Aptera is one of those things where the idea is so attractive one is far too tempted to ignore poor execution. And the current set of people there might actually be competent. But even if they are the whole series of misadventures has put people off experimenting with lightweight EVs.
I'm pleased that E bikes are taking off, but I'd love to see something like a fully faired series hybrid E bike.
There’s a Chinese EV called the Solarky that has 600w of panels on it (300w with another 300w that slides out when stationary), which can collect about 50km of range a day, and sells right now for around $10k around Asia.
Is that legit? That looks like vaporware scam to be honest
Edit: the fact the official aptera website has a banner at the top with their stock ticker is very suspicious, I assume it was a spac that didn’t go well?
Edit 2: actually, not a spac, direct listing as a public benefit corporation. They seem to have a very messy and complicated history with a lot of over promises and no delivery
It kinda has been to some degree. The first corporation went bankrupt in 2011. Hopefully they'll build/deliver some consumer vehicles this time.
There's also been plenty of vaporware from existing manufacturers, and the majority of what they've built have been more compliance vehicles than serious, no compromise, mass production EVs, so seeing that approach refreshing.
I don't think it is workable product. But 40 units sounds like something they could actually produce. Not that those will likely be more than curiosities and will likely have substantial number of teething issues.
It's $30 off the $100 reservation fee. Let's see if they manage to start delivering some now. There's no inherent reason you can't build something like this. Solar panels are getting more efficient over time, batteries more dense and less weight.
Recently Aptera announced they have ordered major components to build 40 production vehicles. This may not sound like many (especially since they have nearly 50,000 reservations), but this is a major milestone for the company. Aptera has existed in some form for nearly 20 years, never having come this close to shipping a vehicle before. Now they have only 1 major certification left and are ramping up to build them at their facility in Carlsbad, CA.
Yes, it's notable that they mean "production" in the sense of 40 vehicles rather than 40 models or model variants. It's close to prototype quantities rather than production; US law allows the military to build up to 10% as part of "low rate initial production".
Good for them. I loved the concept since I first saw it in the 2000s.
They still have a niche for some, like people without easy access to charging, people who want the absolute lowest charging/driving costs, and off-grid usability.
20-40 miles of charge per day means you can slowly travel/camp in a bunch of places as long as you have food/water, people have done this with Model Ys too, but dragging a large portable solar array is a pain.
I just wish they were faster to market and captured more of it.
We need more 2 seat/hyper efficient commuters, ala the first gen Insight and (begrudgingly) cybercab.
I suppose the surface area + efficiency isn't there yet, but it would be sick to take my e-bike places and then expand a canopy to charge and then go on again.
It’s possible! There’s a yearly bike race from Europe to China called The Sun Trip, where people mod their bikes with solar and batteries and ride 12k km to China.
You might like this documentary that covered the first Sun Trip that happened in 2018:
https://youtu.be/P1LB0jPh7QQ
It seems kind of amazing. I think I'd like to own something like that, but I'll wait until there are some reviews and the bugs get shaken out more.
Also don't know if foggy San Francisco has enopugh sunlight to make it viable.
What happens when you run out of charge?
It also charges like any other EV, leve1 1 or 2 at home, and they say they intended to support faster DC charging in their FAQ[1]. I would be fairly skeptical of the 46mi / 74km a day from the built-in solar, that sounds optimistic given the small surface area.
For me the bigger problem is that it's classified as a motorcycle, which may mean wearing a helmet, and needing to have a class M license. Insurance may also be interesting. And of course sharing the road with giant heavy vehicles.
Aptera is one of those things where the idea is so attractive one is far too tempted to ignore poor execution. And the current set of people there might actually be competent. But even if they are the whole series of misadventures has put people off experimenting with lightweight EVs.
I'm pleased that E bikes are taking off, but I'd love to see something like a fully faired series hybrid E bike.
There’s a Chinese EV called the Solarky that has 600w of panels on it (300w with another 300w that slides out when stationary), which can collect about 50km of range a day, and sells right now for around $10k around Asia.
More info here: https://youtu.be/Hk6aTKV-des
It feels like a generation of transportation alternatives is going to bypass the USA.
