To be fair, fuel cars that are two seaters don't try to break the mold. At best they're a little more aerodynamic. New things tend to bring criticism from anyone who can't wrap their minds around it.
LOL, name me even one gasoline, 2 seat car that can go 1,000 miles on a tank of gas. Aptera also has a lot of space in the back for groceries or whatever. It looks to become the best 2 seater on the market and if they configure for rear seats in the future, it's a wrap. They can criticize until they're blue in the face, but the Aptera is what it is and that is the future.
I think it will be 100 percent successful and hope to see it on the road really soon. An amazing car, well designed and everything is in place for its successful rollout.
The amount of negativity concerning this brilliant vehicle is pathetic and born of the negative attitude's of stagnant thinking individuals who perhaps, own shares in the regular gas guzzling efforts which totally lack much in the way of progress. GIve the company a go and perhaps a float of shares Plus a deal of positive application and thinking) will produce a winner. Thinking back to the old Horse and Cart days, a similarity exists when considering the negative aspects of the old detractors.Terry Offord
If Moore's Law is correct, they should be able to get the price of their high end model with the 1000 mile range, down to around 30K, or less, within a few years. When that happens they will be unstopable. If they can get it down to 25k or 20k, they no longer will be a nitch market.
@@thetrumanshow4791 My guess is that Tesla is going to buy Apera and place its price point 5K below their 25K hatch back. The two companies have been in serious negotiations for at least four months -- it started off over letting Apera customers use the Tesla charging network, and it expanded into Aptera using Tesla's electronic hardware and firmware and fsd. The Aptera engineering has been so excellent in a first priciple kind of way, and that is the way Elon approaches problems, they may have changed Elon's attitude that 3 wheel cars are inherently unsafe. Changing that attitude is the only real issue that had to be overcome.
i think that, if they get to building a four passenger, it will possibly have four wheels. It won't be quite as efficient but, like you said, three wheels and two seater will be a no-go for many.
Most resistors to 3-wheelers are basing themselves to those topsy vehicles with the two rear wheels and the one front wheel. But the Aptera has two wheels up front and one larger one in back. Instability issues would only count if you were to be driving the Aptera in reverse at full speed whilst making a sharp turn and what is the likelihood of that? Well, I guess there is always somebody, but I would have no sympathy for them should they try such foolery. lol
With the heavy batteries down low and the wide wheelbase, stability should not be too much of a problem. A few videos of it beating a 4 wheel car through a slalom should do the trick. Also there are several 3 wheeled vehicles already, and more coming: ruclips.net/video/GzsZSmNOOB4/видео.html
For me the number of wheels or seats are not the issue. The weight is. No matter how safe they make it, in a head on collision with a Cybertruck, with 1/3 of it's mass and much Lower height, things are not going to look pretty for the Aptera driver. You can't get around the physics of it. Some of the things that make it efficient are the things that make it unsafe (compared to a car not a motorcycle)
I want Aptera to succeed because it's the best EV design to date. I want one! But I'm in the UK so may have to wait awhile for a right hand drive version.
@@recyclespinning9839 40 miles is only with the full $900 solar package, otherwise the base model does like 16 from solar. Considering that's about how much you drive daily for most people, it should be perfect. Hopefully breakthroughs and solar will allow this to work in places that aren't Southern california.
I can't remember the last time I had more than one passenger in my car. I love their concept and was on their reservation list when they first came out. So glad to see them back.
I hope the skies are clear for aptera and that they never lose power due to storms that cloud their vision. Also, I hope you can read into this and find the play on words.
I have a two car household and this was actually a concern of mine when he mentioned one of the problems being that it's a two seater. I've never owned a two seater vehicle but typically they have trunks, which as far as I can tell this one does not. So how would that lend itself to shopping? Where would you put everything after trip to the mall, or downtown, or even just the grocery store?
@@r37r0v1ru5 It has a trunk with 25 cubic feet of storage. However, the slant of the roof will limit what can be stored. They recently put up a video where they grocery-shopped with it. But they stuffed it with unpacked groceries, rather than showing how many bags would fit. The video is here: ruclips.net/video/odhTdf9S9h0/видео.html I put a comment in there requesting more videos like that, specifically how many grocery bags will fit and can it fit a bike.
That's what I will be using it for. My Altima gets good mileage so I drive it most of the time but it is aging out. I mostly use the truck to haul things and tow the camper.
California law requires a front license plate. How can that be attached? How would you change a rear flat tire? Do you plan on setting up service arrangements around the state/country or will all maintenance have to go through your facility?
Not for an autocycle. It will be completely road legal. There is a jack point, but most repairs can be made by removing the tire skirt, and using a pair of pliers and a plug kit and dc inflator.
Like the car... my concern is are the front wheels at risk when driving in dense traffic... a question is a standard operator license the only requirement or do you need a motorcycle license?...
What about car mechanics to service and maintain? Where do you get car parts from if they need to be replaced? How difficult is it to get into and out of the car? Lastly, how will this car handle a New England snowstorm. It looks rather low to the ground. What is the ground clearance? Snow depths greater than 3 inches, pot holes and speed bumps are the main reasons Aptera will not do well in my area(Connecticut). The low ground clearance makes it very susceptible to wheel guard and car bottom damage and poor road handling in the snow. Have the people at Atpera taken into consideration effect of corrosion from salted road ? Corrosion, due to salting of the winter roads, shortens the lifespan of cars by certain manufacturers. Other than those concerns, I love the car.
I live in Iowa, and have been able to answer these questions to my satisfaction. I will be reporting on my actual experience in snow in an early model.
I wonder where they want to put the batteries. It is wider than a Model S, but has almost no space for batteries. Look at the interior, or the scene where the dude sits inside that half assembled prototype. The only room is in thhe back under the trunk hatch. But its streamline shape makes it impossible to put any batteries in there.
I am a Canadian and one of the concern that i have is, I think because of the Wheel Panels there is a good chance that i might get stuck in Snow. I can visualize it plowing thru the snow. Also, I think the 3rd wheel might make it unstable in snow causing it to wobble/ fishtail.
A driven third wheel will make it more stable. I will have an early model and will be driving it in Iowa. I will have plenty of opportunity to report on performance in snow.
@@n.brucenelson5920 mostly when it snows you can see the 2 tracks left by other cars but the third one in Aptera will be driving on snow which the other two on cleaner tracks. Let's hope it does not cause it to fishtail. I will wait for your experience.
@@Soothsayer210 I presently drive a Gen 1 Honda Insight where the rear wheels do not follow in the tracks of the front and it is OK. The Aptera will have abs traction control that can sense slip and adjust torque to each driven wheel every 2.5 inches of tread travel. I will use studded snow tires and expect it will do better, based on my experience with the similar weight Honda.
@@n.brucenelson5920 we are NOT allowed to use studded tires here. We just change to winter tires. I have also ordered my Aptera an all wheel drive with off roader wheel panels in anticipation for our snowy conditions.
@@Soothsayer210 Too bad. Research seems to show that they are not more damaging to the roads. I think that with AWD you will have no issues. I will be reporting as soon as I have first hand experience.
Just one question, does it have an Air Conditioner and if so, will it continue putting out cool air in stop and go traffic, if not it will never make it in States like TX
Strictly based on the history of all past new car ventures, it is more likely they will fail than succeed. Having said that, the car seems to be very safe and well designed. It has a niche in it's ability to recharge while in operation, and the resulting range advantages that gives. I think they could make this work in the long run, and I am rooting for them.
I am wondering if it’s could be the next TSLA investment… TSLAs grown 19000% since 2014 in valuation and for example I’ve got 5k to put it in to Aptera giving me 490 shares at $9.20 right now. The 500 million dollar valuation is projected to grow to 5 billion resulting in a 5 billion dollar valuation making my investment roughly 50k… the question is how well will they do? To grow that much in the next year or two as a 19 year old would be so beneficial but my fear is it failing and losing 5k and now I’m left with nothing.
None of us know the future. You can presently make a $210 dollar minimum investment managed by Republic. Don't put in more than you can afford to lose. Consider it like a charity whose goals you wish to support.
I am a 75-year-old senior citizen and I find the Apteria specifically meets my transportation needs. I want an electric vehicle that seats 2 passengers and has storage for trips to the market, short trips to visit relatives. For more than 90% of my driving needs, I will travel less than 40 miles a day. Based on their specifications, I will seldom if ever need to power up the vehicle as the solar will keep the vehicle powered up. Cheaper insurance, HOV, and fun to drive. I am aware I will not be driving much in the future, but my family will be thrilled to take me around in this fun vehicle. It is a great commute vehicle.
The niche market is the "I want one" market. Oil companies refusing to reinvest in refineries will be the driving force of this and other solar powered vehicles. I can easily go a week without driving anywhere, so with the full solar charging capability working as advertised, I can take a weekly one way trip of 280 miles. Add in a wind turbine, wood gas fueled generator, micro hydro generator, extra solar panels, or any other off grid electricity scheme, and I can count on taking a lazy trip to everywhere I might want to go from now till I'm dead without buying a single kwh of coal derived electricity, in theory. I'll probably buy a charge now and then in practice.
