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No DC Charging on Launch Edition
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No DC Charging on Launch Edition
updated 8 months, 1 week ago
32 Members
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37
Replies
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Yeah, I switched from 2WD 400mi to launch edition at first, because I’ve been wanting this car for so long and it would meet my immediate needs. But Aptera was always going to be our second car for just a couple of years after my eldest starts driving in a couple of years, then after the kids leave it would be an only-car just for my wife and me — meaning we’d also use it to go on 2-person ROAD TRIPS. That no longer seems feasible in an Aptera without fast charging until we retire (no time soon) and can afford the time to overnight every 350 miles or so. Therefore I’m switching to a 2WD 600mi and will wait a few more years for my Aptera if it retroactively adopts fast charging — or go with a different manufacturer entirely, depending on how things pan out.
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Regardless of whether or not DCFC is something that will be regularly used by the average driver, it makes a huge difference in capability for the occasional road trip. If it’s not going to be present in Aptera (even if just for the Launch Edition), that’s their call to make, but it will greatly reduce the potential market share by removing road-trippers. My biggest concern is that it will also decrease the value of the vehicle quite significantly. If you relegate it to a local commuter and short-trip only vehicle by removing that DC charge capability, it’s just not worth as much in the market of today’s very capable EVs. For me, the cost of the vehicle just got much more difficult to justify, and I don’t know if I can buy one anymore – at that price, at least.
Hopefully they can correct this PR nightmare through adding DCFC or at least a cost reduction before too many people bail… Time is of the essence; I worry too much damage has already been done to investment potential and the market of prospective buyers.
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While I share the disappointment and frustration voiced here in the lack of DCFC for LE, I do wonder whether the intensity of these feelings blinds us to the possibilities of the vehicle as it will first ship. No one mentions the fact that Aptera will be 3 to 4 times more range-efficient in (AC) charging than other EVs currently on the market (a Tesla M3 e.g. rates 3.3 miles per KWh vs 10 for Aptera, and many EVs do much worse). So 15 mins of L2 charging will be close to an L2 hour in any other EV in terms of mileage added.
I started my EV ownership journey with a 2014 Leaf (range 84 miles). Perhaps that led to me to develop a distorted sense of reality, but I consider a sunny day road trip would be perfectly feasible in the LE. With a bio-break/stretch or 2, and an hour-ish lunch, I could travel 400 + (57 * 2) + 42 = 556 miles or so. Longer than that I get pretty stiff anyway sitting in a car. Sure there are plenty of qualifications, but I’m not convinced many folks need 1200 mile per day range – do they drive 120 mph for 10 hours, or 60 for 20? Either way, let me know so I can stay far, far away!.
If there are enough people with similar needs, and this configuration means earliest time to market and positive cash flow, it might be a reasonable survival strategy. I do, however, agree that management messaging left a lot to be desired.
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DCFC is not my reason not to change to Launch Edition. My reasons are:
How much does it cost?
I don’t want to pay for Enhanced Audio.
I don’t want to pay for a third motor.
I ordered a 250 mile range but will be willing to pay for a 400 mile range LE at the price of a 400 mile range Luna, without Enhanced Audio and without AWD. When the 250 mile range I ordered is ready, I’d sell the LE and transition to what I wanted first. If DCFC is not available by then (at least 50 kw) I may just keep the LE.
Yoke and Wrap do not bother me either. From what I can see, the only part of the Aptera that is wrapped is the Silver stripe down each side and the wheel pants. The price to re-wrap that is not going to cost what a whole car wrap will cost. In fact I may just do it myself even though I never have. But I’d probably apply the urethane long lasting stuff, or I might just buy a few $2 spray paint cans and paint it myself.
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As a buyer I’m confused. As an investor I’m hopeful. Explanation:
BUYER: It’s really hard to evaluate this without understanding the plan for the retrofit. A year without DCFC would be fine. A lifetime, not so much. This is a very poor communication rollout. If retrofit is a real plan, let’s see the info. If not, well, I really hope they aren’t misleading us on that.
INVESTOR: I wonder if this might actually be really good from an investment standpoint. With 40k reservations I’m pretty certain they can move 5k LEs as fast as they can build them. This could have a big positive impact on cashflow, further investing, IPO, etc. It may be a disappointment to some original reservation holders, but it might do a lot to support the larger vision of the company.
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Quid Pro Quo – No DC fast charge ADVANTAGES
Agree DC fast charging is very important, will drive many people from the purchase and will impact resale value too. My use case considers no road tripping, or road trips of 400 miles or less total. I live in the south where I’m not worried about range loss in cold weather. And there are advantages I see with L2 only:
1. I will likely get my Aptera much sooner, as I think many (or most) people will not take the launch edition, will instead wait for this feature to be made available
2. Battery degradation with L2 only should be very minimal, pack should basically last forever (check stats on Chevy Volt battery longevity. No DC for that car, and battery failure rates were basically zero).
3. Simpler & lighter vehicle: I personally suspect skin cooling is insufficient for handling certain fast charging scenarios, with car parked in hot asphalt for instance. I suspect fast charging will require a radiator to heat exchange air, pulling from the cowl. Car will need a fan, longer coolant circuit, ducting to route air from cowl to back of car, heavier electrical components, etc. Maybe tie in air conditioner to battery thermal management. Cost, weight, complexity. Tough luck retrofitting this!
All in all I still no DC is a strategic mistake for Aptera, but for me this might as well work out great!
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The Aptera design includes air ducting from the windshield, a small radiator, and a small fan.
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Thank you Aptera for making the change and supporting DCFC.
