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What Options Would You Want?
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What Options Would You Want?
updated 1 year, 4 months ago
150 Members
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210
Replies
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In case you have to park your Aptera in a narrow street or place: a removable cover for the front wheel fenders: reflective signal red with a signal green Aptera logo on the side for the left wheel fender and a reflective signal green with a signal red Aptera logo on the side for the right front wheel fender.
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Add In cabin Heppa Air Filtration too.
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Consider marine grade/yacht/high end flooring inside for both front and rear areas.
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Echo Auto- Hands-free Alexa – in your car with your phone.
Finally, assuming we can attach devices like Chromecast, Roku, Apple, Firestick or Android streaming devices to run off center screen when parked for camping.
Does a 12v beverage cooler built in between (ie behind) the seat backs a good idea? I see there is a flap that is to come into place to fill void between deck and folded seat back. This cooler would fit between that (the two seats) and that helping to fill in that area (support) and void fully.
Finally, would be cool & easy for small LED projector to be an option so as to be able to project video to white panel on tent with an option to reverse image view that would make visible from outside depending on location of black out panel. Basically duplicate front and rear facing projector. Not a difficult tech add on. Visualize doors open for outdoor theater and sound.
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A vertical net behind the seats. I was in an auto accident where the items in the rear (it was a hatchback) went flying forward. A can of hand cleaner cracked the windshield, it hit so hard. Also, several tie down hooks in the rear.
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It aught to have a “Sentry Mode” type of feature. There are lots of nuts and crazies out there who will see our little Aptera as a threat to their manly ICE noise makers and will key it, bash it, or otherwise show their disdain. Likewise on the road, there will likely be haters who will need to be monitored.
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Some connection point on the cargo bed. So you have a chance to mount two dividers to separate luggage from dogs cabin and front seats.
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I hope they do not make the car too Low, everyone like the SUV height and that is easy to get in and out of. too low and sports car thing is a pain!
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I want to second, third, and tenth what Dan and John have said. I’m terribly excited, not so much for my Aptera, but for ANYONE’S Aptera. Can there be a celebration when the first customer- intended Aptera rolls out of production? I’d show up for that.
A sort-of whimsical thought exercise for the future. Can enough autonomy be put into the vehicle to give it solar tracking capabilities?! Can it shift positions slightly, every hour or so, for the rear deck to follow the sun, with sensors to make sure there’s room? Tracking adds 10-25% to the output of solar panels. I’ve seen articles dismissing the Aptera’s solar capabilities as gimmicky, saying that solar should only be on roofs of buildings. Tracking could make the Aptera’s panels MORE efficient than roof mounted arrays. Just a thought.
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Let’s start with the features that are mandatory:
1. Headroom, headroom, headroom! While I’m only 5’7”, I’m very long waisted, so I sit taller in a seat than most people who are 6’5”. I can’t drive nearly half the cars on the market because I literally hit my head on the roof.
2. Up/down, front/back adjustable seats. While 8-way power seats would be ideal, I’m sort of assuming this will have manual adjustable seats. In that case please use the style where front/back adjustment is separate from up/down adjustment. This helps maximize headroom for those of us with long torsos and short legs.
3. Comfortable seats with proper lumbar support. The only real flaw people find with the Chevy Bolt is the seats (ignoring the whole spontaneous combustion issue). Don’t let the Aptera be maligned due to poor seats. They don’t need to be “plush”, but they do need to be comfortable, all day comfortable.
4. Telescoping steering wheel. Since this appears to be a very “feet forward” driving position, the steering wheel must be telescoping to accommodate different body dimensions.
5. The ability to access all stereo and climate controls in ALL driving modes, ESPECIALLY REVERSE! The biggest complaint I have in newer vehicles is that climate and stereo controls, even when there are physical buttons, get locked out in when I need to access them the most, namely when I’m in reverse. The reason this is an issue is the the first thing most people do after starting a vehicle is to back out of somewhere. When I start the vehicle, the stereo and HVAC have not yet turned on, so I start backing up, the half way through the maneuver, usually at the most dangerous part (entering traffic), the stereo starts blaring and the HVAC decides to power on full blast, so I can’t hear the environment around me which is very dangerous. Because modern vehicle SW locks these controls while in reverse, I am forced to either suffer through the maneuver before I am able to make adjustments, or put the car back in park, to turn down/off the stereo or HVAC. It makes me hate the whole vehicle every time it happens, which is every time I back up.