This vehicle reminds of an electric modern version of the 1934 ( or the new ) 3 wheel Morgan sports car. How cool is that. I suggest adding an S & S Morgan gas motor sound system to make it sound as cool as the 3 wheel Morgan's:) that would really make these turn heads
Think of it like a 2 wheel ( or in this case a 3 wheel) commuter motorcycle. Who looks for a motorcycle that can carry 3 or more people? We just have to think in New Concepts
I've seen comments that the Aptera is "too expensive" for all sorts of reasons. My thought is that it's a hyper-car, not for speed but for efficiency and mileage. How many hyper-cars can you find for $50k?
1st 1k. I don't see most of those being a problem. 2 seater is the perfect choice for me and my wife. I have the range fear and this addresses it nicely while being very reasonable. I am waiting for the safety tests, but feel they should be alright waiting for confirmation to prove me right. Interested to see how things progress.
If it has an autopilot-like capability, I'd buy one. Not to mention it has the best range of all EVs now. The vast majority of actual road driving done is by 2 or fewer occupants, so it being a 2 seater only means it won't be a family car. I have an SUV that, as presently used, is practically a 2 seater. Just use it for hauling stuff in the back.
I changed my order today to the 400 mile range. They are going to build those first starting next year and then the other ranges in 2024. Also, their goal is 10,000/year and they already have 25,000 reservations so some who reserve now won't get theirs for 3 years.
Aptera has now engaged C.P.C. Group of Italy to build their bodies. This will delay the start of production, but the rate will be able to ramp much more quickly. This change has taken place because the order book is continuing to grow with over 38,000 pre-orders now in hand.
@@n.brucenelson5920 But they are also behind on their first round of production units that would be delivered to the local area. Those were supposed to be shipping by now. I'm not optimistic about getting mine before late 2024 at the earliest and probably more like sometime in 2025 but it is what it is.
@@robertd9850 They have been open about the reasons for the delay. The products that will ship are going to be considerably upgraded from what was initially foreseen. Pre-order numbers are now over 38,000 and still increasing rapidly. The previous plan to use 3D printed molds to make vacuum resin infused body parts does not scale to the required volumes quickly enough to meet demand. Now the bodies will be made by C.P.C. Group, who also make the bodies for Lamborghini and Ferrari. They will be using pressed sheet carbon fiber and FMC, resulting in much more precise parts and higher quality. The current pre-order numbers justify the higher tooling costs.
The Aptera is super efficient. As prices go up on many things this will be very important. It is safer than a huge top heavy SUV that sells for $60 -100k 3 wheels is safe and will stay level once you see it and drive one. I have the 400 mile on a charge version. It will do everything my wife and I need it to do.
First One Thousand. As a 73 year old man, normally do not drive more than 200 miles on any given day. I plan to live another 30 40 years. This appears to be a great investment. Living in Texas we have an abundance of sunshine. It's just me and my black live in girlfriend (Jodi Labrador), and she can't drive. I am looking forward to driver assisted driving.
Good video. I suggest that the next time you write a headline like this say "Why ??? MAY fail". "May", is more open to change than "will" and leaves room for a more positive outcome.
I just hope the car will ride decently on urban roads. Most roads don't look the way they do in southern California. If it's taxing to drive and the ride quality is rough on urban roads, then it's just a novelty. Not a realistic replacement for the average commuter car.
I live on a gravel road in Iowa. My wife and I have ridden in the Luna prototype and have followed the changes that Roush Performance has made for the betas. We are not too worried.
Aptera will fail all the same reasons as Star Citizen will :^) it is not out yet. Joking aside I'm interested to see how EU will react to Aptera. it would be super neat to get it as motorcycle for cheaper cost ... Also winter in Finland/Sweden/Norway will be problematic as some roads are covered in snow. I hope the winter tiers go well... Also I think you have to get 3 wheel drive. I would love to see "low speed mode" where the tiers will move slowly ... I got my car stuck because one tier didn't spin and other one dig itself and I was stuck from engine and it took 1 hour to get it unstuck with a lot of shoveling, some sand and wooden plank under the tier ... I mean, if the Aptera is light maybe I could more easily lift it ... but here is a question. Can I lift the tier up without hurting the body? Is there some place I can place planket in case it gest stuck? How about if I want to pull it using robe or something, where do I attach? It is less about "can the Aptera handle the snow" but more about what if I get it stuck by being stupid :D
Aptera has a superior ABS/Traction control that can sense wheel slip and adjust torque 32 times per wheel revolution. AWD will be better, but I will be getting my 2WD for use in snowy Iowa, and will probably put on studded snow tires for winter conditions. I hope to report on how well it behaves next year. A tow rope can be attached to a the front suspension or the rear tow hitch. There will be hard spots for lifting. By the way, I have a lot of respect for people willing to use a second language to ask questions.
I ve heard many rumours about a third seat ... and about savety .. its a pingpongball .. one of the strongest shapes !!! So bwibg aerodynamic makes it strong and being light it wil absorb forces .. being crushed from both sides will be the hardest scenerio .. i m so looking forward to mine .. never ever have bought a new car .. !!
The third seat, a frunk, and a tow hitch have all been confirmed to have been dropped from initial production plans. The body will now be produced in volume by C.P.C. the Italian super car body maker.
If it never gets into production, it will surely fail. I know that's stating the obvious but look at all the startups that never got going. i'm looking forward to the end of 2021 to see if they're getting closer or not.
1st 1K on the way to 10K!!! As a lifelong entrepreneur/startup investor/car lover, the 3 most common concerns: 1. prior failure, 2. safety and 3. Seats 2 are all w/o foundation. As for your 2 concerns: 1. reliance on suppliers allows Aptera to concentrate on it's core competencies and is actually an asset rather than a liability...it would be a costly mistake for them to start vertically integrating, 2. niche product, so what? Niche products always command higher margins than mass market products, again an advantage. Look how prior management's focus on volume sales and manufacturing led Aptera 1.0 straight into bankruptcy. Great channel...keep growing!!!
That is more than Aptera expects, but you could be correct, once people realize how much fun they are (I have had a ride) and how little they cost to drive.
Biggest issue is Designing for production. How easy is it to produce? How many parts and processes can they eliminate so that it is faster and cheaper to put together. Would love to see a Sandy Monroe Associates manufacturing review on this to have any confidence in it. Prototype s are easy, engineering for mass production is hard.
It won’t fail, they learned from last time. And the fact they can even provide something new in a soon to be crowded EV space. Solar charging is absolutely the future.
@@apterareboot1555 And for that we owe a lot to organisations such as WeFunder who've been on the ball for many such things and, for that, I threw them a bone too. But I missed out on all of the early rounds with Aptera. Initially they said one would take during the 1st Q of this year and then they said it would take place in March, but now they've been awful silent about it. I don;t wanna miss out again. Even though I may be a disqualified peewee investor I still wanna participate even though I'm sure they'll get an whole lot more from all those heavy hitters. .
I have a few concerns about Aptera’s current state, but I want to say that I do believe they’ll be able to bring it to market. I agree about their current reliance on third parties, but Tesla successfully launched with the same strategy - almost all the parts of their Roadster were from other companies, except the motors iirc. My concern is the timeline - Aptera is still saying they’ll have the first deliveries of the Paradigm model this year, but as we recently learned in the Elaphe webinar the only prototype they have so far (the one in all the videos on the site) doesn’t have the final motors or battery setup. Industry standard practice is to get at least 200k miles on the road with production parts to find any faults and fix them, and considering Aptera’s next two prototypes they’re still building will not have the production battery/charging setup I’m worried about the feasibility of getting weather and road testing done on a production-ready prototype. I estimate that they’ll try to get the first cars out the door in around September based on the timeline from WeFunder so that’s about 6 months to iron everything out and start manufacturing, which is a very short amount of time. The team seems to be focused on flexibility and maneuverability so they might be able to finish everything and still be able to get regulatory approval in time, but it definitely sounds rough. Much less important, but the first cars off the line are likely to use resistive heaters because of the supply chain - they only just started working on a heat pump design late February. Anyway, I really enjoy the channel and plan on making good on my order when I can (I’m in the mid-7ks so it could be awhile) so I’ll be along for the ride. (1st 1k)
I believe the timeline we see on WeFunder is heavily caveated as "covid-permitting". As such, Covid could act as a giant Houdini clause in such forward thinking statements. I should hope not, because I want the Aptera I have reserved to be in my driveway, like, yesterday! lol
You don't mention cargo capacity or the very wide dimension across the front pods making garaging & parking a potential problem. Plus I have yet to see any demonstration of safe cornering.
I owned a Polaris Slingshot....Had no problems with safety or handling....Three wheeled vehicles are just that...Something a little different but common sense is a must like anything new and different...I also own a Tesla and charging is not a problem.....all-in-all, I am hoping Aptera succeeds...I believe they will improve as time goes on...Not relying only government loans is a plus....
A four passenger sedan is next in the roadmap. There’s no reason to assume Aptera will exclude additional market segments and only make two seaters forever. Once they achieve a critical run rate, it would stand to reason that they would slowly begin to integrate supply chain. The company is simply following common sense, agile principles at its inception.
