Aptera related News and Media

[r-kevin-mcnutt]

Interesting vid. Not a whole lot new, but some interesting tidbits.

One thing that stood out to me is JL’s unintentional demonstration of a learning curve for driving an Aptera. Watch and you’ll see he’s all over the road. I’m convinced that it was because he was driving the “small car” of the central body/cabin but didn’t have a feel for the “big car” wide spacing of the front wheels and wasn’t always aware of where the front end of the car really was at any time.

Also, it was clear that this was a prototype in action. I SERIOUSLY hope the front wheels get a very hard look prior to production. Watching them flop wildly around like they were was downright unnerving!

Still, really looking forward to getting mine!

[joshua-rosen]

The one thing that worried me was that only 120V charging was mentioned, they have J1772 on the vehicle but no mention of the charging rate in the FAQ. It’s important that you be able to fully charge the car overnight. My use case for the car is long day trips, for example last weekend we went to Maine which was a 400 mile round trip. I have the 600 mile version reserved which can do that trip with no DC charge stops, however when I get home I’ll need to put 40KWh into it. You can’t do that with Level I, with a 32A level 2 EVSE you can do that in 5.5 hours which would be fine.

I don’t get why they would think that installing an EVSE is a big deal, it’s not. The cost is about the same as the paint option on a Tesla. I have two, a ClipperCreek that I installed when I got the Volt and a Tesla which I installed when I got the Model 3. The ClipperCreek is on a 40A line, my electrician charged me $375 to run that line and hook up the EVSE. The Tesla is on a 60A line, that cost me $750 to run the line and install the EVSE. That’s no big deal compared to the cost of a new car so why pretend that it is.

[Lou]

Hey All,

Not sure how many of us get daily “Green Car Reports”, but Leno Aptera video was their lead story today with link included. More exposure can only be good thing in my opinion. Seriously thinking about increasing my investment to $10K to take advantage of 5% discount on my reservation. Be interesting to know how many in community are invested at that level!

[glenn-zajic]

Maybe people are misunderstanding my viewpoint. I never believed that Aptera would release a vehicle like this as a product. If so I would not be an investor in the company. I know they are making improvements with the Beta design and hopefully, as Audra stated, beefing the wheel pants up, as well as other changes. My objection to this review is this; How many of you have seen videos of Teslas on fire? Never mind all the ICE vehicle fires- we don’t really remember them. How much did these videos hurt Tesla? I do not believe all exposure is good exposure. My complaint has to do with the wisdom of having such a public and somewhat respected figure as Jay Leno reviewing a product prematurely. I will continue to be an investor, but this was not a good look for Aptera.

[jaron-harding]

Loved the video! I did notice something appear to fall off the vehicle out of the rear wheel well at 23:39. It seemed like foam, is that part of sound dampening against wheel noise?

[Carl_in_AZ]

Jaron, If you slow down the video to .25 secs on YouTube you can see it is either a black napkin or a small piece of a plastic bag on the road.

[marlin-press]

<div>At the COP26</div>

[david-marlow]

Very good video, short, but communicates enough to get people excited about Aptera.

[Ronnie]

There is a Road & Track Magazine app in the Google Playstore that allows you to buy their digital editions. I just did.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.maz.combo204

Assuming similar in the Apple equivalent.

[Ronnie]

Have a GR8 SUNday; DREAM of Aptera!

[ray-holan]

Thanks for the R&T info, Ron. For those of us who don’t have a subscription, can you relay the highlights of the article?

[Ronnie]

“Issue” essentially focused on a bunch of the new EV industry movers or up & comers.

Nothing particularly new for information in the Aptera “article”.

Essentially they went to Aptera, had escorted rides and expressed their appreciation of Aptera’s intended goals, approach & vision as well as its uniquely organic purity, fluid lines, its overall look & cohesive execution. They also used the words “distinctly anthropomorphic” to describe the alpha prototypes.

They spent time discussing Aptera’s background; iterational & HISTORY, founder backgrounds & basic info., philosophy whilst recognizing their hiring practices ie. young aerospace engineers & graduates.

They seemed impressed with the onsite activities, technical competencies & overall coordination occurring onsite.