6. Apple CarPlay/Android Auto. No one should even consider marketing a vehicle without these as standard.
7. 2+USB charging ports with at least 2.4A per port minimum. USB-C with USB-PD preferred.
8. Excellent headlights. Test them on a curvy, narrow, mountain road, in the woods, on a cloudy night. If you can’t see the turn coming through a dip, you need to try again. Hint, you need some light shining above the centerline of the vehicle, and wide to the sides as the road ahead isn’t always below or in front of you. So many cars have practically useless headlights, and this is a feature that is nearly impossible to test on a test drive.
9. A ROUND steering wheel. I’m seeing a trend, maybe started by Tesla, maybe not, toward non-traditional shaped steering wheels. I can’t imagine why people would want that, or how it can be considered safe to drive. Placement of hands on the steering control needs to be predictable in all maneuvers, and this is only achievable with a circular interface.
10. Driver information in front of the driver. This includes current speed, trip distance, energy, output/average consumption/remaining, etc… Requiring the driver to take their eyes off the road to look at a center console to find this info is unsafe and is a deal breaker for any vehicle purchase.
Ok, now for the wish list:
1. 3rd seat option, even if it’s a jump seat.
2. Ground effects lighting as factory equipment. I think they look silly on most cars, but this one needs it. It just does.
3. I like the idea of a solid side window option. Some of the other suggestions in this thread are good. Fixed in place might be acceptable. Mini-van style vent windows could also work well, and would be my preferred choice for this type of vehicle I think.
3a. As others have said, the primary purpose of opening the windows on a car these days is to quickly get the car down to ambient temperature when it’s been sitting in the sun. An option to have a fan circulating air through the cabin while sitting in the sun, above a certain temperature, to keep the car near ambient would really eliminate the need for large opening windows.
4. Adjustable load rear suspension. This type of vehicle seems more sensitive to load variation than traditional types, so adjustable load suspension seems almost necessary. Air suspension systems are very good at this, and can even do it automatically. There may be other designs that also work at lower weight/cost. This is certainly something I’d be looking for as the current load limit only really supports two adults and no gear, and an adjustable suspension would allow you to increase the load limit.
5. Towing option. An integrated hitch receiver and trailer wiring would be optimal. The ability to carry a bike rack or tow a light trailer, makes this vehicle infinitely more practical.
6. Ability to disable TPMS. All this system does is false alarm, and provides zero value. I can tell my tire pressure is not where I want it either through visual inspection or immediate feedback while driving. I can tell it’s off several PSI before TPMS tells me. I know that not everyone can, just like some people can’t tell their brakes are shot, so some people like this feature. That’s fine, for them, but for the rest of us we should be able to turn it off.
So, that’s my list. I’ve never been interested in owning an odd looking vehicle, nor any two seater before, but this vehicle is awesome in both form and function. I must have one, provided the insides are as well designed as the outsides (see above). I can’t wait to see these on the roads, and hopefully own one. I am in the market for a daily commuter and this would be perfect. Hope it’s ready sooner than later.
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Option for a built in 1 1/4″ hitch mount in rear center square behind the Aptera symbol that would allow small trailer to be attached.
Putting a couple of muddy mountain bikes in the back while possible is not all that appealing. Also it would be nice to be able to pull a couple of kayaks, a canoe or a “rooftop” carrier on longer cross country adventures. A small trailer would also allow someone to haul a small amount of material like lumber which I typically strap to the roof of my Bolt destroying the aerodynamics, but it avoids having to use the pickup truck and on the short infrequent journey it is not really an issue.
Option for a bidirectional charger so in an emergency the battery can be used to run emergency power to house for a short while.
Having to avoid buying a backup battery would be worth 1/2 the price of buying an Aptera. I’m looking at ~ $20k for a similar sized backup battery.
A manual override switch.
It seems that everything is getting hacked these days and I suspect someday it will happen to computers controlling autos so it would be nice if the electronics start acting irregularly you can flip the switch and safely bring the car under control and perhaps limp along with minimal capabilities.
