Aptera Update Videos

[len]

Nice!

Glad to see they are trying to lighten their long days with chips ( Comfort Food ) but I think we better get healthier alternatives to them so they are their for us longterm

No one wants chip oil on their new Aptera either.

Well they are *young! Enjoy! I was *there once????

[Riley]

Nice update

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GK-aamqGZS4

What are your guys take on the production floor plan? Looks so simple they could have many of these production lines set up all over the world.

[curtis-cibinel]

Without more details and resolution it’s hard to get any information from this. The 2 large machines might be molds.

Does each station assemble a full car or is it an assembly line? Aptera has a unique design and efficient production by hand will be hard.

It is unclear if this is the layout to scale to 10k per year (about 35 per day).

[peter-jorgensen]

It’s a final assembly and battery assembly line. I don’t see any molds or layup equipment. The bodies are most likely built somewhere else then the vehicle itself is assembled on this line then rolled out the door. About half robotic, half manual. This is well done – there’s a lot of work put into this.

[curtis-cibinel]

Aptera Owners Club covered this on his youtube and seems to have managed to get a little higher quality scrape.

He also asked what these (pictured) are? (I have a theory but wont post it to keep people’s minds open)
Do we think they will 3d print the actual parts?

[llewellyn-evans]

It is a MASSIVE 3d printer. Look how far the bed goes beyond the curtain. I also notice some big prints behind the curtain …. wonder what they are.

[davis-edwards]

Great to see the latest update! I count 21 vehicle stations in the overall floorplan.

My guess for the 3D print is the basis for a large mold for the rear-end bodywork. It definitely looks like something with a Left and Right mirrored component. I doubt it would be suspension arms since those appear to be cast metal and would likely not use this negative mold and 3D printing. I cropped the photo and put together a couple of pieces. Not 100% sure though

[ray-holan]

I think it’s critical that Aptera keeps up the flow of updated information about their progress. This level of transparency increases their credibility.

For a time, I was intrigued with the Elio but quickly lost confidence as the company “went dark” and multiple months went by without any word about progress. Look where they are now years after announcing their vehicle: a still vacant ex-GM plant in Louisiana and scrabbling to get back in the game with an EV version of their original ICE design. Can’t imagine many prospective Elio reservation holders willing to jump back in with this new version of their vehicle. Once burned, twice careful.

[peter-jorgensen]

Are those coilovers on the front suspension? And they’re set all the way down right now? So adjust them to the other end and it would lift the aptera – is that right?

[glenn-zajic]

They are hanging in the air and have no load on them in this video.

[kerbe2705]

November 19 video with Aptera designer Jason Hill https://youtu.be/EH8MT93fEyc

[kerbe2705]

Nothing new here… https://youtu.be/vlNTyI_Fq7U

[john-malcom]

Thanks for sending the notice out with the link to alert forum members!????

Was hoping for more specifics.

– Looks like three months Feb/Mar timeframe for Production facility buildout complete. That means three to four months before projected production vehicle. builds possible. Good to know that the facility will not be the long pole in the tent for a production schedule.

– Had hoped Beta was further along

– Would like to know what percentage of supply chain agreements are complete and an expected 100% completion date.

– 100 people not a lot for all that is going on. Pretty thin coverage

To much of the program manager in me I guess.

I am assuming the Sol seen zipping along in the production facility is the one going to CES in early Jan. Good to see an Aptera out in the public eye for the first time but hope it does not cause a delay in Dev/Production schedule with the people supporting the show.

Aptera has produced miracles in the past so I trust them to pull the rabbit out of the hat again. Always appreciate them taking the time for transparency.

[Quincy]

Reporting from Aptera’s Beta development facility, Co-CEO Chris Anthony gives a progress report on all things Aptera. Watch the full video for the first glimpse of our Beta vehicles, a sneak peak of our 80,000 square foot production facility, and an update on the delivery of our first vehicles. Enjoy!

Aptera Update — December 2021

[steven-g-bueche]

@:20 did he say, “Adding roll cages for safety” ?

I don’t recall ever hearing about roll cages before.

Anyone have information about this? Will the production ones have cages or are they for crash testing only?

[peter-jorgensen]

Not for crash testing – For the track car. This is a track and handling car they are making to prove out suspension at the drag strip and race track.

[Pistonboy]

I would like to know how they handle track testing for handling and suspension. I believe the suspensions were designed by Roush. I assume Roush will be doing the evaluation.

Would Roush be doing the driving with lots of cameras and equipment? Probably.

While new model four-wheel vehicles come out all the time, vehicles as unique as Aptera do not. I suspect there are a lot of people interested in the vehicle-dynamics of the Aptera.

[kerbe2705]

We don’t know the nature of the relationship with Roush: It could be as simple as Roush critiquing Aptera’s plans or as involved and the scenario you describe. Considering the “consulting” role being played by Munro & Assoc., I wonder if the Roush relationship is much different…

[OZ.]