This company won't fail this time. The fact that it's a two seater is irrelevant because this car is geared more toward commuters and individuals that simply want a more environmentally safe vehicle without compromising their own safety. Single driver commuters make up almost half the population of the united states in most studies. Also this car has the cool factor and people will just buy it based solely on that alone. The car has to pass government safety standards just like any other vehicle so safety aspect isn't even an issue. Two big features not mentioned are the facts that it has a 1000 mile range on a single charge and the base model gains 20 miles a day just by sitting in the drive way during hours of light. Nothing else on the road does that.
Also it didn't exactly fail the first time around. They simply started the company during a recession and the EV industry was still in it's infancy so parts were harder to come by and expensive.
Great video. I had a hard time listening to your voice with the background music in the beginning and at the end. I was not the fan of the sound but the volume was even more of an issue. Just trying to give useful feedback to help make your already great video better.
I believe Aptera has the right idea keeping government and large corporations out of their business. Seriously, if government were even somewhat capable, we would have had cars like this decades ago. Ditto with large corporations. Time to try something different in order to get a different, possibly better, outcome.
Aptera is making the perfect commuter car, a large market that has been lightly addressed in the past by legacy car companies. Aptera was conceived on the premise that you had to make an ultralight, aerodynamic efficient chassis (see also Mitsubishi i-MiEV) as motors/batteries were seen as inefficient and costly, achieving range barely over 50 miles. Tesla primarily has pioneered the conventional sedan past that thinking over the 10 years since Aptera's stumbles and demise. Aptera could have succeeded along the way (Paul Wilbur's name should be linked to failure "Wilburize") and a second chance is now at hand. If they can make just 50 cars in 18 months time, they and the car will become a reality in the EV future.
1. Failure of Old Aptera: As the disclaimer on every investment prospectus says, past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. 2. Safety: Find a safer motorcycle in a crash. 3. 2 Passengers: The Aptera lets you do all your one-person trips with *free* fuel (if they're short enough, otherwise, you you plug it in next to the vacuum cleaner). If autonomous driving works out, you can call for a Cybertruck when it's time to take the kids to soccer practice or haul furniture. I think Aptera's biggest challenge, like all of the new EV entrants, will be getting through Production Hell. Do that, and IMO chances are good they'll sell every car they can make.
I don't think "find a safer motorcycle" is the right comparison. It's not being sold as an alternative to a motorcycle, it's being sold as an alternative to a car.
@@incognitotorpedo42 that's irrelevant, the fact people still use motorcycles proves that being as safe as possible isn't essential to everyone, what about smart cars or those fiats? can't imagine those are being close to as safe as your average sedan
I'm a 55-year-old on the verge of being an empty-nester. My pipe-dream is to sell my house, buy a very small home on a decent-sized lot outside a mid-sized city. Grow a lot of the food my GF and I eat. Buy an Aptera and retire. And earn a living as a Door Dash/ Uber Eats delivery driver so I can begin work on the science fiction/ ecopunk novel I've been stewing on for years. Think of the savings. 100+ eMPG. Lower maintenance costs: small and cheaper wheels, no oil changes, etc. And yet, I'll be able to claim the entire IRS's $0.60 per mile tax write-off. This means that I'll earn $0.50 per mile by simply using smarter tech (assuming $0.10 per mile in actual costs). [Bretahes deeply]. I can see the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus Awards already... And the Amazon best-seller ranking...
1st 1k Good channel. Your voice is great! Ty for sharing your research! We gotta change and this is the kind of things we should be talking about, not Will/Chris
well it can easily be kinda of a 2-seater for travelling with the range it has and if it use the tesla charge as they say well its gonna be pretty good.
If the 2 door Aptera sells well, who knows, maybe they will figure out how to build a 4 door? Even Porsche eventually got around to building bigger, bulkier cars, which was never the case when they started with those little 2 seater sports cars.
The city commuter is increasingly crowded, and most commuters. travel by themselves. The Aptera is a right answer to the city commuting, plus running errands.
I read on the Aptera website that Aptera is thinking about/researching the posibility to sell in Europe. I would love an Aptera as a European. But.... the car is 2.37 meters wide. There is no chance in the world that it fits in European parking spaces, roads and garages. So, yeah, maybe the four wheel version will be not so wide....
A slight bummer about the size: there is reasonably comfortable seating like in a smart but it takes up twice the space (like a normal compact) when parking....but then, it's a free ride almost every time.
As long as it safe, the affordable cost, operation and maintenance of the vehicle make it a necessity. Some of the market won't see a choice other than aptera.
I’m concerned over cooling. Can the skin cooling used by Aptera really handle the cooling needs of the battery, inverter, shrouded hub motors and air conditioning? In most cars the A/C cooling requirement is almost as much as a typical house. The push for extreme aerodynamics has eliminated the typical radiators in favor of skin cooling. I estimate cooling needs for these items will need cooling for about 48,000 BTUs or 4 tons of cooling.
I have a background in refrigeration. I designed the samples freezer that flew on the International Space Station, as well as many other projects. You are WAY over on your estimate of the cooling needs. There are several reasons why the Aptera needs less cooling. One is that the wheel motors are more efficient than the motors used in typical EVs and generate less heat to begin with. Using 1/2 or less the power of a typical EV means that much less heat is generated. In addition the r-value of the body is much higher than typical metal body construction. This makes the solar heat gain much less than it would be with conventional construction. My very rough guess, without knowing more details is that the Aptera will need less than 5,000 BTUS of compressor cooling. If the cooling limits are reached, such as going up a long steep hill at 65 mph for more than 10 minutes in hot weather, the car will simply begin to slow down.
@@n.brucenelson5920 Thanks Bruce, I’m an engineer but struggled to pass my Thermodynamics courses, so I defer to your expertise. I’m hoping Aptera does well.
@@larry4fire Thanks, Larry. I am not a degree'd engineer, but companies were happy to pay me less money to solve problems that their engineers couldn't. I am a licensed refrigeration tech, which isn't the same thing. My respect to you. I got the ISS Glacier Project subcontract from the University of Alabama by remembering to add sources of heat in my calculations that the other engineers bidding the project forgot about. I would love to know all the numbers from Aptera, but I know enough that it could work. There are some tricks when you are dealing with a wide range of evaporator temperatures, like increasing the receiver size.
Something else to note: because it is a 3 wheeled vehicle, it is considered and registered as a motorcycle. I rarely have more than 2 people in my car anyway and it's super futuristic look will draw customers once it's on the road.
I truly hope you are right and that Aptera is so successful that once profitable they decide to offer a base model similar to the original. The only option that I consider worthwhile is the charging panels.
My top 4 concerns are: 1. How well will it contend with winter driving conditions? 3 wheels on icy roads? Pushing through a snowbank with those big boots covering the front wheels? They have stated it is only rated down to minus 29 Deg Celsius(aprox). 2. Will its 1000 mile range be eclipsed very quickly by new battery technology. 3. How will local regulations view this vehicle? Is it a motorcycle? Will I be required to wear a helmet while driving it? 4. Parts and service. I appreciate that they will allow me to work on it myself but at least in the short term I will not be able to walk into my local parts store and get what I need. Please don't get me wrong I love the concept, lightweight, aerodynamic = efficiency, efficiency. Positives: Work is 12.6 kilometers away, I may not have to "refuel" for months. Family live 1450 Kilometers away, with no fuel stops could I set the all time speed record for making the trip? Oh Lord I want it so much!
I would like as a 2nd vehicle for computing back and forth to work. I'm usually by myself 100% of the time. And since I'm single with no kids, it works for me.
The biggest concern I have is the limited payload of 500lb. The ranges of different batteries will increase the vehicle by at least a 1000lb. You would think with the smaller batteries they could mange a better payload.
1st 1k. I'm so excited getting my hands on an Aptera. Have been owning a Renault Twizy for five and a half years now, driving 40 000km with it. Love it! But Aptera would be the perfect upgrade when the time comes.
You must live ina warm climate. Twizy can’t be sealed very well against the cold and has no heating system. I have seen the extra kit for closing the sides that still leave a six inch gap at the back. Also because of the doors ot can’t be locked so you can’t leave anything inside. The Rayttle from China costs half the ptoce, has real doors with side windows, a heating and air conditioning system. I looked a lot at Twizy as I live where they are made. I figured they are only semi practical in a warm country where they can be driven year round. Here in South Korea it gets down to -19C and -25C in the winter. Not practical in colder climates.
@@garyfrancis6193 I actually live in Sweden and the climate here are quite cold at times. I think it is a matter of mindset. I can live with missing some comfort if I can help saving the environment a bit. Compared to driving around with 2+ metric ton of metal while burning fossil fuel are actually worth it in so many ways. I love my Twizy because it is really fun to drive and the open cabin is perfect in the summer. Yes, people can pick things that are loose in the car. I usually leave some things in the car, but I have never lost anything. Most people are leaving it alone.
love the idea of 'forget about tesla' =b legacy auto will need to keep that supercharging network going. I wish people talked more about the charging network that comes with an ev. I'm not worried about the aptera having a charging network bc of how far it can go on less power than my model 3.
