Production schedule

[curtis-cibinel]

They are getting an initial gamma done soon. They were quite clear about the intent to deliver units to customers this year but it will likely be more hand built and not handled in the same production stations that would be putting it together at scale (potentially assembled by the engineers). Essentially once the final design is set they will start making a small number manually as the 2 assembly facilities and are put together and line staff are trained.

[david-marlow]

Yes, the production schedule is slipping, in the interest of making a better product.

I was hoping that an actual Gama unit would be shown, but now that will not be until next month.

The solar cell development information was very interesting, indicating that other solar vehicles may not hold up as well.

I am concerned about the batteries while they can store more energy per pound, they will cost more and will be more temperature sensitive than other lithium batteries. Being that these vehicles are intended to be left out in the sun, the temperature management system is critical.

The electrical system is what I hoped it would be, however it is a software sensitive system. If something goes wrong with the system there could be serious problems, nothing was said on how that situation would be handled.

[kerbe2705]

@Qiang Fu Chris said, “…deliver a pre-production vehicle…” which is what @Curtis Cibinel describes in his response.

[joshua-rosen]

There is an Aptera Owners Club video where he makes the very reasonable claim that production won’t start until late next year. He’s reviewing a webinar where Chris Anthony says that production will start 9 months after they have the funding to do it, he also indicated that they don’t have the money yet. Start watching around 10:45

• This reply was modified 1 year ago by  Joshua Rosen.
• This reply was modified 1 year ago by  Joshua Rosen.
• This reply was modified 1 year ago by  Gabriel Kemeny.

[Mike-Mars]

Yep, mid-September Chris said crash testing in Q2 2023, and a bit after that he said customer deliveries in maybe about a year (i.e., Q3 2023). 9 months after funding is consistent with those statements.

[craig-merrow]

I’m hoping to get one by the summer of 2024. I can understand their lead times getting extended out, as it’s a big job to get an automobile company up and running, but hopefully they are just being overly cautious about expectations.

[ImAlwaysMIA]

I personally believe their window to market may have already closed. Putting aside current market conditions the Aptera is already looking like a hard sell compared to what other vehicle manufacturers have in their pipelines. While granted those vehicles will be nowhere near as efficient as the Aptera, other vehicles will be safer, come with more creature comforts, and provide far more utility.

[konijntje]

Before mid 2022, production was set to end of 2022, with still gamma and delta and now the launch edition revealed.

Why is the production now delayed for a whole whopping year? What happened that aptera didn’t know before?

Or is it purely funding?

[Greek]

At the moment….funding is the issue.

[harry-parker]

And funding is the issue because they totally changed how they will be making Aptera’s body. Before it was to be a craft person’s layout of a hollow honeycomb composite resin material, individually vacuum formed and UV cured into a body with no aluminum frame. Now the body will be made from solid chopped carbon fiber filled panels stamped out in presses and heat cured in autoclaves, with an aluminum frame, all made by the Italian supercar body shop firm C.P.C.

The original way had low capital cost 3D molds but was slower and more labor intensive. Getting to 10,000 Aptera per year would be challenging.

The new way is faster and less labor intensive, (so less expensive per part in high volume) but has expensive and long lead time 3D milled steel tooling required. Getting to 20,000 Aptera per year per assembly plant will be relatively easy.

[robert-paris]

I heard that the tooling and deliveries would not begin until 12 months after the additional $40M was raised from the Accelerate program because it would take 12 months to get everything ready.

Is this really true? So we are looking at a March / April 2024 launch VS late 2023?

So does the entire $40M need to be raised to start the “process” or could it be started with say $10M or $20M instead?

I’m just curious.

Thanks

Bob

[BigSky]

My understanding is that they need the capital to cut checks for equipment and tooling. Once they cut checks, it is ~9 months to deliver and install and another 3 to startup and debug. So I think it is 12 months from funding. I don’t think they are waiting on everything though. It seems to me that they have cut checks on the longest lead items (e.g. CPC molds) and they are doing and prioritizing as funding comes in. I do think we will be well into 2024 before we start to see vehicles.

• This reply was modified 10 months ago by  BigSky Country.
• This reply was modified 9 months, 3 weeks ago by  Gabriel Kemeny.