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Wishlist:
1. Digital Rearview mirror, especially useful for those with full solar
2. 3rd seat, being a jumpseat, even if it’s positioned behind the front row in the center.
3. Fog lights positioned low in the wheel cover housings.
4. Side cameras facing rearward in the wheel cover housings for localities where rear view mirros can be cameras instead.
5. Dual wireless celphone chargers for driver and passenger.
6. More cupholders and storage cubbies and compartments
7. And yes, all this is moot if you never reach production. I just want you guys to start getting production models out to us customers! Road presence will be your single biggest advertisement of availability. Been rooting for you guys since v1.
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If they were to do that, I would be game for an emergency deployable temporary 3rd seat option. Even if it were to be rear-facing in the back, just to make ends meet for those occasions in which another passenger is absolutely necessary. One that you could keep in your garage in case of a rainy day or that could deploy like a rumble-seat. For models which are 250 or 400 miles range there would likely be sufficient real-estate to incorporate a basic rumble-seat for such needs.
At the same time, I would not wish for any machinations to impact the production cycle of vehicles under a current commitment. But if, at the actual time of sale, this could be a consideration ona case by case by case basis whether or not the buyer would accept the possible delay this may cause for their own specific delivery, this could be a way in which it could be worked out without sacrificing the time-lines of every other expectant owner. Thank you for your question Riley!
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I would like the side windows tinted …. if they are not already and if they do not impact the dash solar panel efficiency.
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Most states, if not all, have fairly strict requirements against the tinting of any driver and forward windows. It would likely be impractical for Aptera to tint them and be in legal compliance.
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I would really like to see the ability to plug in additional solar panels to use when the car is parked. If I am at work (if I ever get BACK to work…) it would be great to get additional power to the batteries while I am inside working. When I come out to go home, I just disconnect the external cells, put them in the trunk and drive off with more juice that when I arrived at work. Even if a designated “port” is not on the Aptera, perhaps the connections could be identified so that this type of modification could be done by the owner if they wanted.
For electronics, I am hopeful for Android Auto/Apple Car Play (untethered – no USB cable necessary), Homelink (no one wants to put a tacky remote on the visor), and a couple 2.4A USB connections for phone/tablet charging and possibly use as auxiliary input for music or whatever.
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A very loud horn. A sleek, matte-black, virtually silent Aptera needs a horn that makes it sound like an 18-wheeler.
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1. Spare tire and jack
2. Cargo area window cover (to keep cargo are items out of sight)
3. Ability to add battery capacity quickly and easily (maybe not an option, but a design feature)
4. Midnight option: All black. Interior, exterior, components… everything
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V2G wouldn’t be necessary for me, but V2L would be a nice addition and appears to become more and more standard on EVs.
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I’d go for V2L instead of V2G, but then again, the power grid has never been an issue over here. V2L is also becoming more and more of an industry standard on new EVs
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Training mode – where only 50% power is available to learner drivers or …. to stop your mechanic hooning in your Aptera.
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Obviously the critical thing is getting a solid core vehicle shipping. This thread is a great way to contribute suggestions so they can roadmap and plan features.
Personally I think the simplest feature to add that I would want is a HDMI (or HDMI over usb c) input that could be used when parked (if used when driving it would be considered unsafe). This would give great flexibility when charging the car, doubles as a phone charge port (if usbc) or camping without spending millions on software dev for infotainment. Essentially this pushes the software work onto the mobile phone, laptop and other secondary devices which have long since solved everything. This would allow any streaming service, game console, tablet etc far in excess of Tesla’s capability at the expense of simple port and a very simple bit of code.
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3rd seat option, preferably in the center right behind the current seats.
V2G would be a nice to have option, if it could be done cheaply (there are options now for ChaDemo, but they are way too expensive).
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Because the fenders turn with the steering, put long range spotlights in them. Solar panels on the doors would catch a lot on sun when opened.
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I just want to be able to customize my Aptera. I want to be able to change the sounds it makes, and what displays on my screen, and how the regen is set up, etc.
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Adaptive Head Lights on the pants. This time of year around here is dark and the streets are not well lit.
Daytime Running Lights in the front and rear of the car
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