Aptera charging info

[Greek]

For myself, living just outside of Chicago, December through February I would more than likely park indoors. My attached garage provides some warmth and protection from the elements for the vehicle. Having solar panels on my home I know the amount of solar energy provided is greatly diminished, especially on mostly cloudy or overcast days we have throughout winter. APTERA is so efficient that you won’t be tapping that much from your outlet to save money. Being a northerner, you will need to balance the cost with comfort. I hate to think about going into an ice cold car in the dead of winter to save a few pennies on electricity. The energy you will receive from the sun will also need to be spent on keeping your batteries in a comfortable state on extremely cold days. We will own the most efficient form of powered transportation, spending a little money for convenience and comfort for me is more important to survive another winter.

[Mike-Mars]

Some EVs allow you to schedule the cabin to be heated at a particular time in the morning while plugged into the mains for charging.

[kerbe2705]

@michael-marsden I can’t think of an EV (or PHEV) that doesn’t allow the cabin to be preconditioned, either by app or timer or both. Many EVs will also keep their battery pack at optimal temperature if left plugged in during cold weather.

[john-trotter]

I wonder if Aptera’s “AGVs” (automated guidance vehicles) will use wireless charging, such as this from a recent Tesla acquisition. Not needed for one shift, perhaps, but could enable 24/7 movement.

https://www.wiferion.com/en/applications/wireless-charging-agv-automated-guided-vehicle-systems/

Then, with this experience, maybe the Aptera itself could be fitted for wireless charging, although this would be less significant for our efficient three-wheeler than for vehicles with bigger batteries.

[kerbe2705]

<font color=”#8dc73f”>@john-trotter Remember that, in order to form an induction loop, the wireless charging antenna must be in very close proximity to the receiver: Aptera has an aluminum belly that would – in all likelihood – interfere with the wireless charging connection.</font>

[jens-klaus]

Will all Apteras offer charging with 110V and 220V and what is the maximum Amperage that can be used for each of the two Voltages by the built-in charger?

[Mike-Mars]

6.5kW for the 220v (only single-phase as far as I know), and 1.5kW for the 110v

• This reply was modified 9 months, 4 weeks ago by  Michael Marsden.

[bryan.bowes]

Hi,

I didn’t see this anywhere in the comments, but I wonder if there were any discussions about wireless charging for Aptera 2.0 (2.0 = 2nd generation… whenever that may come.) Tesla is in talks to buy Wiferion which would be pretty amazing buy for them. I like this idea since I am convenience oriented and live in a cooler climate.

[joshua-rosen]

There is no standard for wireless charging yet, until that happens nobody (with the possible exception of Tesla) is going to implement it.

Does anyone here know what the current state of the art for wireless is? Is it just Level 2 speeds or is it capable of high speed charging.

[len]

See witricity.com which is in testing on the Korean vehicle platform. Video on the Ford Mach- e too

to name a few

[scott-seabaugh]

While waiting for my Aptera, I plan on installing solar panels on my garage. My hope is to charge completely off the grid. I’d love a little information. Can I go directly from my unregulated solar panels into the Aptera’s onboard charge controller ? If so, at what voltage and current range ? If not, how many volts DC and at what current do I need from my garage’s charge controller ?

Thanks,

[Biker]

Very unlikely that would make sense or be possible – just use the house power via a Level 2 charger to charge the Aptera.

If/when an external direct solar panel addition becomes possible, it will be posted here.

[scott-seabaugh]

Thank you ! I already have 750 watts worth of panels from a previous project that are collecting dust in my garage. Aptera states that the 700 watts worth panels integral to the vehicle should add 40 extra miles a day. I have 3 car garage. I’m retired. The vehicle will be in the garage out of the sun a fair amount. Just for the shear sport of it, I hope to add as many free miles as I can.

[UnidentifiedDrivingObject]

Will Aptera have one, something similar to the Rivian R1T Green Charging Status Light Bar?

https://www.rivianownersforum.com/threads/rivian-green-charging-status-light-bar.1702/

Aptera could have the front corner led lights (next to front Magwerks headlamp) in glowing pulse mode, while NACS plugged. Solid light, when fully charged. Or some customizable hidden software “easter egg” charging mode led indicator settings, if you will.

[craig-merrow]

That would be really neat! The Model 3 that we rented last year showed the skateboard architecture on the touchscreen with the state of charge while it was charging. The Tesla logo next to the charge port also pulsed while it was plugged in.

[len]

Would be nice.

A couple years ago there was chatter about the the GlowGo might but have not read an update

In our EV there is a light bar next to the charge plug but I sit in the vehicle and see the dash screen charge progress, which is always very visible with charge status listed..

[Mike-Mars]

> A couple years ago there was chatter about the the GlowGo might but have not read an update

I think using the GlowGo would make most sense. Globally, I think there are places you can’t have the GlowGo illuminated while driving, so for those people the main use would be as a charging indicator.

[craig-merrow]

As an aside, it will be interesting to see what Aptera recommends for a L2 home charger or if they offer one branded under their own name.

