Virtual Investor Conference (10-Feb-2022) Takeaways

[Thomas Bushaw]

Chris Anthony presented a video/virtual update on February 10, 2022 at the “Reg A+ Pre-IPO Investor Conference.” Here are a few takeaways (some news, some “olds”) that I gleaned from his presentation:

• Nominal >350 MPG-e and ≤100 Wh/mile.

• All-wheel drive version recommended for snow- and ice-prone climates (or if you want to go fast quickly); 2-wheel drive version will be fine, otherwise.

• The $7,500 tax credit will apparently apply to the Aptera if it passes through Congress (already passed by the House, waiting for the Senate). [“Listening” between the lines: I assume Chris is referring to the federal legislation (and not the state of California). This tax credit is part of the Build Back Better legislation (passed by the House, currently stuck in the Senate). It’s possible that it will be broken out as separate legislation.]

• Current delivery projection: First vehicles to be delivered by the end of 2022; 5,000 units by mid- to late-2023 and 10,000 units delivered by early 2024. (See prodution timeline chart below; also see Gabriel Kemeny’s post in the Realistic Delivery Time discussion.)

• Expect to build “satellite” factories around the country (e.g., northern California, Texas, Virginia, maybe Georgia) and world (e.g., UK, Netherlands, Australia, Spain, Germany), each with 10,000 to 20,000 units/year. This facilitates service, delivery, and leveraging local resources and incentives.

• Currently over 16,900 orders, almost 10,000 investors, and over 500 ambassadors.

• Skin cooling is on the belly of the vehicle. With its efficiency the Aptera doesn’t create as much heat so it doesn’t need to shed as much heat. (Chris did not answer the question “When will the skin cooling be showed off?”.)

• Winter testing? Maybe by Elaphe in Slovenia (the supplier of in-wheel motors), maybe somewhere here in the States or Canada. Details not worked out yet.

• The Aptera is classified as a motorcycle (affects registration and insurance) but since there is a roof over your head, a helmet is not required. (Chris did not mention that there are some states – e.g., New York – that have some special requirements.)

• Body coating: Paint, wrap, or in-mold color? This has not yet been decided. (The “conventional wisdom” was that they had settled on the wrap option. This is apparently not the case.)

• Range validation: Awaiting the finalization of the battery pack configuration (cell configuration and chemistry, vendor, and safety factors built in all will affect the range).

• Existing (1st) Beta is all wheel drive.

• Digital side view mirrors: working on a digital “mirror” solution, but camera monitors as a replacement for outside mirrors have not yet been approved by the NHTSA. So, the current plan is to have reflective mirrors on the exterior (for now) to satisfy current regulations, augmented by digital “mirrors” inside.

• 400 mile range vehicle orders will be fulfilled first, then 250 mile, then 600 and 1000.

[Raj Giandeep]

Nice recap of the event. I’m excited.

[Lou Verner]

Second that motion and e-motion! Thanks Thomas!!!

[Pistonboy Delux]

Great information. I have two questions:

1 What is new Variant to be delivered in 2024?

2 Didn’t Aptera say the vehicles would be wrapped? I thought that information came from Aptera.

[Jon_J]

The new variant should be the sedan.

[Paul Schultz]

I’m not sure. I interpret this as a possible overseas (European) variant. Maybe they have plans for a narrower footprint. I wouldn’t think they would call another model a ‘variant’. But… who really knows! It is definitely a vague reference that I spotted as well.

[Pistonboy Delux]

Could we please keep this thread about what was presented in the investor conference and not change it into a thread about wraps?

[Jon_J]

Agree. If you read Audra’s response on Jan 11 in the wraps thread, Chris’ statements in this investor presentation about wraps shouldn’t come as a surprise. It’s good to know someone from Aptera reads these forums once in a while.

[John Malcom]

Good for the forum to have insight into Aptera’s ‘s high level plan. This should reasure some who have doubts that it will all come together and be successful. one caution. Let’s accept at face value and not start speculating. Lets wait for the “Real thing g” to be officially revealed.

[Paul Kirchner]

I was left with a much much greater confidence in their ability to actually produce and deliver a viable EV to market. Everything Chris said sounded on point for that goal. It does seem like a stretch though to go from recently testing the first beta to delivery of a customer vehicle by end of year.

[Alain Chuzel]

Regarding slide starting at about 7:38, I’m really having a hard time understanding the claim that “most drivers will never have to charge their EV”. Even in very sunny climates, the daily “peak sun-hrs” for a horizontal array for, at least, half the year, are well below that needed for a nominally 700 watt array to generate approximately 40 miles worth of daily driving.

[John Malcom]

We can look at the testing data when it is available. The 40 miles/day is a primary claim. I am sure Aptera will collect dada, analyze it and publish results to support the engineering estimate

[Paul Kirchner]

Yes, I find that statement they repeat over and over somewhat specious too.

[Alain Chuzel]

Repeat a lie often enough and……(Marketing 101?)

[Laura Batchelor]

I was unaware of the Virtual Investor Conference until after the fact. How do I get notifications on future Conferences? I am an investor.

[Oz (It’s Oz, just Oz)]

Laura, Aptera only mentioned it once, that I saw, on the day before, I believe on FaceBook. I think it was intended more as an outreach to investors who are not aware of Aptera as it was done on a website that offers multiple opportunities on a regular basis, although looking at the Q&A it seemed to be current followers were there mostly. I posted a heads up on it when I first caught wind of it a week or so beforehand, on two FaceBook groups and Reddit, in retrospect, I probably should have put it in a thread here as well.

• This reply was modified 4 months, 2 weeks ago by  Oz (It's Oz, just Oz).