Aptera Headlight info

[peter-jorgensen]

Probably not on the basis of cost and complexity.

[Knix]

There are many great and some not so great adaptive headlights out there. The fact that there are some bad implementations out there leads me to believe its a lot of work to get them functioning properly, so perhaps it would be better if Aptera skips it for now as too not risk delaying the car.

I have no personal experience, since my cars are too old or too budget to have them, but the adaptive headlights are one of my dads favourite new features on his new car. When they have customer cars on the road, I would seriously consider developing adaptive headlights if it was up to me.

[Sam]

Similarly to daytime running lights, I’d prefer making that call. Automated wipers would be good.

[len]

As a registered motorcycle I suppose it has to comply with a morocycle’s single mounted headlight!

At least the continuing adjacent lights seem to complete the Aptera Smile. I suppose the upcoming Gamma will show us a more production intent Aptera

(I have seen this single headlight on other autocycles too, where the lights that are “ in the position of headlights are more like running/body lights)

• This reply was modified 1 year, 3 months ago by  Len Nowak.
• This reply was modified 1 year ago by  Gabriel Kemeny.

[jonah-jorgenson]

Adaptive headlight(s) perhaps on next version of Aptera, but not on the current version production model. No time for the reengineering and activating a supply chain for this feature intime to include it, and as Peter Jorgensen says, to complex and expensive. Also additional unneeded weight.

[norman-roberts]

I believe the center light is only to meet regs, same as the mirrors. I think there will be left & right lights as well. One center light would not be safe for night driving . Solo 3 wheel vehicle has 3 lights 1 in center too meet the regs

[OZ.]

The requirement doesn’t seem to be for a single headlight, but probably a certain placement requirement. Arcimoto’s headlights were originally where the amber turn signals are, but regulatory requirements forced their movement inward into the current position for the production vehicle.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 3 months ago by  OZ (It's OZ, Just OZ).

[len]

Yes the Red autocycle I attached is a Solo, registered as s motorcycle, like Aptera

And just more , by state “about the lights”

https://www.motorcyclelegalfoundation.com/state-by-state-guide-to-motorcycle-laws/

• This reply was modified 1 year, 3 months ago by  Len Nowak.

[Pragmatic_to_a_Fault]

Is it truly a single headlight ? Looks brighter on the sides and just illuminated in the middle

How many headlights do you see on the Polaris slingshot ? Seems like more than 1 is perfectly legal

[len]

That is Aptera’s First alpha vehicle “ Noir” We only have renderings if the Gamma

I also attached in my old thread the production model of Electrameccanica’s “ Solo “ A autocycle so single center mounted headlight and their front running it body lights “look like headlights “ only

• This reply was modified 1 year, 3 months ago by  Len Nowak.

[thomas-moore]

Motorcycles are required to have at least one running light and be visible from a certain distance.. Mine has a running light on the left and a high-beam on the right for two lights. I was once pulled over for a light being out; the officer didn’t know motorcycle requirements. Let me go when I showed them it was a high-beam.

[Sam]

Recessed lights is a given.

If CA doesn’t require it to be centered, please get rid of it, especially if it’s that cyclops, it totally ruins the smile and makes it look dorky.

CA requires lights to be on when riding (night or day), let it be only the centered four horizontal LEDs, lit only with the minimum required lumens for running lights. Then, when turned on, let the rest of the smile light with the same minimal lumens but full power to the wheel covers.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 3 months ago by  Selvan Poothamby.

[Sam]

Well, I just hope they realize the need to have them further apart, like on the Noir, at the very least. If you must, add a center light, surely there’s no maximum law.

We need to see the full path ahead, not just the center. And oncoming traffic needs to know we are very wide, those expensive motors are out there under those wheel covers.

Sometimes merely being compliant isn’t enough.

CA requires motorcycles to have their lights on when rolling down the road, night and day.

[Riley]

I will be installing fog lights at the front of the wheel pants to give a bright and obvious indication of how wide the vehicle is at night. I’m not convinced the top mounted marker light will be adequate for oncoming traffic to properly see and have time to adjust before passing. My plan is to mold low power LED lights into the removable bumpers at the lower front of the wheel pants and power them with the existing power being sent to the marker lights.

[Pistonboy]

Motorcycles are required by law to have their headlight on “all the time”. On my early bikes, the headlight would be on whenever the ignition key was turned on. On later bikes, the engine had to be running. I don’t know what the Boolean equation for headlights looks like today. All of this is in the name of making the motorcycle more visible to motorist on the road. There was even a period when the headlight pulsed and sparkled like a Christmas tree ornament. (Thank goodness that period is over.)

Since the Aptera is a motorcycle, it too must adhere to that requirement. Earlier versions had a “vertical” row of lights on each side of the hood. The latest gamma version has a single headlight in the center. I guess the earlier version counted as multiple lights to the department of motor vehicle gods who said “NO! They must be grouped as one!” Since it is useless to argue with authorities, Aptera Motors complied, and made one big light in the center. However they did extend “running” lights curving upwards, creating a smiley face where the old headlights formerly were. Perhaps this smiley face is intended to match the smiley face of the yoke.

