Learn how our ambassadors are helping us drive solar mobility forward.
By Michael Brooke
Why I Chose to Become An Aptera Ambassador
Each day, every single one of us are bombarded with ads and marketing messages from literally hundreds of companies. It’s relentless, and most of the time, we just feel overwhelmed. Buy this! Try this! Follow us! Most of the time, I just ignore the hype and move on. But something hit me when I visited the Aptera website. I felt an urgent need to know more and figure out a way to be part of what they are trying to achieve.
I have to confess it is exceedingly rare for me to actually pursue a company and reach out to them. In fact, the last time I did something like this was in 1996. For those of you counting, that’s over a quarter century ago.
Although I had been riding skateboards since 1975, I couldn’t really relate to the street skateboarding scene of the 90s. I was more into carving and cruising and using skateboards for transportation. I was one of the first people in Canada to purchase a Sector 9 longboard. For those of you unfamiliar with longboards, they are meant more for moving from point A to point B rather than for use in skateparks or doing tricks. I was so incredibly overwhelmed by the experience of riding the Sector 9 boards that I started promoting them everywhere. I literally invited hundreds of people to join me on a mission to open people’s eyes to the possibilities of what longboarding could offer. I was spreading the longboard stoke everywhere I could.
This crusade (and it certainly had the flavor of a crusade!) was something that took over my life. My passion for skateboarding spawned a number of books, two magazines (International Longboarder and Concrete Wave, two feature films (Dogtown and Z Boys and The Lords of Dogtown) along with a 52 part TV series.
In 2018, I sold my magazine and moved into a different line of work. Believe it or not, I became a funeral director’s assistant. I think being around death gives you a huge appreciation for life, but that’s another story.
In April of 2022, I found myself clicking on a banner for Aptera that I spotted on Reddit. There was something intriguing about what they were offering, and I began to get a sense of deja vu. I got the feeling the company was on a mission to change the way people view transportation, and this deeply resonated with me. While the prototype looked insanely cool, it was the fact that Aptera is partially powered by the sun that made me say, “this is something I need to be a part of.”
Aptera is probably one of the most intriguing transportation companies out there. Equally intriguing are the many hundreds of ambassadors who come with an enormous number of life experiences.
No matter what your background, you’ve arrived at the same conclusion that I have: there is something special here, and you feel compelled to be a part of a revolution in transportation.
So welcome to the first of many Aptera Ambassador Profiles. My aim is to document Aptera Ambassador’s passion and celebrate your journey with Aptera. What ride it’s going to be!
Michael Brooke, Author of Aptera Ambassador Spotlight Blogs
Over 700 global volunteers make up our dedicated Brand Ambassador Program. Aptera Ambassadors are sEV enthusiasts and leaders that play a fundamental role in the spread of Aptera’s mission: to create the most efficient transportation on the planet. In this series, you’ll discover who our ambassadors are, what attracted them to Aptera, and what it means to be an Aptera ambassador.