I would have to agree with you on your main issues that will affect their success. 1. They should not make promises by date. ie, have first cars sold in Q4 2021. It's ready when it's ready. I don't want a plug in issued later that should have been installed and tested in the vehicle. 2. Dependence upon too many peripheral companies. Their parts are built to their standards. Look what happened to Chevy Bolt's dependence upon LG's battery initial battery design. Tesla doesn't share the same issue because they make their own batteries. There are other issues with importation, political restrictions, Covid variance, monetary exchange rate. 3. The car is much too wide for a vehicle. It's format will initially be too unrecognizable to the average driver who will not realize that there is a shrouded wheel stuck out from the main body design. 4. Servicing the car. There is really no structured service agreements on how the car will be serviced in case of body collision repair or failure of any major electrical parts. My own body shop is questioning how to do a structural repair. I know that we all will have the right to repair, but I don't want that forced upon us. My wife has not received certification on working with 400 volt circuits nor do we even own the proper high voltage tools. Will we all get a shop manual with the car? Where do we tow the car for service when it breaks down on the side of the freeway out in rural California? Remember that we will all be beta testers for the vehicle. 5. Warranty: What is the warranty and what is it going to cover? For how long? 6. Customer Service: As being beta testers for the motorcycle, an excellent support team should be established, possibly 24 hours. 7. A make or break issue with me is how safe the cars will be. I don't think they have even established how many airbags the cycle will have. They at one time expressed having a single seat belt airbag. That won't fly with me. 8. Ride quality: I see some people complaining on the limited payload for the vehicle. Increasing the payload capacity will only make the ride and handling suffer with the stiffer springs required. With the higher center of gravity the Aptera has I am concerned with instability. They already experienced this on track day with their Moose test. That is the reason Rousch Performance was brought in as consultants. They can tweek the suspension settings, but cannot change the weight distribution of the vehicle. As you can easily see, the main battery mass is above the axle height of the three wheels. In most other performance related EV's such as the Tesla M3 the battery is below the height of the axles. I am not including SUV designs. The same can be said for the cargo weight, it will sit high, above the height of the rear tire. Most other EV's the cargo sits between the tires as low as the height of the upper rear rims. 9. Awkward seat height for entry and exit of the vehicle. I think this is mainly an issue for the elderly or partially disables. Now don't get me wrong, this is not about knocking Aptera. I truly want a successful car in my own driveway. But in keeping with the theme of this video, my own mind has questions. Many fanboys of the cycle will deny or play down the weaknesses because they have self enamored the vehicle. In the end we must be realistic and safety is still number one with my family.
I just hope they succeed as the philosophy of lightness is a favorite of mine. Vehicles are just getting heavier and therefore less efficient. Even tesla are bloated and could stand to lose some weight and increase there already awesome efficiency.
Maybe its also a stability and controll thing. The more mass the vehicle has, the more energy is needed to move it, meaning bumbs on the street will not affect them as much as lighter vehicles.
I believe it will do well because of their design plus current market. Gas prices too high Aptera has the best driving distance of any electric car. Solar as the wonderful balance to that. Being a two seater isn’t a problem. They even addressed the issue what if you break down. I believe they have worked out most issues and now the world is ready for them!!
I love the Aptera style and build but see some issues; when parked in a small street the Front wheel will be sticking out on the road and below hidden partly by passing cars due to the over the bonnet view. In a small street like ours this could be an issue with it being hit and damaged, you often judge a car width by the main body, and don't expect a wheel poking out. I, like most others I know have the requirement now and then to drive extra passengers. I can see me looking further at one, if they ever come to Australia, and would really have to be convinced to buy one I think.
Those front wheel pods are going to be destroyed - when other vehicles pull in or out of parking spaces, the drivers will judge the distance they have from the cabin. You can't see those pods especially from taller SUVs and trucks. Also, not practical in snow or slush that will build up inside and freeze in northern climates.
Any EV startup is taking huge risks. To be successful a new player in the EV market has to offer something different, something special that other manufacturers don't address. It's why many EVs don't do well against Tesla. They offer the same basic car, but with specs and features that fall way short of Tesla. Aptera is unique among EVs. It's not trying be a better Tesla. It offers something I've not seen before: Never Charge. There are a lot of people who live in places without a place to plug in an EV. For a single person or a childless couple living in an apartment, the Aptera could be a very cost effective vehicle for commuting to work in regions of the country with ample sunshine. There's another potential market. It's people who buy a car just for fun. The Aptera looks like a car that would be fun to drive. It's fast, sporty, eye catching, and impractical. LOL! Isn't that what many people are attracted to? That's why I reserved one.
I think you make some great points. I have a reservation and I don't even need a car. The Aptera is really a very new concept in several ways and it's hard to predict how some of those ideas will play out in the real world. I myself was attracted by the first idea of super low drag coefficient and the cascade of things that became possible because of it like the decrease in power requirements which means lighter weight, very low energy requirement etc. I love the simplicity of it and it's science based form.
For a (mostly) retired couple such as my wife and my needs, It will be more practical than almost anything else around, and will even improve on our current Gen 1 Honda Insight.
The only marketing aptera needs is “never filling up or charging ever again”…with gas prices nearing double digits a gallon and electric charging an inconvenience…never having to charge again is huge! If they can just add even like 2-3 depressions for pseudo-seats where the trunk space is aptera will be #1. Elon would be a fool not to buy aptera to get rid of its closest threat of a competition
Aptera will solve the future chaos when trying to charge the evs... they will also prevent future electricity profits to the electricity suppliers from occurring and that's probably why the funding was canceled because both organizations are controlled by the same group.
I love how fuel cars that have two seats never get ridicule but when it's an EV...
To be fair, fuel cars that are two seaters don't try to break the mold. At best they're a little more aerodynamic. New things tend to bring criticism from anyone who can't wrap their minds around it.
I'm with you, if you're hating on aptera, you gotta hate on that Mazda miata. I can't hate on either
LOL, name me even one gasoline,
2 seat car that can go 1,000 miles on a tank of gas. Aptera also has a lot of space in the back for groceries or whatever. It looks to become the best 2 seater on the market and if they configure for rear seats in the future, it's a wrap.
They can criticize until they're blue in the face, but the Aptera is what it is and that is the future.
You obviously have not seen the Reliant Robin (as featured in "Only Fools and Horses")!
They are in a very niche market. Having a back seat would have opened them up to a bigger market.
I usually end up buying a 4 door and in my LIFE I've never carried more than me and one passenger. I'd be quite happy with a two seater.
Until you have kids.
And if your kids are grown up and gone from the house, this is perfect.
A 4 door model is coming out as well..
@@stevo728822 , that's what the optional trailer is for.
@@stevo728822 I have 2 kids below teenage years and more than 50% of the time, I ride alone.
They have a great vision, I hope they succeed, wholeheartedly.
I think it will be 100 percent successful and hope to see it on the road really soon. An amazing car, well designed and everything is in place for its successful rollout.
The amount of negativity concerning this brilliant vehicle is pathetic and born of the negative attitude's of stagnant thinking individuals who perhaps, own shares in the regular gas guzzling efforts which totally lack much in the way of progress. GIve the company a go and perhaps a float of shares Plus a deal of positive application and thinking) will produce a winner. Thinking back to the old Horse and Cart days, a similarity exists when considering the negative aspects of the old detractors.Terry Offord
If Moore's Law is correct, they should be able to get the price of their high end model with the 1000 mile range, down to around 30K, or less, within a few years. When that happens they will be unstopable. If they can get it down to 25k or 20k, they no longer will be a nitch market.
I think you meant to say Wright's Law
@@MsAjax409 You are right. Can't believe I did that. Thanks. I was thinking Wright's Law and typed Moore's Law.
That would be nice, but it will never happen. As soon as these cars hit the market the prices will nearly double and will never come down.
@@thetrumanshow4791 My guess is that Tesla is going to buy Apera and place its price point 5K below their 25K hatch back. The two companies have been in serious negotiations for at least four months -- it started off over letting Apera customers use the Tesla charging network, and it expanded into Aptera using Tesla's electronic hardware and firmware and fsd. The Aptera engineering has been so excellent in a first priciple kind of way, and that is the way Elon approaches problems, they may have changed Elon's attitude that 3 wheel cars are inherently unsafe. Changing that attitude is the only real issue that had to be overcome.
@@colinkelley6493 I sincerely hope you're right.
To me the biggest question is if the public's resistance to three-wheeled vehicles can be overcome.
i think that, if they get to building a four passenger, it will possibly have four wheels. It won't be quite as efficient but, like you said, three wheels and two seater will be a no-go for many.
Most resistors to 3-wheelers are basing themselves to those topsy vehicles with the two rear wheels and the one front wheel. But the Aptera has two wheels up front and one larger one in back. Instability issues would only count if you were to be driving the Aptera in reverse at full speed whilst making a sharp turn and what is the likelihood of that? Well, I guess there is always somebody, but I would have no sympathy for them should they try such foolery. lol
With the heavy batteries down low and the wide wheelbase, stability should not be too much of a problem. A few videos of it beating a 4 wheel car through a slalom should do the trick.
