 2022. It was like November 2022 and they were still promising to deliver. End of 2022 we got another prototype. There was no explanation or acknowledgement.
Since then it’s been delayed another 4 times but also the entire design has been fundamentally changed, including the entire chassis and powertrain. There’s also been like 6 more prototypes. And the price has gone up like 30%. And now it’s still expected “next year”.
So yeah, as much as I want it to be true, I don’t think they’ll ever deliver this car. It’s an investment grift.
Man I wanted one back when it was first introduced in early to mid 2010s…
Same here lol, it’s been so long that I don’t think I can even take delivery of a 2 seater anymore due to family size changes
I got taken in by their promo 5 years ago, wanted it so much to be real, but the “factory” as of one year ago doesn’t have any actual machines despite raising millions of dollars. The influencers literally just do the factory tour which is like 5 places where there are presentations, and follow the yellow markings where the “factory machines” will be. But its all made up. They can literally fold up shop in a day or two and be gone. Pretty long standing grift though, you have to give them that. The influencers all who are incentivized are the only thing keeping it going.
“Millions” is cheap in car making. It buys you just enough design for manufacturability to make it good enough and cheap enough for people to buy.
Less design -> worse result while more expensive to produce. Example: Podbike (I like it, but the price)
Aptera has a 15 year history now of only producing prototypes and being restructured/resold. Granted there were some problems not caused by the current founders but the marketing is misleading as to exactly where they are and when they will actually be able to build these damn cars. I am no longer a believer. There is a reason why there are no major VCs behind this, even though they were enthusiastic over a decade ago. During the same time Tesla became a household word, and Nio and Rivian came into being and actually produced more than prototypes. Why are they so uninvestible? Why did all these other companies get the big investor dollars and not them? Why all these years, and no product? Each question seems to lead to other things that just don’t make sense.
High hopes for this vehicle. Reaching peak of 545w solar charging is good. Lighweight EVs have big advantage, as does aero. It’s taken much too long so far though.
This might be a dumb question, but I think it’s worth asking anyway. How do they deal with the interior of the car getting as hot as a fucking blast furnace? Because if you leave a regular car out in the sun, it becomes like a fucking blast furnace when you open the door. Heat like that can actually cause interior damage, like cracking dashes and stuff. So if you have to leave this car out in the direct sun to charge, how do they avoid this problem? Like, I’m imagining you go to work, and your car is sitting in the work parking lot directly in the sun for hours a day. And it’s collecting power to drive you home, but it’s also massively heating up.
…most cars are left out in the sun already
And cars get far to hot already
So the answer is they deal with it the same way as every other car.
They can use some of the solar energy to cycle the air using a fan, or just run the AC if it’s really bad.
From a quick search I found out they have answers for that on their site:
https://aptera.us/unlocking-the-magic-of-solar-mobility/
https://aptera.us/article/how-does-aptera-perform-in-extreme-heat-and-intense-sun-exposure/Oh, okay. So I’m guessing that means like the car might turn on and run the air conditioner for a few minutes every hour. Just to cool itself down. That’s what it seems like anyway.
Using some of the incoming power to run the AC seems reasonable. Especially when the battery is above 75% charged. It would be interesting if the AC would go harder for more minutes per hour as the charge level gets higher.
I imagine just running the fans is adequate to keep the temps low enough to avoid damage and would use less power than the AC
I’ll start respecting it the moment they add the fourth wheel.
They won’t, because then it’s legally considered a proper car that has to have air bags and crumple zones and such. They can only make it small and cheap because it’s three wheels.
That law is lawfare from the traditional car industry and has to be changed.
Trikes are only good for saving pennies at the cost of driveability and usability - they should not be incentivised by law. Four-wheelers are more stable and should be under the same law as trikes.
Aptera is stupidly shooting itself in the foot with an awkward three-wheeler instead of making a good, light, safe, illegal car and attacking the harmful law with it. A quad could have a cargo space or back seat between the two rear wheels.
Trikes are less stable than 4-wheelers, slow and teetery around curves, unless very low centre of gravity.
Trikes can’t have a cargo space or back seat between the one rear wheel.Sabotage through lawfare is being done to velomobiles / pedal cars:
https://www.quora.com/Why-do-you-think-the-Sinclair-C5-one-person-battery-electric-velomobile-failed-to-take-off-during-the-1980s/answer/Harri-K-Hiltunenhttps://xfwnofqagsnmdxuf.quora.com/Lawfare-against-tiny-cars-velomobiles
You’re not wrong that the law should change, but there is one thing here. Generally, when we say that 3-wheelers are unstable, we’re talking about one in front/two in back. The opposite configuration, which is what Aptera is using, is generally pretty stable. That one picture of a guy on a recumbent trike is unusual. You almost have to try to do that on purpose.
I’ve owned several recumbent trikes like that one, all of which lifted the inner wheel in sporty driving below my preferred speed.
At which sideways acceleration will Aptera roll over? A heavy battery between the front wheels will help somewhat.
Can-Am Spyders don’t roll over easily. You have to put them into reverse while cranking the wheel and pulling the e-brake.
Sounds like a pretty good idea though to have airbags and crumblezones in something that supposedly can drive 162 km/h (101 mph), and accelerate from 0-60 mph in 6 seconds. You couldn’t pay me to drive something as unsafe as this thing.
Stupid or just not into taking risks?
Is much heavier
Then register it to the next vehicle class, semi-light or whatever. Have the lawmakers fit the laws to the optimal vehicle designs with 2025 technology. How old is the law with the weight limits? Time to update and fit law to existing reality? Isn’t it tradition to let the industry write the laws that apply to itself? Aptera is industry.
If the weight limit were to be adhered to, then the four-wheeler’s structure would have to be redesigned around lighter engineering.
That would kinda defeat the whole purpose of the car though.