They were impressed with the enthusiasm of Aptera’s followers & those with orders in the production queue. They talked to a couple of “freedom seekers” who showed up unnannounced to see the prototypes as reservation holders themselves. One was a retired airline pilot from N.D. & others also showed up unnannounced from Arizona & California.

When R&T went for the ride along in SOL they acknowledged everything looked promising but certainly not yet a release candidate on a number of things like fit, rattles & ride. They did seem impressed with the acceleration and vehicle agility.

They said the vehicle dropped jaws on the street.

They discussed service & non dealer delivery strategies that we already know.

Steve Anthony confirmed an aggressive intent of producing 5,000 Aptera in 2022.

In a brief nutshell, that’s it. I do suggest buying a printed copy or an electronic one as I did. There’s more in there than just Aptera and I’m not through it yet.

Biggest part of the article really was the strong headline as much of what’s in the article is a repeat for those of us here that already know, & follow, Aptera:

HERE COMES THE SUN

AMONG GREEN-CAR ENTHUSIASTS, THE SOLAR-POWERED APTERA MIGHT BE THE MOST ANTICIPATED VEHICLE IN THE WORLD. WILL IT EVER SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY?

[Ronnie]

I requested his review recently; he was obviously very receptive. I’ll assume others might have as well.

[curtis-cibinel]

Good stuff. About 1/3rd of the comments on the Daymak Spiritus video talked about Aptera so obviously he finally looked at it.

[jesthorbjorn]

It is always good to have a seemingly competent news source discourse upon a subject that I think that I already know a good deal about. An opportunity for something like an audit of the accuracy of their reporting in general.

I recognized several weak points in the piece. Sam jumbled up his talk about AWD versus FWD, number of motors and their individual power ratings, for instance. Also the cost of the PV add-options.

Still, roundly speaking, I think it was a pretty good review and qualified endorsement that will serve the brand well. Happy for that.

[ray-holan]

A thoughtful and complimentary article about Aptera in one of my favorite gearhead magazines. Previously included in the newsstand version of the magazine, but now available online:

https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a38292917/the-solar-powered-aptera-aims-to-see-the-light-of-day/

There’s a lot to like about this article. The R&T writer asks pointed questions and gets direct answers from Aptera spokespersons that are then quoted in the article. The article has a welcome sheen of professionalism that rises above the well-meaning but less-than-well-polished posts of YouTube channels. I’m not knocking the value of YouTube or the sincerity of YouTube channel hosts, just pointing out there’s an additional level of credibility to be had from an article penned by a mainstream auto news outlet like Road & Track.

[kerbe2705]

The speed of progress: We now know that the swing-arm rear suspension is a thing of the past!

[Lou]

Additional Green Car Report highlighting wisdom of Aptera emphasis on efficiency. Traditional manufacturers apparently taking notice: https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1134627_mercedes-vision-eqxx-621-mile-ev-concept-charts-the-brand-s-future

[john-malcom]

The pace of R&D in the EV field is accelerating. Legacy automakers will adapt faster than expected to some of the tech employed in the Aptera as they look for a competitive edge in the industry. This is the reason it is so important for Aptera to get in the market as soon as possible.

I will repeat the story of my young, naive, son as he entered commissioned service in the Army. He was commissioned as an Armor Officer and went to the Armor School for his initial training. While learning about tanks, he related all of the things about the Army’s Main Battle Tank that he thought should be fixed before it was sent into combat again. An older and much wiser Noncommissioned Officer (A Sargent) looked at him and said “If you waited for the perfect tank you would not only lose the battle, but the war”

This is what happened to Aptera in its first instantiation. The management that was brought in wanted to make Aptera all things to all people and it failed.

The Aptera does not have to be perfect, but it does need to be in the marketplace as soon as possible to gain a spot before other well known automakers can match the tech and increase their market share by lowering their prices because of their capitol advantage.

GM is already on that path with an announcement of a 30K popular PEV SUV model, the most purchased design (Along with crossovers) for the last three years.