This is a much more interesting concept than Aptera. Small and affordable car, expandable solar array. Keep it simple.
Is that legit? That looks like vaporware scam to be honest
Edit: the fact the official aptera website has a banner at the top with their stock ticker is very suspicious, I assume it was a spac that didn’t go well?
Edit 2: actually, not a spac, direct listing as a public benefit corporation. They seem to have a very messy and complicated history with a lot of over promises and no delivery
It kinda has been to some degree. The first corporation went bankrupt in 2011. Hopefully they'll build/deliver some consumer vehicles this time.
There's also been plenty of vaporware from existing manufacturers, and the majority of what they've built have been more compliance vehicles than serious, no compromise, mass production EVs, so seeing that approach refreshing.
I don't think it is workable product. But 40 units sounds like something they could actually produce. Not that those will likely be more than curiosities and will likely have substantial number of teething issues.
Their reservation page says $30 off on a $40000 vehicle. That made me laugh
It's $30 off the $100 reservation fee. Let's see if they manage to start delivering some now. There's no inherent reason you can't build something like this. Solar panels are getting more efficient over time, batteries more dense and less weight.
$40k is pretty high though.
They should've done $0.01 off.
Effectively the same discount, while being more outrageous.
Recently Aptera announced they have ordered major components to build 40 production vehicles. This may not sound like many (especially since they have nearly 50,000 reservations), but this is a major milestone for the company. Aptera has existed in some form for nearly 20 years, never having come this close to shipping a vehicle before. Now they have only 1 major certification left and are ramping up to build them at their facility in Carlsbad, CA.
Yes, it's notable that they mean "production" in the sense of 40 vehicles rather than 40 models or model variants. It's close to prototype quantities rather than production; US law allows the military to build up to 10% as part of "low rate initial production".
Do you have any personal stake in the enterprise?
Good for them. I loved the concept since I first saw it in the 2000s.
They still have a niche for some, like people without easy access to charging, people who want the absolute lowest charging/driving costs, and off-grid usability.
20-40 miles of charge per day means you can slowly travel/camp in a bunch of places as long as you have food/water, people have done this with Model Ys too, but dragging a large portable solar array is a pain.
I just wish they were faster to market and captured more of it.
We need more 2 seat/hyper efficient commuters, ala the first gen Insight and (begrudgingly) cybercab.
I suppose the surface area + efficiency isn't there yet, but it would be sick to take my e-bike places and then expand a canopy to charge and then go on again.
It’s possible! There’s a yearly bike race from Europe to China called The Sun Trip, where people mod their bikes with solar and batteries and ride 12k km to China.
You might like this documentary that covered the first Sun Trip that happened in 2018: https://youtu.be/P1LB0jPh7QQ
It seems kind of amazing. I think I'd like to own something like that, but I'll wait until there are some reviews and the bugs get shaken out more. Also don't know if foggy San Francisco has enopugh sunlight to make it viable. What happens when you run out of charge?
It also charges like any other EV, leve1 1 or 2 at home, and they say they intended to support faster DC charging in their FAQ[1]. I would be fairly skeptical of the 46mi / 74km a day from the built-in solar, that sounds optimistic given the small surface area.
For me the bigger problem is that it's classified as a motorcycle, which may mean wearing a helmet, and needing to have a class M license. Insurance may also be interesting. And of course sharing the road with giant heavy vehicles.
1: https://aptera.us/discovery-center/
Yeah, I wish we could outlaw the monster trucks so that making these light weight vehicles would be more practical and safer.
A lot of the safety standards and regulations we have is because everyone is buying and driving 2T pickup trucks with 6ft hoods casually.
You can plug it in
Are people still falling for Aptera's nonsense?
I have been watching this product for at least 10 years.
Think I will wait till the first 1,000 roll off the lines before I get interested in plunking down money.
I want them to succeed, but too many outfits like this one went broke early.
Any day now.
anyone have a breakdown of the math for charging this stuff solar only?
Yes, there are a few calculators online, this is one of them: https://experienceaptera.com/solarcalculator.html
Add some protected bike lanes - many e-bikes get 100miles, 4 200w panels ($1000) could fully charge daily.