From securing our very first pre-order reservations to signing the lease on our final assembly location, the milestones kept on rolling for Aptera.
1. The First Reservations for Aptera
We started the year out strong with a huge achievement of the acceptance of over $100 million in pre-orders with over 3,000 vehicles reserved by future Aptera owners across the globe. We never could have imagined the outpouring of interest and support that followed our launch.
2. Aptera Went Viral
Following Aptera’s launch, our YouTube video went viral. We now have almost 1.5 million views.
3. Aptera’s Series A Funding
In February, we closed a Series A funding round worth a total of over $4 million from crowdfunders, private investors and auto manufacturing expert, Sandy Munro.
4. Aptera in The Washington Post
The Washington Post stopped by our Production Design Studio to see Aptera in action and said Aptera could be the future of cars.
5. Aptera Teamed with Crank Software
We continued our work with Crank Software to create an intuitive and efficient User Interface for our vehicles.
6. Aptera Exceeds First Equity Crowdfunding Round
Via Wefunder’s platform, we well exceeded the SEC mandated $550k cap on our first public equity crowdfunding round.
7. Aptera Took to the Track
Aptera made its way to the track to do some preliminary testing, acceleration, braking, and obstacle testing.
8. Aptera’s Second Alpha Vehicle, Sol, Made its Debut
We introduced Sol, our second Alpha vehicle in June of 2021 and named it after the Spanish word for Sun.
9. Aptera Evolved in the Beta Phase of Development
With the help of Rousch, a recognized global leader in engineering, prototyping, testing and manufacturing, we made significant advancements in our Beta development phase. Among the enhancements to the ultra-efficient design include improvements to turning radius, geometry, door seals and latches.
10. Aptera’s Investment Offering under Regulation A
Under Regulation A of the Securities Act, we opened an investment offering directly on our website. So far more than $39 million has been committed.
11. Advancement of Global Presence
Jim Chyou came on as Aptera’s Asia Pacific CEO to forge partnerships across the region, enabling Aptera to achieve greater speed to market.
12. Jay Leno Drove Aptera
Aptera gives Jay, the car aficionado and collector extraordinaire an exclusive look at the impressively capable new design for Aptera.
13. Aptera’s Third Alpha Vehicle Landed
Luna landed and officially marked the end of the Alpha phase of development for our solar electric vehicles.
14. Aptera Attended COP26 in Glasglow
Aptera ambassadors and future owners represented Aptera at the UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) to act against the threat of climate change.
15. Aptera Motors Opened First California Assembly Location
One of the most memorable moments of 2021 was signing a lease on our first final assembly location in Carlsbad, California. The 77,147 square foot facility is complemented by two additional spaces of 16,000 square feet and 8,000 square feet nearby for beta development, R&D and solar composite manufacturing.
16. Aptera’s Ambassador Program Reached 500 Members
We expanded our Ambassador Program to 500 members who are the driving force behind our mission. We wouldn’t be where we are today without the support of our ambassadors.
17. Aptera Featured in The Wall Street Journal
This year, Aptera made an appearance in the In The Wall Street Journal’s The Future of Everything issue covering the technology and innovation making solar-powered electric vehicles a reality.
18. Aptera Received Half a Billion Dollars in Pre-Orders
We reached a very exciting milestone and were proud to announce we now have over 15,000 pre-order reservations from all over the world — that’s over half a billion dollars in pre-orders!
19. Construction of Final Assembly Location Began
In the last quarter of 2021, we completed demolition and started the build out of our 77,147 square foot final assembly location which we expect to occupy in February or March of 2022.
20. The Aptera Family Grew to over 150 Team Members
We’ve had some amazing growth over the past year. Our team now includes over 150 employees who are passionate about changing the world through transportation.
21. The First Beta Build was Completed
During the last month of 2021, we worked tirelessly to begin building our first Beta vehicles. We achieved our goal of taking our first drive in Beta before year’s end and now we’re ready to hit the track for vehicle dynamics testing and to validate our suspension design.
2021 was an incredible journey for us, and we are so humbled by the support of many who share the same passion for efficient transportation. We are stepping into the New Year with a lot to be grateful for and much excitement for the year ahead. Here’s to more major milestones and our first vehicle deliveries in 2022!