Is there a tow hook?

[Vince Patron]

Is there some sort of tow hook on the front and back of this car?

Especially for “off-road” use (I think it really means rough road use), if the car gets stuck, I’d like to be able to get pulled out by another vehicle.

Where would we tie the tow strap to?

[Dennis Swaney]

From the FAQ:

Will a tow package be available?

We hope to make a Tow package available at some point in the future. We envision Aptera could tow a small lightweight trailer for camping, maybe even adding some extra solar capability.

So, there will be a way eventually for one at the rear. However, a front point or points is still needed for pulling it up on an auto hauler if the battery is drained.

• This reply was modified 2 months, 1 week ago by  Dennis Swaney.

[Len Nowak]

This has been discussed before in the forum and FAQ but…

It will have designated two points but not defined yet.

Aptera in not an All Terrain vehicle but I will have to use mine on our graded roads and off in the grass area for hikes…

Possibilities should be fun!

[Vince Patron]

Great. Thank you! Looking forward to (eventually) getting one!

[Curtis Cibinel]

The tow package is for a lightweight trailer (probably under 300lb) and per Steve from Aptera Owners Club their is no signs of the screw holes in the current beta body. A tow hook would need to be far more durable and would be intended to winch the Aptera out of a ditch (typically on the front). This needs to be very strong and I have no idea if the suspension could perhaps handle the load with the aerodynamic casing removed from the suspension arms.

[George Hughes]

Curtis: \

My Spark EV has a eye-bolt and a simple recessed screw point on the front attached to the bumper/frame. As light as the Aptera is, there will without a doubt be a nut molded and anchored into the composite that such a bolt will easily attach.

But the best news is, if in the event this is a stupid oversight (and it would be stupid if overlooked) you can drill one your self and with a process similar to a wall-anchor for pictures, you add your own tow hook.

Either that or Steve and Chris will have to endure the dozens of youtube videos of their customers cussing them for the oversight while demonstrating their engineering skills in fixing this by a crowd of irate customers.

Do you see that happening? I don’t.

[Curtis Cibinel]

Good point. That is essentially how I was expecting the trailer hitch to be designed except with 4 points directly through the body into the back with a simple nut/bolt. Load on a single point on the body might not be ideal for a tow hook in terms of taking the load; might be better to attach to the belly pan. Hope they are thinking about these things.

[Paul Schultz]

In one of the many videos, I recall Chris Anthony answered this question by saying the suspension arms are an option for attachment points for pulling the Aptera out if stuck. Unfortunately, I can’t recall which video. I believe he was providing an ‘on the fly’ answer. I would prefer a tow hook. It is simple to have a flush body cap concealing a structural attachment point for a threaded tow loop. This is common on many modern cars already. And, when not needed there would be no appreciable hit on aerodynamic drag.

• This reply was modified 2 months, 1 week ago by  Paul Schultz.

[Dennis Swaney]

I thought the suspension arms will be covered by fairings to reduce drag?

[Paul Schultz]

Yes, you are correct. I recall feeling the mention of using the suspension was more of an off the cuff response at the time.

[Oz (It’s Oz, just Oz)]

From what I get when they have referred to it. It actually is not a large cover in that sense, the bottom arm is a tray (Visible in the photos) a cover/lid will be attached to that to protect wiring and hoses, as well as providing an aerodynamic surface. Upper and lower arms will be separately visible.

[Curtis Cibinel]

Depending on the design they might not be difficult to remove. That said anything is difficult to remove if a vehicle is at a weird angle in the mud in a ditch. Hopefully those fairings are relatively cheap if anyone ever needed to brute force this (breaking them is still better than leaving the vehicle stuck)