Two Bit Da Vinci Reviews the Aptera

[Thomas Bushaw]

For you Aptera information sponges, this 15+ minute video review (posted 2/4/2022) provides a nice overview of the Aptera. It includes some interview time with Chris Anthony and some drive time, too.

• This discussion was modified 5 months ago by  Thomas Bushaw.

[kerbe2705]

Very nicely done, I thought!

[Jon_J]

Yes, I thought this video was rather well done except perhaps for the test drive where the audio wasn’t so good and the camera work wasn’t steady.

[Alain Chuzel]

Will someone please tell Mr. Anthony there’s no such thing as a “powdered crystalline cell” and that a shattered cell will not “still produce 95% of an undamaged cell”. Here’s a test I did and the damaged cell is far from being “shattered”:

[Jon_J]

Alain – So what are you figuring is the true output is of a “shattered” cell? 71%? The 95% number seems plausible given videos like this one:

https://youtu.be/8Gb7jUjNYi0?t=330

You may well be right, but this could be why people aren’t questioning it, other than you. If the SunPower Maxeon cell isn’t flake crystalline and isn’t powdered crystalline, then what would you call it?

To me, more important than the output of the shattered cell is the fact that the cells are physically flexible and have good output. Once affixed to the vehicle, they may well be quite robust to shattering.

[Alain Chuzel]

What ever the max power (Pmp) of a shattered cell actually is is somewhat irrelevant. What’s relevant is that it will be very much lower than the rest of the cells strung in series with it and, consequently, “limit” the rest of the string if not for either the cell’s own “bypass diode-like” characteristic or any judiciously placed external bypass diode. Even the broken cell I show in the my quick video would be “bypassed”.

With respect to the video from Aptera Owner’s Club that you provided the link to, I’m very familiar with it and, in fact, if you look through the comments/replies on that video you will find that I was inspired to do the test because of some back and forth I had with the channel creator.

The cell is an IBC (Integrated Back Contact) single or mono-crystalline Silicon type likely made by Maxeon/SunPower. I work with these cells daily and have been for going on 20 years. Here’s a photo of one of my types of “anti-reflective” modules “formed” to a nominally 6.5″ radius cylinder. The module has an “areal” weight of about 800 grams per square meter. “Flake” crystalline, by the way, is also a relatively unknown term for us in the industry. It likely is meant to refer to, what is more correctly known as, multi- or poly-crystalline Silicon.

You are correct that the cell Aptera has apparently chosen has “good output” (high efficiency). What’s not so true, I’m afraid, is that it is any more “robust” to shattering or even simple cracks as any other “common” cell once properly encapsulated/mounted/supported.

[Curtis Cibinel]

Here is one that looked at various 3 wheelers. They really slammed the limitations of most others and clearly decided Dayak Spiritus won’t happen.

https://youtu.be/nbIp3exbK34

[Thomas Bushaw]

Thanks… entertaining and funny. They do seem to recognize Aptera’s positives!

[John Malcom]

Thanks for posting for us information sponges. A good term. We should have Aptera copy write it

[kerbe2705]

…and so much more polite a term than “fact whore”. 🤣

[John Malcom]

Ha, that’s a hoot!

[Thomas Bushaw]

Oh… you mean there could be money involved? 🤣

[David Marlow]

As good of an Aptera presentation that could be done now, Hopefully he will redo the test ride portion, when a gamma or delta version is available for him to do that in.