What lights will be on when the vehicle is operating and when? There are headlight, smiley lights, wheel shroud lights, tail lights, glogo lights, and probably others I have missed.

What about interior lights? Overhead lights, lights that shine down on the ground from the door when entering or exiting, others?

(Too bad there is no antenna to attach a racoon tail to. But there always are fuzzy dice for the rear view mirror, er, I mean screen.)

[vernon-sinnott]

As of September 2021 the <cite>Canadian Vehicle Lighting Regulation</cite> will require that all new vehicles sold in Canada have one of the following:

• tail lights that come on automatically with daytime running lights
• headlights, tail lights, and side marker lights that turn on automatically in the dark
• a dashboard that stays dark to alert the driver to turn on the lights

This standard will apply to all new vehicles (cars, trucks, SUVs, 3-wheeled vehicles, motorcycles and heavy trucks).As of September 2021 the Canadian Vehicle Lighting Regulation will require that all new vehicles sold in Canada have one of the following:

tail lights that come on automatically with daytime running lights
headlights, tail lights, and side marker lights that turn on automatically in the dark
a dashboard that stays dark to alert the driver to turn on the lights
This standard will apply to all new vehicles (cars, trucks, SUVs, 3-wheeled vehicles, motorcycles and heavy trucks).

[Pistonboy]

What is going to be the turn signal lights in front?

[Riley]

Lights on wheel pants is my assumption.

[Riley]

If there is a light that is on when I don’t want it to be I will install toggle switches or just leave them permanently unplugged such as glowgos and the smiley parts of the headlight.

[kevin-queen]

In Ray Holan’s nicely transcribed meeting with Jason Hill (https://aptera.us/community/discussion/jason-hill-speaks/), Jason mentioned the following regarding their headlight efficiency over most auto headlights:

There will be a center headlight cluster. Jason: “Central headlight is a legal requirement (for motorcycles and autocycles); all elements need to be around the centerline of the vehicle; our headlight efficiency is north of 50% while most auto headlights are 25-35%…(on avoiding placement of headlights on the angled surfaces on the far left and right of the Aptera body) pushing through angled surfaces, performance goes way down.”

Do we have any more information on this yet? Do they plan to use a less-bright headlight to accomplish the same illumination as standard headlights due to the efficiency, or can we expect the headlight to light the road that much better than what we’re use to in most cars we drive today?

• This reply was modified 11 months, 3 weeks ago by  Kevin Queen.
• This reply was modified 11 months, 3 weeks ago by  Gabriel Kemeny.

Jason C Hill Speaks…

[ray-holan]

Good question, Kevin. I think Jason was suggesting the headlight would illuminate the road well. I listened to the recording again and I’m still unclear about exactly what Jason meant by 50% efficiency of the headlight. 50% of what? He commented on how lightweight they were able to make the assembly with the central placement and also about how much electricity the typical auto headlight requires to make light — didn’t mention if he was referring to an LED headlight, halogen, or something else.

[kerbe2705]

@Ray Holan Thinking in “Aptera-speak” I recall that – at one point – it was said that Aptera was 25% more efficient than a 4-wheeled vehicle because it had 25% fewer wheels. Perhaps this single headlight is 50% more efficient than having TWO headlights… 🤔

[len]

[neo]

The LED lights on many new cars these days are so dangerous! It’s like the makers only think about the driver’s experience and want to light everything up as much as possible, but they don’t seem to consider that many of these lights blind the oncoming traffic and make those other cars more likely to have accidents. That can make it especially hard to see pedestrians crossing city streets.

Adaptive headlights sound like they’d address this problem. I sure hope Aptera’s headlights aren’t the blind-everyone-ahead-for-a-block kind.

[larry-kaiser]

The scary thing about the LED headlights is not that they are blinding right now (though they are). It is that the cars that have them are relatively new. When they are older, with a bunch of junk in the trunk and weak suspensions the LEDs will still be nearly as bright as they are today. The problem will only get worse.

[IA-1]

I hope Aptera won’t have the same issues as Rivian.

“Undriveable at night in wet snow due to LED headlights not melting snow“

https://www.rivianforums.com/forum/threads/undriveable-at-night-in-wet-snow-due-to-led-headlights-not-melting-snow-ice.9956/

[Biker]

The headlight is supplied by MagWerks Vision which on its site says :

• Utilizes internal heat to warm outer Silicone Lens

[Biker]

From Jason Hill’ LinkedIn post:

“In addition to structural safety, there is functional safety. The Aptera headlamp, which multiplies the tenants of efficiency, engineering elegance, and lightweight, will provide a safety function beyond what is expected and required.

Aptera headlamp benefits:

– better illumination on the road

– superior optical properties with greater than 70% efficiency

– reduced weight

– superior thermal management

– lower energy consumption with higher optical performance“