January 2022 Update ! (At Last)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V88RhwLEb3I&ab_channel=ApteraMotors

[peter-jorgensen]

What size battery does the handling beta have? I wonder if it’s the final pack or a dummy pack from a Volt or something?

[kerbe2705]

The alphas all have 25 kWh – I’d venture this would be the same in the betas. The beta doesn’t use the passive belly radiator (that silver box up front is a radiator with fans) so I doubt that “final” is a word one could use to describe almost any component of the betas.

[Pistonboy]

I see they have all three alpha vehicles there as well as the beta vehicle.

I like the casual “feet up” position at time 0:10.

Buttonwillow raceway had been mentioned before, but they went to Chuckwalla instead which is much closer. Perhaps they mentioned Buttonwillow to throw people off and not try to find them and watch. (I am that kind of person.) I suspect all testing is done.

[kerbe2705]

Can testing a Beta beconsidered to be “beta testing”? 😏 https://youtu.be/5wi9xEVH6mU

[llewellyn-evans]

This is going to be a drivers car once they tune it up.

It looks like it goes like a rocket now ….. just imagine what it will be like when it is tuned up and finalised. Aptera is going to be HEAPS of fun to drive.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 2 months ago by  Llewellyn Evans.

[david-marlow]

Fantastic video showing real improvements, makes it really worth waiting for.

When the production versions are tested with direct comparisons to other two passenger vehicles I think we will see it doing better than all priced at less than two or three times as much. The orders will start poring in when those comparisons are published. Some others may have a higher top speed, but how often do you drive at over100 mph?

[Pistonboy]

Has anyone noticed at time 0:36 the inner wheel becomes airborne, lifting off the pavement? It then bounces when it comes down, goes back up, and becomes airborne again. The second airborne is difficult to see, but it happens.

To see these, view it in Youtube, pause it at this time, and move the video forward and backwards one frame at a time by pressing the comma and period keys.

[paul-kirchner]

Isn’t this the purpose of the testing? To take things as far as they can to obtain real life data?

[curtis-cibinel]

The point is to find out how far they can push the car; that’s why they have professional drivers and the roll cage in this green beauty. Looks like some amazing progress.

I know everything is in progress but I would love to know how fast they pulled off a moose test (iso double lane change); looking at the video and dimensions it looks like about 20 meters per second (45 mph / 72 kph). This would be a very solid pass and (pass is 60 kph) and exceed what most 4 wheel vehicles can do. That and crash testing are the two big ones to prove the Aptera is safe to people.

Note: I watched the video at 1/4 speed and used a stopwatch to determine basically exactly 4.0 real seconds for the 3 middle sections of the test (30/25/25) which total 80 meters.

Note: The record is 85 kph and has been held by a Citroën Xantia since 1999. EVs with regenerative breaking on during the test are kinda a grey area that the test criteria doesn’t really handle.

[Pistonboy]

Has anyone noticed the “grill” for the front (cooling)? The openings are laser cut images of the Aptera vehicle. Very nice.

This is at time 1:03.

[OZ.]

Good catch Pistonboy Deluxe.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 2 months ago by  OZ (It's OZ, Just OZ).

[Pistonboy]

Here is some interesting information from Chris.

https://youtu.be/1qhkTMN8s9o

[kerbe2705]

[steven-g-bueche]

At :35 He says, First production run of solar panels.

Question: Has there ever been a fully functional solar panel on this car yet? If you look at some shots you see a smooth hood (at the top of the community page) while others show the outline of the solar panels and are not so smooth. Which will it be?

I sincerely hope there has been a fully functional solar set up in which they used to determine at least some of their initial claims.

As for the yoke and center screens I’ll adapt to the yoke and I like the center split screen. It keeps my eyes focusing ahead.

Here in Georgia in order to make a proper lane change one is expected to Turn on your signal, Look to the direction for any blind spotted cars and then proceed. Hopefully the law will change in that regard as we evolve.

I still want my old MTV and my Aptera.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 1 month ago by  Steven G. Bueche.

[kerbe2705]

No – the three Alphas were just proof-of-concept “design studies”: They were not outfitted with fully working systems, like AC, for example. The design and manufacture of the solar panels has been entirely experimental up to this point: It will be interesting to see what they think will be the best option when the “solar” Beta is built. I would assume that the solar panels will have a smooth surface over the cells and not a “poured-on” coating.

[brian-albury-albury]

I’m happy and excited with the design going further with a non-standard steering wheel. This vehicle is non-standard in so many ways, and I like the way that is following into the interior. This latest design of the yoke does look a little odd to me and I’m not sure how I can ‘grab’ it, but I’m sure that will all be worked out. At my age, the more the yoke looks like KITT’s from Knight Rider the better. =D