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Issues of concern
What are the issues that concern you? I have a growing list: Battery, Wrap, Lift points, body repair ability, specialty tools, final sale price…
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42 Replies
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Issues of concern
updated 2 weeks, 6 days ago
36 Members
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42
Replies
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Only two at this point. 1) Aptera gets enough investment to start production 2) Production ramps quickly. Any other than these two are moot at this point and not worth the mental cycles to worry about.
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1. That Aptera will go belly-up before I get my Aptera.
2. That I will go belly-up before I get my Aptera.
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I am a bit concerned they have not applied for the ATVM loan yet. The concern to me would be that, perhaps, they are not yet confident they can make the most important case for approval which is the likelihood to repay the loan. The vehicle technology is perfect for what this administration is trying to do and I would think a lot of people want to see this succeed.
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Missing deadline after deadline and continual moving of the goal posts.
1 year wait 3 year wait now a 5 year wait
That is a major issue and concern.
It’s always better to under promise and over deliver, not over promise and under deliver. Now they have proven they can’t be trusted.
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With Aptera’s light weight , I’m concerned about traction, both forward and reverse.
In other words:
– slippage on icy surfaces, especially slopes
– but mostly regarding braking on wet surfaces – and especially wondering about increased chances of hydroplaning? -
I’m wondering how we get service for this thing.
Side impact protection is also another.
The rear view mirror looks like it’s full digital? That’s a real pain. Your eyes get tired from having to chagr focal points.
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Service: either DIY with parts shipped direct from Aptera or a local mechanic under Aptera’s Right-to-Repair policy using documentation and/or training.
Side Impact: Metallic beams/panels in the doors plus body design and structure.
Rear View: Monitor at standard rear view mirror location for camera mounted at the center top of the hatch and dual monitors mounted in front of driver for left and right outside door cameras.
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Disclosure: I do not have a reservation, and that’s kind of my point. I’ll get to that in a minute.
My main concern is that it may take a very long time (decades) to get to where Aptera ought to be, making solar cars for the masses. I love the concept, and I hear it’s super fun to drive, but I think too much has been sacrificed in the name of extreme efficiency. I, for example am interested, but my wife is not on board primarily due to it not having enough wheels, and only having seating for two. And we are actively looking to go electric. I personally believe that adding solar to EVs should just be standard practice, but the number of seats and wheels is going to be a deal breaker for most people.
I think they should have gone the Tesla route. Expensive sports car (very low demand, very high profit margin) first, then a high end car (low demand, high profit margin), then the affordable cars for the masses (high demand, lower profit margin). It may take ten years until the average person can afford it, but by then they’d have made enough to build factories that can pump a million of these out every year. I think the way they are trying to work backwards is going to be riskier and a lot harder. Building at scale is the hardest part.
Again, I love Aptera, I think the cars great. I hope they inspire all of the others to start adding solar. I just think it’s going to be a long ramp up and an even longer time until they can put out a 4-5 seat, 4 wheel vehicle that everyone will want, including myself and my wife. Just my opinion, please be kind.
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My #1 Concern..Aptera going belly-up (with the current banking crisis in our midst, now spreading globally..the “canary-in-the-coal mine”).
#2 Concern…won’t matter for the time being.
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In 2024 Aptera could become The Car of the Century… or it could shut down bankrupt due to lack of funding.
Aptera still hasn’t been able to raise a measly $150M in institutional capital or better yet, in nondilutive government loans to start production.
Retail investors and reservation holders alike, all loyal supporters for years, deserve an update on Aptera’s funding victories and losses to date.
Yes, congrats on the $22M California grant recently awarded and yes, congrats on decent success with the Accelerator Program. But neither one will get Aptera to production.
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My main concern is the width and with accelerator program I am anyhow much later in line compared when I made my deposit. So I can wait for reports of the first owners in real life experiences. Aptera is apparently fixed on 3 wheel design but I found that car design https://www.riversimple.com/ which is a 4 wheel design reminiscent to Aptera with in wheel motors and composite lightweight construction but smaller dimensions than aptera. I have not seen how much drag this design has. The main problem with that car is it is based on Hydrogen and I would prefer solar and batteries but will Aptera ever consider a 4 wheel design with small penalty in efficiency but much higher utility in urban life?
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My current concern other than when will production start, is with the new BIC. While I understand that it may be lighter even with the frame and will be a higher quality production. The body may not be as well insluated from outside temps and road noise.
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1. When will they deliver their first car? At this point I could go for any other car to replace my sentra. Thinking if the base model 3 hits 35k ill jump on it. Lucky for aptera i am bad with money and need to save up another 30k over this year and maybe next year.
2. The width of the vehicle is gonna be an issue on roads, parking, and just general driving. How good of a driver do I have to be to avoid hitting stuff meant for regular cars?
3. What the heck is the actual price and range going to be? At this point their customization and estimates are just props. They need to sell and deliver a single vehicle before I can take any of this seriously.
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The best guess as to when they will deliver their first car is sometime in 2024, assuming they find financing. There are rumors that they have some deals in progress, but nothing solid yet (probably NDAs on all the deals in progress). The accelerator program has supposedly helped a lot with getting some long lead time equipment ordered.
The width is about the same a pretty average pickup truck, I wouldn’t expect you to need to be a particularly good driver to avoid hitting curbs etc. There are quite a large number of astounding bad drivers with pickup trucks.
Price range is undecided, I am working under the assumption that final pricing will be similar to the estimates given on the configuration screen. I suspect they would have updated that if it looked like it was going to be different
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My only concern is the average person’s perception of reality.
Everyone needs this car. But I don’t think most people will take a serious look at Aptera until they have more than two seats.