[Pragmatic_to_a_Fault]

Figure mid 2024 before you start seeing any sort of deliveries of the LE cars. If then

They need to raise the cash to qualify for the grant, if they miss the boat. They miss the grant and we are back in 2008 again

[Russell]

This is exactly why I’m disappointed with the leadership at Aptera. Their initial business model was based on their fiberglass/honeycomb composit body. It was projected to be profitable at 5,000 vehicles per year. Their Alpha vehicles were fiberglass, their Beta vehicle was fiberglass, the Gamma was fiberglass. All their suspension, handling, acceleration, efficiency testing and refining was done on their fiberglass/honeycomb construction body. They were to begin production by the end of ‘22 and with the reveal of Gamma it looked like they were right on track to meet that projection. Showing off the Gamma got me excited. I was thrilled about them staying laser-focused this time around (unlike last time when they kept making major design changes until they eventually went belly up) and I made my fourth and largest investment to help them achieve their goal. But then, with production goal in sight they repeated their mistakes of the past and did a complete revision of the body design pushing start up costs through the roof and production well into the future. Had I known they were going scrap all the work that they did on their composite body and start over from scratch with a yet to be developed carbon fiber one there’s no way I would have sent them any more money. The goal was in sight. Gamma was beautiful. Production was closer than it had ever been. Then they moved the goal post. Not really. They ripped the goal post out by the root and chunked it two to three years into the future… provided they can raise yet another fifty million dollars.

Sorry about the rant. I’m just a little disappointed that they still haven’t settled on a design after 15+ years of development.

[Sam]

So is it fair to say production is going to start after there’s roughly 2,000 Delivery Slots made? Give or take a few minor hiccups or holes filled?

[Biker]

It is safe to assume that production will start after all the Accelerator slots have been sold/filled. How much after depends on many things but it is not really dependent on the Accelerator program alone.

[david-marlow]

Check out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALxVY1PGrwE at about 6:00

• This reply was modified 3 months, 3 weeks ago by  David Marlow.
• This reply was modified 3 months, 3 weeks ago by  David Marlow.
• This reply was modified 3 months, 3 weeks ago by  Gabriel Kemeny.

[Sam]

Oh no! Say it isn’t so!!

[ImAlwaysMIA]

So 2025…maybe…

[david-marlow]

The Accelator program has only slowed because at this time only accreated investors are allowed. As soon as they open it back up to the rest of us the rest of the slots will fill up fast, as people realize that unless they have had reservations for over 2 1/2 years, they will not see there Aptera until at least 2026 or later.

Also when the loan gets approved many investors will jump in as Aptera will be a fully funded statr up that they can invest in at a much lower rate that it will be after the IPO.

So the next few months will show us the light at the end of the tunnel.

[Sam]

Hi David… My order was placed mid ’22. So you’re thinking maybe ’26, right?. Tell me, how much sooner do you think it could be if I switched to the LE today?

t’s all funding dependant, of course.

[david-marlow]

Well Sam, it is hard to say, I thought I saw it mentioned that they were only planing on making 5000 LE’s and 2000 of thoes will be for the Accelator program and there are still slots open for that. So if you have $10,000 you could invest, you could get an LE in 2025

Other than that, some time in 2026 sounds about right unless you order a 600 or 1000 mile version

[rich]

im expecting after the LE cars are done they add the other 2 Exterior colors AND the other 2 Interior trims FIRST. i understand the 250 mile option seems easy as it is only a de-population of cells BUT alot of testing will have to happen than just adding different Trims levels into the vehicle WONT need. i guess time will tell….This step would also fall in line with producing the Paradigm model but i think Paradigm + may be awhile as that is the 1000 mile Battery version. Again, wait and see….

[john-malcom]

From the standpoint of engineering and production your observation makes sense. It has the potential to expand the revenue stream to accommodate the pent up demand for the other trims without a significant schedule or cost impact for additional engineering or testing. Of course some impact to logistics chain both in costs and magnitude of management span. The LE commitment is 2,000 Accelerator units for sure, then depending on demand up to 5,000. 5,000 and above 5,000 in question and dependent on an analysis of demand for additional LE’s and their financial returns vs. demand for other configurations.

[Gozer]

From an SEC filing on 7/20/23 states in part: DELIVERIES START Q2 2024, 7000 vehicles by 2025, 20,000 vehicles by 2026, 43,000 preorders fulfilled by 2027.

Accelerators beta test their signature vehicles by this time next year.

[Mike-Mars]

That SEC estimate is still subject to funding.

In the same paragraph:

> Our ability to achieve the figures above are conditioned on raising a significant amount of capital, closing a significant number of our preorders, availability of materials and goods necessary to produce the vehicles, availability of manufacturing facilities, and uninterrupted supply chains.

• This reply was modified 3 months, 1 week ago by  Michael Marsden.

[Kamakiri]

I think these numbers are still achievable, but some of the more recent comments are or at least seem a bit more tempered and this should just be considered a ‘forward looking statement’ with no guaranteed outcome. I did like that there was no conditional part ‘requiring’ the approval of the ATVM loan. It is my estimate that they already have enough funding to produce Deltas needed for misc testing/validation and production design release…but that they perhaps need more to fund a faster ramp up in production as outlined in this latest SEC filing. Without such additional funding and/or loan approval, it may be a significantly slower ramp up and later than stated therein.

It is my hope that forthcoming Delta announcements will greatly increase the rate of Accelerator level investments and the imminent resumption of crowdfunding from non-accredited investors. I am personally waiting for these two actions before securing my Accelerator slot as an accredited investor – within the serial number range I hope to get.