Also there are several 3 wheeled vehicles already, and more coming: ruclips.net/video/GzsZSmNOOB4/видео.html
@@macrumpton And don't overlook the entire motor weight carried at axle level.
For me the number of wheels or seats are not the issue. The weight is. No matter how safe they make it, in a head on collision with a Cybertruck, with 1/3 of it's mass and much Lower height, things are not going to look pretty for the Aptera driver. You can't get around the physics of it. Some of the things that make it efficient are the things that make it unsafe (compared to a car not a motorcycle)
I want Aptera to succeed because it's the best EV design to date. I want one! But I'm in the UK so may have to wait awhile for a right hand drive version.
Hopefully in the UK within 5 years.
@@apterareboot1555 What?! I've just placed a reservation! You didn't tell me that! (i'm in the UK)
The big car companies will kill it , if its even real. Charges on solar only ??? . 40 miles per day??? Yeah right pass the joint, do🚬obby..🌿
@@recyclespinning9839 40 miles is only with the full $900 solar package, otherwise the base model does like 16 from solar. Considering that's about how much you drive daily for most people, it should be perfect. Hopefully breakthroughs and solar will allow this to work in places that aren't Southern california.
@@recyclespinning9839 it has a plug in charger in addition to solar charging
I can't remember the last time I had more than one passenger in my car. I love their concept and was on their reservation list when they first came out. So glad to see them back.
I hope the skies are clear for aptera and that they never lose power due to storms that cloud their vision. Also, I hope you can read into this and find the play on words.
In a two car household I can see this being used for commuting & shopping with a four door being used occasionally for longer trips.
I have a two car household and this was actually a concern of mine when he mentioned one of the problems being that it's a two seater. I've never owned a two seater vehicle but typically they have trunks, which as far as I can tell this one does not. So how would that lend itself to shopping? Where would you put everything after trip to the mall, or downtown, or even just the grocery store?
@@r37r0v1ru5 It has a trunk with 25 cubic feet of storage. However, the slant of the roof will limit what can be stored. They recently put up a video where they grocery-shopped with it. But they stuffed it with unpacked groceries, rather than showing how many bags would fit. The video is here: ruclips.net/video/odhTdf9S9h0/видео.html
I put a comment in there requesting more videos like that, specifically how many grocery bags will fit and can it fit a bike.
That's what I will be using it for. My Altima gets good mileage so I drive it most of the time but it is aging out. I mostly use the truck to haul things and tow the camper.
California law requires a front license plate. How can that be attached? How would you change a rear flat tire? Do you plan on setting up service arrangements around the state/country or will all maintenance have to go through your facility?
Not for an autocycle. It will be completely road legal. There is a jack point, but most repairs can be made by removing the tire skirt, and using a pair of pliers and a plug kit and dc inflator.
How many different cars are there that only have 2 seats and are selling ok?
Beautiful EV. Are there stocks available, and where to buy them?
No.
A new pre-IPO round has just opened up offered by Republic. There is a minimum of $210 in this round.
Like the car...
my concern is are the front wheels at risk when driving in dense traffic...
a question is a standard operator license the only requirement or do you need a motorcycle license?...
In most of the US, only a standard car license is required. There may still be a few exceptions. In many states it is in the autocycle category.
What about car mechanics to service and maintain? Where do you get car parts from if they need to be replaced? How difficult is it to get into and out of the car? Lastly, how will this car handle a New England snowstorm. It looks rather low to the ground. What is the ground clearance? Snow depths greater than 3 inches, pot holes and speed bumps are the main reasons Aptera will not do well in my area(Connecticut). The low ground clearance makes it very susceptible to wheel guard and car bottom damage and poor road handling in the snow. Have the people at Atpera taken into consideration effect of corrosion from salted road ? Corrosion, due to salting of the winter roads, shortens the lifespan of cars by certain manufacturers. Other than those concerns, I love the car.
I live in Iowa, and have been able to answer these questions to my satisfaction. I will be reporting on my actual experience in snow in an early model.
I wonder where they want to put the batteries. It is wider than a Model S, but has almost no space for batteries. Look at the interior, or the scene where the dude sits inside that half assembled prototype. The only room is in thhe back under the trunk hatch. But its streamline shape makes it impossible to put any batteries in there.
Batteries are low down, under the seats.
I am a Canadian and one of the concern that i have is, I think because of the Wheel Panels there is a good chance that i might get stuck in Snow. I can visualize it plowing thru the snow. Also, I think the 3rd wheel might make it unstable in snow causing it to wobble/ fishtail.
A driven third wheel will make it more stable. I will have an early model and will be driving it in Iowa. I will have plenty of opportunity to report on performance in snow.
@@n.brucenelson5920 mostly when it snows you can see the 2 tracks left by other cars but the third one in Aptera will be driving on snow which the other two on cleaner tracks. Let's hope it does not cause it to fishtail. I will wait for your experience.
@@Soothsayer210 I presently drive a Gen 1 Honda Insight where the rear wheels do not follow in the tracks of the front and it is OK. The Aptera will have abs traction control that can sense slip and adjust torque to each driven wheel every 2.5 inches of tread travel. I will use studded snow tires and expect it will do better, based on my experience with the similar weight Honda.
@@n.brucenelson5920 we are NOT allowed to use studded tires here. We just change to winter tires. I have also ordered my Aptera an all wheel drive with off roader wheel panels in anticipation for our snowy conditions.
@@Soothsayer210 Too bad. Research seems to show that they are not more damaging to the roads. I think that with AWD you will have no issues. I will be reporting as soon as I have first hand experience.
Just one question, does it have an Air Conditioner and if so, will it continue putting out cool air in stop and go traffic, if not it will never make it in States like TX
Yes, and the performance is being validated in testing with the beta test program now.
Strictly based on the history of all past new car ventures, it is more likely they will fail than succeed. Having said that, the car seems to be very safe and well designed. It has a niche in it's ability to recharge while in operation, and the resulting range advantages that gives. I think they could make this work in the long run, and I am rooting for them.
My only problem with it is that how hard will it be to get one and how long will l have to wait?
I am wondering if it’s could be the next TSLA investment… TSLAs grown 19000% since 2014 in valuation and for example I’ve got 5k to put it in to Aptera giving me 490 shares at $9.20 right now. The 500 million dollar valuation is projected to grow to 5 billion resulting in a 5 billion dollar valuation making my investment roughly 50k… the question is how well will they do? To grow that much in the next year or two as a 19 year old would be so beneficial but my fear is it failing and losing 5k and now I’m left with nothing.
None of us know the future. You can presently make a $210 dollar minimum investment managed by Republic. Don't put in more than you can afford to lose. Consider it like a charity whose goals you wish to support.
I ordered the 1,000 mile range model with full solar & AWD a few months ago. I’m terribly excited & hopeful they’ll be successful.
Ordered mine 3 days ago…Munros support the prototypes and the newly reengineered Aptera looks like it’s got a shot..
I am a 75-year-old senior citizen and I find the Apteria specifically meets my transportation needs. I want an electric vehicle that seats 2 passengers and has storage for trips to the market, short trips to visit relatives. For more than 90% of my driving needs, I will travel less than 40 miles a day. Based on their specifications, I will seldom if ever need to power up the vehicle as the solar will keep the vehicle powered up. Cheaper insurance, HOV, and fun to drive. I am aware I will not be driving much in the future, but my family will be thrilled to take me around in this fun vehicle. It is a great commute vehicle.
Is it only going to be a USA delivered vehicle?
No, Aptera is taking preorders world wide and will produce variations for others markets.
I wish they sell it in Indonesia, because it's very sunny in here.
Will there be a narrow version for the european market?
Perhaps. They have been working with European homologation officials.
The niche market is the "I want one" market.
Oil companies refusing to reinvest in refineries will be the driving force of this and other solar powered vehicles.
I can easily go a week without driving anywhere, so with the full solar charging capability working as advertised, I can take a weekly one way trip of 280 miles. Add in a wind turbine, wood gas fueled generator, micro hydro generator, extra solar panels, or any other off grid electricity scheme, and I can count on taking a lazy trip to everywhere I might want to go from now till I'm dead without buying a single kwh of coal derived electricity, in theory. I'll probably buy a charge now and then in practice.
This vehicle reminds of an electric modern version of the 1934 ( or the new ) 3 wheel Morgan sports car. How cool is that. I suggest adding an S & S Morgan gas motor sound system to make it sound as cool as the 3 wheel Morgan's:) that would really make these turn heads
Aptera grants right to repair and will encourage customization :)
Think of it like a 2 wheel ( or in this case a 3 wheel) commuter motorcycle. Who looks for a motorcycle that can carry 3 or more people? We just have to think in New Concepts
I live in a sunny place and work from home.
The solar version would work great for me. It would never need to be charged.
I've seen comments that the Aptera is "too expensive" for all sorts of reasons. My thought is that it's a hyper-car, not for speed but for efficiency and mileage. How many hyper-cars can you find for $50k?