I also struggle with reality. I want to own only one car, but sometimes we need two cars. I guess time will tell if I end up buying two original Aptera, or if I can hold out for Aptera’s second model.
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#1: SEC’s sudden and big ‘concern’ about the Accelerator Program. Hopefully SEC does not have a valid & pursuable violation of securities code(s). Being marked by the SEC that way would probably harm likelihood of large investor backing. It would be excellent if the Aptera team can, as soon as permitted by SEC, describe why the SEC required investor certification and the immediate end to other interested parties being able to invest.
#2: The ‘clock’. Got to be difficult to keep Aptera staffed and ready while waiting/building capital. Risk of loosing critical staff only increases with the wait.
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This video explains #1 quite well:
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Why doesn’t Aptera get some cars out there? The public needs to see them. Aptera needs to generate some excitement. Drive one cross country, have a vehicle at every major road race event like the Mitty at Road Atlanta. Marketing needs to get the name brand out there. It is an exciting design but the majority of the people are totally unaware. Go to every major car show, get a celebrity spokesperson, stay in the news, endorse politically …just get out there! This concept of lightweight and efficiency with solar power boost needs not to die!
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>Why doesn’t Aptera get some cars out there?
Aptera has ZERO production vehicles to show anyone anything.
At the present Aptera is just a collection of virtual bits inside a computer.
You need to acquire some patience.
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Well, thanks for that information. I didn’t realize that there were no streetable cars. The videos posted gives one the impression that there are. I stand corrected.
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That large knob that sticks out the back. Yes, we’ve discussed this before. And I’m certain Aptera has good reason to have it there. Probably trade-offs and compromises and the knob won out. But nevertheless I expect some big-ass pick-up to run into it sooner or later. So, yes, it is a concern.
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I’m feeling pretty down! I’ve had a bad two months, here is why: FIrst, Tesla cancelled my S Plaid order from 2021. They’re not making RHD models (Ok, but what about their lauded steer-by-wire project?)
Second, Fisker recently started to boast about production of their long awaited Ocean… A PV roof is a big plus for me (I’m a low mileage driver) also, they have actually made an RHD model, so things should be good for my Fisker reservation? Nope, the car’s software is unready and my confidence in the Company is failing rapidly. Fisker were supposed to be selling cars from Q2 but they are still focused on raising capital and only demo’ cars have hit the road. So I’ve lost all faith in Fisker.
Thirdly and most important; will I ever own the Aptera that I reserved back in 2021? It seems that Fisker and Aptera behave similarly. They attract investment then… then…
Sadly, the next step doesn’t involve delivering a car, just different investment models. I’m trying to remain positive, but frankly, both Companys’ past behaviour suggests that going bust could be the next step. I think I’m a genuine guy… I put my money down and expect the other guy to sell the product as advertised – So, does any body have confidence that Aptera will supply cars to reservation holders. If yes, will they ever make a RHD version? And if not, why did they accept my reservation? [I would really like an Aptera; a lightweight two seater with solar top-up would be ideal for me]
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Hello, Richard. I’m sure you have lots of company here in the Aptera queue. Part of our purchase price (whatever that turns out to be!) is a whole lot of patience.
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Fisker isn’t going bankrupt anytime soon. Magna Steyr who produces the Ocean for them has invested in the company and the strength of the manufacturing expertise means they will deliver a very good quality vehicle. Software follies can be worked out.
My interest in the Aptera had very little to do with the solar charging, the ROI is so abysmal as to not be worth the napkin, but instead as a motorcycle, trike, alternative that I could use in place of the bike for the off periods of the year when the weather makes motorcycling annoying.
we already know 2023 is a bust but it waits to be seen if 2024 will be one too. they have yet to announce any investment post their EU vacation and that disappointing. All the recent ATVM loans have been for battery technology and oddly ICE technology improvements but not vehicles since 2010.
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My worries, how will it be in high winds, two heavy people equals no cargo, will getting bigger tires equal more ground clearance, will it have cruise control, will I be be able to use a window shade with solar panels on the dash board, and will it have steel bars in the doors to prevent great injuries in a crash.
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Due to the aerodynamic design, winds from any direction should not be any problem. Tire size choices may be limited within those wheel pants. A solar shade which blocks the dash panels will reduce solar charging, but probably not by much. If the shade rested further back on the dash it may have less effect on recharge. There were pictures of a metal cross beam in the doors, if that is the final design.
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thanks. i live in florida and if there are high winds because of a coming hurricane, with it being so ‘light’ i don’t want to go flying. thats one of my worries.
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Side-Window Defrosting – There are windshield defrosting vents. There are air vents around the center screen for driver and passenger comfort. Does anyone know if there are air vents near the A-pilars to defrost the side-windows? I have yet to hear anything about that.
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Yes, I have heard that there are side window defog/defrost vents. Certainly on the Delta / production version, though I am not certain about the Gamma build.
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Not enough $$$
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The #1 thing I worry about is the tax credit. It could be the difference between having to quickly abandon the US market in favour of Canada / EU, or (if it gets resolved), being successful in the USA too.
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I am concerned that Aptera might suddenly increase prices when it begins to deliver vehicles.
I created a prioritized list of electric vehicles I would like to purchase. The Aptera is at the top of the list. Some of the alternatives are already being delivered. Although the price of Aptera alternatives occasionally drops (a nod to the drop in Tesla Y pricing), the price of alternatives is generally increasing. Other EV manufacturers have suddenly increased prices when they get close to delivering vehicles. A lot of folks (including fellow Aptera supporters) seem to expect Aptera to increase its prices too.
I don’t have unlimited funds or unlimited patience. I wonder if I’m foolishly passing-up birds-in-hand while I wait for the Aptera.