[Greek]

Maybe a foldable array of solar panels for travelers who go off grid. There are many very good home chargers out there. I would love an Inspector gadget type of suitcase that you can you can travel with.

[Gozer]

Jason Hill has said that the License Plate Illuminator will also serve as the State of Charge indicator. This is the knob thingie at the back of the vehicle and the SOC indicator is a band of light that stretches across the base. I saw a render somewhere and I cannot remember if the light was blue or green. I think this was after the backup indicator was relocated to the back of the rear wheel housing.

[robert-wakeman]

When I saw that they added solar panels to the car I thought what a great idea to put a onboard battery maintenance charger on the car! And what that could do for battery longevity. Not how much miles it would add. I think battery life should be the main focus of the solar panel’s and their controller not squeezing every mile you can out of them. Options would be nice. Mine will be set on maximum battery life. The hole solar car thing is a little off target for me. The target being light weight, lower air resistant, efficient drive. For me these are the things that make the car great!

[Sam]

Yes, Aptera is all about efficiency, in all areas including the battery longevity. The extended or shortened range is accomplished by the quantity and or size of the batteries., not by software. The solar panels in total weigh, I believe, are no more than 8 lbs. And to me, that’s the best feature/ option of all, up to about 40 free miles a day from just sitting there, unplugged. Not yet determined but looks like a 10 year warranty on the batteries. Here’s video on the BMS

https://youtu.be/8h4mxk2kB-Y?si=Rh3UlVRtD5XQG2P9

[robert-wakeman]

Thank you for the great video. Looks like we will be seeing what they came up with soon.

[linda-john]

Since Aptera is so efficient, will it replace 300 miles while charging at home at 11.5 kW faster than any other EV? How about on a road trip using a Tesla Supercharger? Is 300 mi range replacement faster than nearly all other EVs?

[Biker]

The details of charging may change a bit after validation, but for now assume about 500 mi of charging per hour at a Supercharger and about 60 mi of charging per hour on a L2 charger.

[Mike-Mars]

A/C charging is limited to 6.5kW if I remember correctly, and DC fast charging will be somewhere in the 40kW-60kW range.

Therefore, if you are using a 6.5kW A/C charger, then you’ll get 2x or 3x more miles recharged per hour than other vehicles. However, if you are using a 11.5kW charger, it’ll only be a little quicker than (for example) a model 3.

[Sam]

This info is buried in the FAQs

[linda-john]

Charging specs are somewhat disappointing. Aptera should have faster charging than model 3. I expected 11 kW for AC charging and 100kW for DC fast charging. Road tripping in Aptera should only require a 10 minute recharge similar to fueling ICE vehicles.

[jeff-anderson]

Interesting that the fast charging is rated at 400 to 600 miles hour. The variation may have to do with the size of the battery pack. The reason for that is a larger pack has more battery capacity to absorb the charge. Charging a pack to fast will result in excessively heating of the pack. Over time this will degrade the pack more quickly. I also find it interesting that Aptera decided to go with cooling the cells by the ends. While Tesla cools their cell from the side of the battery. In the 600 and 1000 mile variants, Aptera is using a longer battery. This mean the heat needs to travel to the ends of the battery. The greater distance the heat needs to travels could result in longer battery conditioning times. Or greater tapering of the charging speed when high state of charge is achieved.

[Biker]

The lack of specificity of charging rate is due to the many unknowns in the system, not size of pack. I would expect that number to be a bit more precise after validation. Even then, it won’t be a fixed number as that changes over the charging of the pack depending on SOC, temp, etc.

• This reply was modified 2 weeks, 6 days ago by  Gabriel Kemeny.

[Cobus]

Hello,

To me, the best way to solar-charge a parked Aptera (with full solar kit) is to face the sun and open the hatch. How could you secure your Aptera from thieves and rain with an open hatch ?

The tent kit is obviously not anti-theft.

Cobus.

• This reply was modified 1 week, 5 days ago by  Cobus.
• This reply was modified 1 week, 5 days ago by  Cobus.
• This reply was modified 1 week, 5 days ago by  Gabriel Kemeny.

[linda-john]

A little common sense is needed here. It’s unwise to leave the hatch open for any extended period of time not only due to thieves, but also invaders such as rodents, cats, dogs, birds, insects, a surprise storm, or any contaminant. Consider potential damage by a skunk. I would forgo ideal solar energy to keep my Aptera in like new condition.

[brandon-halverson]

There is no need to have the hatch open to gain 2-5 extra miles. the risk you are taking to do so is just not worth it. The best way to go about it would to be to set your car up the best you can for the direction the sun will be going. Try and park in open areas without trees or structures. Maybe even park the trunk towards the sun in the morning and move the car to have the trunk face the sun in the evening. Can flip your car around at lunch to get the best added range for the day. Personally I wont be going through the hassle of trying to squeeze every watt out of the solar because I live in California and should get plenty of range added without really trying. Hopefully I only need to plug in 1-2 times a month with how much I drive.