1st 1k. I don't see most of those being a problem. 2 seater is the perfect choice for me and my wife. I have the range fear and this addresses it nicely while being very reasonable. I am waiting for the safety tests, but feel they should be alright waiting for confirmation to prove me right. Interested to see how things progress.
If it has an autopilot-like capability, I'd buy one. Not to mention it has the best range of all EVs now. The vast majority of actual road driving done is by 2 or fewer occupants, so it being a 2 seater only means it won't be a family car. I have an SUV that, as presently used, is practically a 2 seater. Just use it for hauling stuff in the back.
The furthest any Aptera has gone is on their cartoon, or in the back of a truck.
Aptera will have a OTA updatable level 2 safety pilot, not FSD to begin with.
I changed my order today to the 400 mile range. They are going to build those first starting next year and then the other ranges in 2024. Also, their goal is 10,000/year and they already have 25,000 reservations so some who reserve now won't get theirs for 3 years.
Aptera has now engaged C.P.C. Group of Italy to build their bodies. This will delay the start of production, but the rate will be able to ramp much more quickly. This change has taken place because the order book is continuing to grow with over 38,000 pre-orders now in hand.
@@n.brucenelson5920 But they are also behind on their first round of production units that would be delivered to the local area. Those were supposed to be shipping by now. I'm not optimistic about getting mine before late 2024 at the earliest and probably more like sometime in 2025 but it is what it is.
@@robertd9850 They have been open about the reasons for the delay. The products that will ship are going to be considerably upgraded from what was initially foreseen. Pre-order numbers are now over 38,000 and still increasing rapidly. The previous plan to use 3D printed molds to make vacuum resin infused body parts does not scale to the required volumes quickly enough to meet demand.
Now the bodies will be made by C.P.C. Group, who also make the bodies for Lamborghini and Ferrari.
They will be using pressed sheet carbon fiber and FMC, resulting in much more precise parts and higher quality. The current pre-order numbers justify the higher tooling costs.
@@n.brucenelson5920 Nevertheless, delivery is still quite a ways off. We'll get them when we get them.
The MX-5 is very popular and only has 2 seats.
The Aptera is super efficient. As prices go up on many things this will be very important.
It is safer than a huge top heavy SUV that sells for $60 -100k
3 wheels is safe and will stay level once you see it and drive one.
I have the 400 mile on a charge version. It will do everything my wife and I need it to do.
Safer than an suv, lol
First One Thousand. As a 73 year old man, normally do not drive more than 200 miles on any given day. I plan to live another 30 40 years. This appears to be a great investment. Living in Texas we have an abundance of sunshine. It's just me and my black live in girlfriend (Jodi Labrador), and she can't drive. I am looking forward to driver assisted driving.
5:04. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being a niche vehicle. Lots of niche vehicles are successful.
I'm sold. I hope marketing efforts don't cause them to lose focus on efficiency.
Good video. I suggest that the next time you write a headline like this say "Why ??? MAY fail". "May", is more open to change than "will" and leaves room for a more positive outcome.
Thanks for the tip!
I usually don't read headlines that end with a Question Mark. It immediately says it has no solid info to offer and it is probably a waste of time.
I am a Ubereats delivery driver would love one of these. Is it any good for night driving.
Should be fine!
I just hope the car will ride decently on urban roads.
Most roads don't look the way they do in southern California.
If it's taxing to drive and the ride quality is rough on urban roads, then it's just a novelty. Not a realistic replacement for the average commuter car.
I live on a gravel road in Iowa. My wife and I have ridden in the Luna prototype and have followed the changes that Roush Performance has made for the betas. We are not too worried.
I wonder what long term effect the continuous bumping and vibration from the road will have on the motors with them being un-sprung inside the wheel.
The motors are designed to withstand 100 G shocks, and are somewhat cushioned by the tires.
Aptera will fail all the same reasons as Star Citizen will :^) it is not out yet.
Joking aside I'm interested to see how EU will react to Aptera. it would be super neat to get it as motorcycle for cheaper cost ... Also winter in Finland/Sweden/Norway will be problematic as some roads are covered in snow. I hope the winter tiers go well... Also I think you have to get 3 wheel drive. I would love to see "low speed mode" where the tiers will move slowly ... I got my car stuck because one tier didn't spin and other one dig itself and I was stuck from engine and it took 1 hour to get it unstuck with a lot of shoveling, some sand and wooden plank under the tier ...
I mean, if the Aptera is light maybe I could more easily lift it ... but here is a question. Can I lift the tier up without hurting the body? Is there some place I can place planket in case it gest stuck? How about if I want to pull it using robe or something, where do I attach?
It is less about "can the Aptera handle the snow" but more about what if I get it stuck by being stupid :D
Aptera has a superior ABS/Traction control that can sense wheel slip and adjust torque 32 times per wheel revolution. AWD will be better, but I will be getting my 2WD for use in snowy Iowa, and will probably put on studded snow tires for winter conditions. I hope to report on how well it behaves next year. A tow rope can be attached to a the front suspension or the rear tow hitch. There will be hard spots for lifting.
By the way, I have a lot of respect for people willing to use a second language to ask questions.
I'd like to buy an Aptera right now. It's the best car idea I've ever seen.
@Vlasko60 It's not an "auto" - - it has 3 wheels and a motorcycle tag.
The car only seats 2 passengers.
Well that is part of the reason my wife and I like it...it is only the two of us.
I ve heard many rumours about a third seat ... and about savety .. its a pingpongball .. one of the strongest shapes !!! So bwibg aerodynamic makes it strong and being light it wil absorb forces .. being crushed from both sides will be the hardest scenerio .. i m so looking forward to mine .. never ever have bought a new car .. !!
The third seat, a frunk, and a tow hitch have all been confirmed to have been dropped from initial production plans. The body will now be produced in volume by C.P.C. the Italian super car body maker.
@@n.brucenelson5920 thankyou ..
If it never gets into production, it will surely fail. I know that's stating the obvious but look at all the startups that never got going. i'm looking forward to the end of 2021 to see if they're getting closer or not.
Think negative and you have a guaranteed failure.Terry Offord
My only concern is when you have an accident with it with a Ford 150 what happens to you what's the reality with driving today
1st 1K on the way to 10K!!! As a lifelong entrepreneur/startup investor/car lover, the 3 most common concerns: 1. prior failure, 2. safety and 3. Seats 2 are all w/o foundation. As for your 2 concerns: 1. reliance on suppliers allows Aptera to concentrate on it's core competencies and is actually an asset rather than a liability...it would be a costly mistake for them to start vertically integrating, 2. niche product, so what? Niche products always command higher margins than mass market products, again an advantage. Look how prior management's focus on volume sales and manufacturing led Aptera 1.0 straight into bankruptcy. Great channel...keep growing!!!
As I recall, Apple computers were once described as “niche products”.
I am thinking millions of orders in the USA alone. Imagine never having to fuel your car again and up to 1000 miles of range. I am sold.
That is more than Aptera expects, but you could be correct, once people realize how much fun they are (I have had a ride) and how little they cost to drive.
@@n.brucenelson5920 And how cool the motors sound as you accelerate :)
Check out their August update video! Sol has arrived with Luna around the corner (85%) finished
So it took 2 more months for Luna to reveal so that’s giving me some reservations about production runs.
Biggest issue is Designing for production. How easy is it to produce? How many parts and processes can they eliminate so that it is faster and cheaper to put together. Would love to see a Sandy Monroe Associates manufacturing review on this to have any confidence in it. Prototype s are easy, engineering for mass production is hard.
Sandy is already deeply involved in designing the production.
I’ve always wanted a sports car, and this car is unique not just another ev that looks like a car.
It won’t fail, they learned from last time. And the fact they can even provide something new in a soon to be crowded EV space. Solar charging is absolutely the future.
1st 1k
I used your link to reserve my aptera. One of my worries is that hedge funds might try to short aptera out of existence.
Most of those Hedgies should be given a major wedgie and put out of existence. lol
Awesome, thanks for that. Right now they can't be shorted; so grass roots support makes a huge difference.
@@apterareboot1555 And for that we owe a lot to organisations such as WeFunder who've been on the ball for many such things and, for that, I threw them a bone too. But I missed out on all of the early rounds with Aptera. Initially they said one would take during the 1st Q of this year and then they said it would take place in March, but now they've been awful silent about it. I don;t wanna miss out again. Even though I may be a disqualified peewee investor I still wanna participate even though I'm sure they'll get an whole lot more from all those heavy hitters. .
Start rolling them out! I'd feel a lot safer in one of these than in a Smartcar, I say start rolling them out for sale.
I have a few concerns about Aptera’s current state, but I want to say that I do believe they’ll be able to bring it to market. I agree about their current reliance on third parties, but Tesla successfully launched with the same strategy - almost all the parts of their Roadster were from other companies, except the motors iirc.
My concern is the timeline - Aptera is still saying they’ll have the first deliveries of the Paradigm model this year, but as we recently learned in the Elaphe webinar the only prototype they have so far (the one in all the videos on the site) doesn’t have the final motors or battery setup. Industry standard practice is to get at least 200k miles on the road with production parts to find any faults and fix them, and considering Aptera’s next two prototypes they’re still building will not have the production battery/charging setup I’m worried about the feasibility of getting weather and road testing done on a production-ready prototype.