The Aptera is perhaps not perfect, but has so many exceptional features. It is far above any competition existing today. Let’s quit pressing for changes at this stage of development and support as much as we can the expeditious market entry of Aptera as designed and at its exceptionally low price points.

[Ronnie]

[Lou]

Thanks Ron…pretty nice plug for Aptera and good to hear Chris say reservations now up to 16K!

[jesthorbjorn]

https://youtu.be/jKrON0P91mo

Steve Fambro is interviewed by Devin Thorpe on his YouTube channel Super Powers for Good.

Nothing new regarding progress per se but nice to see Steve get some screen time and to hear his take on things. Seems like Chris has dominated most of the recent interviews.

More positive exposure. I will take it!

[William_J]

Yes, this was good to watch. I was getting curious about where Steve might be as I kept on seeing updates from Chris. Note that later in the video there is a cameo from Chris when he hops in the Alpha behind Steve and moves it.

[alain-chuzel]

See that “weird prototype” at 0:18? Yours truly had the privilege of building the solar modules that make up it’s solar array. It was a great group called the PI Solar Car Team out of Abu Dhabi (an Emirate of the UAE). Abu Dhabi hosted an amazing solar race throughout the Emirate called the Abu Dhabi Solar Challenge in 2015 and the wife and I were invited to be part of a group “running the event”. It was our first visit to a Arab Gulf State and the cultural exchange was unforgettable.

[nick-m]

Rocky Mt. Institute (RMI) was founded by Amory Lovins, the guru’s guru when it comes to energy efficiency (he’s be at it for about 50 years, I think). In his latest article on the RMI site, he called out Aptera as one of the new breed of efficient vehicles — and noted that he’s an advisor to the company! This is really great — as an energy nerd myself, this guy has been one of my idols for decades 😀.

Six Solutions to Battery Mineral Challenges

Oh yeah, and it’s a good article about batteries, too.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 2 months ago by  Nick Michell.
• This reply was modified 1 year, 9 months ago by  Gabriel Kemeny.

[randy-j]

As I’m now owning several thousand shares I do hope the “niche” he speaks of is a big one :o)

5. Efficient Vehicles

A major variable overlooked by nearly all analysts is the efficiency of the vehicle that’s being electrified. Advantageous reductions in mass, aerodynamic drag, and rolling resistance—improvements in the physics of the vehicle rather than the efficiency of its electric powertrain—can cut required battery capacity for the same driving range by 2–3´. BMW’s 2013–22 i3, for example, paid for its ultralight carbon-fiber body by needing fewer batteries to move less mass, and by simpler manufacturing (with one-third the normal investment and water and half the normal energy, space, and time). Projected battery capacity per vehicle is therefore not a fixed number but should be parameterized to platform efficiency. What is that uncounted variable’s potential range? In September 2021, 2–3´—and later this year, severalfold more!

That’s because a further ~2–4´ efficiency gain is being demonstrated by a new generation of vehicles, entering the market in 2022, and so efficient that they can power a normal commuting cycle just by solar cells on their upper surface. (Disclosure: I advise two such firms—aptera.us at 343 mpge with two seats, and lightyear.one at 251 mpge with five.) Both designs can improve further. Such vehicles need proportionately smaller batteries and less or no recharging infrastructure. In round numbers, they’re 2–3´ more efficient than, say, a Tesla Model 3, one of the most efficient EVs on the market. Together, these efficiency gains can use batteries up to an order of magnitude (roughly, a factor of ten) more efficiently than many EVs now on the market, and could reduce their battery needs correspondingly, all with uncompromised safety and attractive driver attributes. The Aptera NeverCharge is a niche vehicle, but Dutch firm Lightyear’s is mainstream. Both are important, and there will be more.

[Biker]

Lightyear might be mainstream in terms of shape, but certainly not in availability and price.

[Tom]

Aptera article in The Driven

• This reply was modified 2 years, 2 months ago by  Thomas Bushaw.
• This reply was modified 1 year, 9 months ago by  Gabriel Kemeny.

[john-malcom]

Thanks for this. A pretty good article. Nice to see Aptera getting press exposure. I missed this article and sure others did as well.

[bruce-mengler]

Aptera Scaling Up for Big 2022