I estimate that they’ll try to get the first cars out the door in around September based on the timeline from WeFunder so that’s about 6 months to iron everything out and start manufacturing, which is a very short amount of time. The team seems to be focused on flexibility and maneuverability so they might be able to finish everything and still be able to get regulatory approval in time, but it definitely sounds rough.
Much less important, but the first cars off the line are likely to use resistive heaters because of the supply chain - they only just started working on a heat pump design late February.
Anyway, I really enjoy the channel and plan on making good on my order when I can (I’m in the mid-7ks so it could be awhile) so I’ll be along for the ride. (1st 1k)
I believe the timeline we see on WeFunder is heavily caveated as "covid-permitting". As such, Covid could act as a giant Houdini clause in such forward thinking statements. I should hope not, because I want the Aptera I have reserved to be in my driveway, like, yesterday! lol
You shared some information I did not have before and made some good points- thanks.
You don't mention cargo capacity or the very wide dimension across the front pods making garaging & parking a potential problem. Plus I have yet to see any demonstration of safe cornering.
Here’s hoping we live long enough to get our second battery electric car. I just planted ten acres of land in long leaf pines I guess I am an optimist
I owned a Polaris Slingshot....Had no problems with safety or handling....Three wheeled vehicles are just that...Something a little different but common sense is a must like anything new and different...I also own a Tesla and charging is not a problem.....all-in-all, I am hoping Aptera succeeds...I believe they will improve as time goes on...Not relying only government loans is a plus....
A four passenger sedan is next in the roadmap. There’s no reason to assume Aptera will exclude additional market segments and only make two seaters forever. Once they achieve a critical run rate, it would stand to reason that they would slowly begin to integrate supply chain. The company is simply following common sense, agile principles at its inception.
This company won't fail this time. The fact that it's a two seater is irrelevant because this car is geared more toward commuters and individuals that simply want a more environmentally safe vehicle without compromising their own safety. Single driver commuters make up almost half the population of the united states in most studies. Also this car has the cool factor and people will just buy it based solely on that alone. The car has to pass government safety standards just like any other vehicle so safety aspect isn't even an issue. Two big features not mentioned are the facts that it has a 1000 mile range on a single charge and the base model gains 20 miles a day just by sitting in the drive way during hours of light. Nothing else on the road does that.
Also it didn't exactly fail the first time around. They simply started the company during a recession and the EV industry was still in it's infancy so parts were harder to come by and expensive.
Great video. I had a hard time listening to your voice with the background music in the beginning and at the end. I was not the fan of the sound but the volume was even more of an issue. Just trying to give useful feedback to help make your already great video better.
I appreciate the feedback. I will work on that.
I believe Aptera has the right idea keeping government and large corporations out of their business.
Seriously, if government were even somewhat capable, we would have had cars like this decades ago. Ditto with large corporations.
Time to try something different in order to get a different, possibly better, outcome.
Aptera is making the perfect commuter car, a large market that has been lightly addressed in the past by legacy car companies. Aptera was conceived on the premise that you had to make an ultralight, aerodynamic efficient chassis (see also Mitsubishi i-MiEV) as motors/batteries were seen as inefficient and costly, achieving range barely over 50 miles. Tesla primarily has pioneered the conventional sedan past that thinking over the 10 years since Aptera's stumbles and demise. Aptera could have succeeded along the way (Paul Wilbur's name should be linked to failure "Wilburize") and a second chance is now at hand. If they can make just 50 cars in 18 months time, they and the car will become a reality in the EV future.
1. Failure of Old Aptera: As the disclaimer on every investment prospectus says, past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. 2. Safety: Find a safer motorcycle in a crash. 3. 2 Passengers: The Aptera lets you do all your one-person trips with *free* fuel (if they're short enough, otherwise, you you plug it in next to the vacuum cleaner). If autonomous driving works out, you can call for a Cybertruck when it's time to take the kids to soccer practice or haul furniture.
I think Aptera's biggest challenge, like all of the new EV entrants, will be getting through Production Hell. Do that, and IMO chances are good they'll sell every car they can make.
I don't think "find a safer motorcycle" is the right comparison. It's not being sold as an alternative to a motorcycle, it's being sold as an alternative to a car.
@@incognitotorpedo42 that's irrelevant, the fact people still use motorcycles proves that being as safe as possible isn't essential to everyone, what about smart cars or those fiats? can't imagine those are being close to as safe as your average sedan
I assure you that when this vehicle comes to market it will sell there are many who love the the idea of energy independence
I'm a 55-year-old on the verge of being an empty-nester. My pipe-dream is to sell my house, buy a very small home on a decent-sized lot outside a mid-sized city. Grow a lot of the food my GF and I eat. Buy an Aptera and retire. And earn a living as a Door Dash/ Uber Eats delivery driver so I can begin work on the science fiction/ ecopunk novel I've been stewing on for years.
Think of the savings. 100+ eMPG. Lower maintenance costs: small and cheaper wheels, no oil changes, etc. And yet, I'll be able to claim the entire IRS's $0.60 per mile tax write-off. This means that I'll earn $0.50 per mile by simply using smarter tech (assuming $0.10 per mile in actual costs).
[Bretahes deeply]. I can see the Hugo, Nebula, and Locus Awards already... And the Amazon best-seller ranking...
1st 1k
Good channel. Your voice is great! Ty for sharing your research! We gotta change and this is the kind of things we should be talking about, not Will/Chris
well it can easily be kinda of a 2-seater for travelling with the range it has and if it use the tesla charge as they say well its gonna be pretty good.
If the 2 door Aptera sells well, who knows, maybe they will figure out how to build a 4 door? Even Porsche eventually got around to building bigger, bulkier cars, which was never the case when they started with those little 2 seater sports cars.
Aptera has a 4 wheel, 5 passenger sedan in the works.
The city commuter is increasingly crowded, and most commuters. travel by themselves. The Aptera is a right answer to the city commuting, plus running errands.
I read on the Aptera website that Aptera is thinking about/researching the posibility to sell in Europe. I would love an Aptera as a European. But.... the car is 2.37 meters wide. There is no chance in the world that it fits in European parking spaces, roads and garages. So, yeah, maybe the four wheel version will be not so wide....
A slight bummer about the size: there is reasonably comfortable seating like in a smart but it takes up twice the space (like a normal compact) when parking....but then, it's a free ride almost every time.
As long as it safe, the affordable cost, operation and maintenance of the vehicle make it a necessity. Some of the market won't see a choice other than aptera.
I’m concerned over cooling. Can the skin cooling used by Aptera really handle the cooling needs of the battery, inverter, shrouded hub motors and air conditioning? In most cars the A/C cooling requirement is almost as much as a typical house. The push for extreme aerodynamics has eliminated the typical radiators in favor of skin cooling. I estimate cooling needs for these items will need cooling for about 48,000 BTUs or 4 tons of cooling.
They're working on a liquid cooling system. There might be one system for the 25kw version and different one for the higher range models.
I have a background in refrigeration. I designed the samples freezer that flew on the International Space Station, as well as many other projects. You are WAY over on your estimate of the cooling needs. There are several reasons why the Aptera needs less cooling. One is that the wheel motors are more efficient than the motors used in typical EVs and generate less heat to begin with. Using 1/2 or less the power of a typical EV means that much less heat is generated. In addition the r-value of the body is much higher than typical metal body construction. This makes the solar heat gain much less than it would be with conventional construction. My very rough guess, without knowing more details is that the Aptera will need less than 5,000 BTUS of compressor cooling. If the cooling limits are reached, such as going up a long steep hill at 65 mph for more than 10 minutes in hot weather, the car will simply begin to slow down.
@@n.brucenelson5920
Thanks Bruce, I’m an engineer but struggled to pass my Thermodynamics courses, so I defer to your expertise. I’m hoping Aptera does well.
@@larry4fire Thanks, Larry. I am not a degree'd engineer, but companies were happy to pay me less money to solve problems that their engineers couldn't. I am a licensed refrigeration tech, which isn't the same thing. My respect to you.
I got the ISS Glacier Project subcontract from the University of Alabama by remembering to add sources of heat in my calculations that the other engineers bidding the project forgot about.
I would love to know all the numbers from Aptera, but I know enough that it could work. There are some tricks when you are dealing with a wide range of evaporator temperatures, like increasing the receiver size.
I want one but I can't currently justify it financially :(
People must understand all Aircraft are three-wheelers and land at high speed with hundreds of people on board.
It is a very safe system.
Nonsense.
How about pedals to charge the battery?
Nice video, thanks. As a reservation holder, I hope to be one of the 1st 1K Aptera drivers. Oh, and I want that swag too!
Something else to note: because it is a 3 wheeled vehicle, it is considered and registered as a motorcycle. I rarely have more than 2 people in my car anyway and it's super futuristic look will draw customers once it's on the road.
Yes, although many states have created a special category called "autocycle".
I truly hope you are right and that Aptera is so successful that once profitable they decide to offer a base model similar to the original. The only option that I consider worthwhile is the charging panels.
My top 4 concerns are: 1. How well will it contend with winter driving conditions? 3 wheels on icy roads? Pushing through a snowbank with those big boots covering the front wheels? They have stated it is only rated down to minus 29 Deg Celsius(aprox). 2. Will its 1000 mile range be eclipsed very quickly by new battery technology. 3. How will local regulations view this vehicle? Is it a motorcycle? Will I be required to wear a helmet while driving it? 4. Parts and service. I appreciate that they will allow me to work on it myself but at least in the short term I will not be able to walk into my local parts store and get what I need. Please don't get me wrong I love the concept, lightweight, aerodynamic = efficiency, efficiency. Positives: Work is 12.6 kilometers away, I may not have to "refuel" for months. Family live 1450 Kilometers away, with no fuel stops could I set the all time speed record for making the trip? Oh Lord I want it so much!
I would like as a 2nd vehicle for computing back and forth to work. I'm usually by myself 100% of the time. And since I'm single with no kids, it works for me.
Is the alteration available in Canada?
Yes.
The biggest concern I have is the limited payload of 500lb. The ranges of different batteries will increase the vehicle by at least a 1000lb. You would think with the smaller batteries they could mange a better payload.
As a purchasing manager who used to be in IT and was once a mechanic, Aptera is the vehicle I'd buy for personal or fleet use.
Aptera is now taking fleet orders.
anyone knows if there is a pissibility to get a 3rd person in with some sort of flip chair or something aftermarket?
Not yet. The second Aptera planned is a 4 wheel, 5 passenger sedan, but it is still a ways off.
Gee, that title isn't clickbait at all! (eye roll)
Well there is a questionmark at the end of it, so it is pretty accurate to the content.
So what? What were you in a hurry to go do that made jack squat difference to the world?
anytime there is a title with a ? don't click on it.
As long as Aptera can keep the car in the pricing catagory they have I believe it will be a success.
1st 1k. I'm so excited getting my hands on an Aptera. Have been owning a Renault Twizy for five and a half years now, driving 40 000km with it. Love it! But Aptera would be the perfect upgrade when the time comes.
You must live ina warm climate. Twizy can’t be sealed very well against the cold and has no heating system. I have seen the extra kit for closing the sides that still leave a six inch gap at the back. Also because of the doors ot can’t be locked so you can’t leave anything inside. The Rayttle from China costs half the ptoce, has real doors with side windows, a heating and air conditioning system. I looked a lot at Twizy as I live where they are made. I figured they are only semi practical in a warm country where they can be driven year round. Here in South Korea it gets down to -19C and -25C in the winter. Not practical in colder climates.
@@garyfrancis6193 I actually live in Sweden and the climate here are quite cold at times. I think it is a matter of mindset. I can live with missing some comfort if I can help saving the environment a bit. Compared to driving around with 2+ metric ton of metal while burning fossil fuel are actually worth it in so many ways.
I love my Twizy because it is really fun to drive and the open cabin is perfect in the summer. Yes, people can pick things that are loose in the car. I usually leave some things in the car, but I have never lost anything. Most people are leaving it alone.
love the idea of 'forget about tesla' =b legacy auto will need to keep that supercharging network going. I wish people talked more about the charging network that comes with an ev.
I'm not worried about the aptera having a charging network bc of how far it can go on less power than my model 3.
I would have to agree with you on your main issues that will affect their success.
1. They should not make promises by date. ie, have first cars sold in Q4 2021. It's ready when it's ready. I don't want a plug in issued later that should have been installed and tested in the vehicle.
2. Dependence upon too many peripheral companies. Their parts are built to their standards. Look what happened to Chevy Bolt's dependence upon LG's battery initial battery design. Tesla doesn't share the same issue because they make their own batteries. There are other issues with importation, political restrictions, Covid variance, monetary exchange rate.
3. The car is much too wide for a vehicle. It's format will initially be too unrecognizable to the average driver who will not realize that there is a shrouded wheel stuck out from the main body design.
4. Servicing the car. There is really no structured service agreements on how the car will be serviced in case of body collision repair or failure of any major electrical parts. My own body shop is questioning how to do a structural repair. I know that we all will have the right to repair, but I don't want that forced upon us. My wife has not received certification on working with 400 volt circuits nor do we even own the proper high voltage tools. Will we all get a shop manual with the car? Where do we tow the car for service when it breaks down on the side of the freeway out in rural California? Remember that we will all be beta testers for the vehicle.
5. Warranty: What is the warranty and what is it going to cover? For how long?
6. Customer Service: As being beta testers for the motorcycle, an excellent support team should be established, possibly 24 hours.
7. A make or break issue with me is how safe the cars will be. I don't think they have even established how many airbags the cycle will have. They at one time expressed having a single seat belt airbag. That won't fly with me.
8. Ride quality: I see some people complaining on the limited payload for the vehicle. Increasing the payload capacity will only make the ride and handling suffer with the stiffer springs required. With the higher center of gravity the Aptera has I am concerned with instability. They already experienced this on track day with their Moose test. That is the reason Rousch Performance was brought in as consultants. They can tweek the suspension settings, but cannot change the weight distribution of the vehicle. As you can easily see, the main battery mass is above the axle height of the three wheels. In most other performance related EV's such as the Tesla M3 the battery is below the height of the axles. I am not including SUV designs. The same can be said for the cargo weight, it will sit high, above the height of the rear tire. Most other EV's the cargo sits between the tires as low as the height of the upper rear rims.
9. Awkward seat height for entry and exit of the vehicle. I think this is mainly an issue for the elderly or partially disables.
Now don't get me wrong, this is not about knocking Aptera. I truly want a successful car in my own driveway. But in keeping with the theme of this video, my own mind has questions. Many fanboys of the cycle will deny or play down the weaknesses because they have self enamored the vehicle. In the end we must be realistic and safety is still number one with my family.
I just hope they succeed as the philosophy of lightness is a favorite of mine. Vehicles are just getting heavier and therefore less efficient. Even tesla are bloated and could stand to lose some weight and increase there already awesome efficiency.
I totally agree...probably an echo from the gas age. No thought for the environment, just burn a few more collective billions of gallons of gas.
Maybe its also a stability and controll thing. The more mass the vehicle has, the more energy is needed to move it, meaning bumbs on the street will not affect them as much as lighter vehicles.
I believe it will do well because of their design plus current market. Gas prices too high Aptera has the best driving distance of any electric car. Solar as the wonderful balance to that. Being a two seater isn’t a problem. They even addressed the issue what if you break down. I believe they have worked out most issues and now the world is ready for them!!
I love the Aptera style and build but see some issues;
when parked in a small street the Front wheel will be sticking out on the road and below hidden partly by passing cars due to the over the bonnet view.
In a small street like ours this could be an issue with it being hit and damaged, you often judge a car width by the main body, and don't expect a wheel poking out.
I, like most others I know have the requirement now and then to drive extra passengers.
I can see me looking further at one, if they ever come to Australia, and would really have to be convinced to buy one I think.
Those front wheel pods are going to be destroyed - when other vehicles pull in or out of parking spaces, the drivers will judge the distance they have from the cabin. You can't see those pods especially from taller SUVs and trucks. Also, not practical in snow or slush that will build up inside and freeze in northern climates.
Any EV startup is taking huge risks. To be successful a new player in the EV market has to offer something different, something special that other manufacturers don't address. It's why many EVs don't do well against Tesla. They offer the same basic car, but with specs and features that fall way short of Tesla.
Aptera is unique among EVs. It's not trying be a better Tesla. It offers something I've not seen before: Never Charge. There are a lot of people who live in places without a place to plug in an EV. For a single person or a childless couple living in an apartment, the Aptera could be a very cost effective vehicle for commuting to work in regions of the country with ample sunshine.
There's another potential market. It's people who buy a car just for fun. The Aptera looks like a car that would be fun to drive. It's fast, sporty, eye catching, and impractical. LOL! Isn't that what many people are attracted to? That's why I reserved one.
I think you make some great points. I have a reservation and I don't even need a car. The Aptera is really a very new concept in several ways and it's hard to predict how some of those ideas will play out in the real world. I myself was attracted by the first idea of super low drag coefficient and the cascade of things that became possible because of it like the decrease in power requirements which means lighter weight, very low energy requirement etc. I love the simplicity of it and it's science based form.
For a (mostly) retired couple such as my wife and my needs, It will be more practical than almost anything else around, and will even improve on our current Gen 1 Honda Insight.
The only marketing aptera needs is “never filling up or charging ever again”…with gas prices nearing double digits a gallon and electric charging an inconvenience…never having to charge again is huge! If they can just add even like 2-3 depressions for pseudo-seats where the trunk space is aptera will be #1. Elon would be a fool not to buy aptera to get rid of its closest threat of a competition
Elon sees no threat.
@@aussieideasman8498 Elon is too busy throwing his money away on Twitter.
@@n.brucenelson5920 Evidence he sees no threat.
Aptera will solve the future chaos when trying to charge the evs... they will also prevent future electricity profits to the electricity suppliers from occurring and that's probably why the funding was canceled because both organizations are controlled by the same group.