Aptera Motors has introduced what it says is the first solar electric vehicle (sEV) that requires no charging for most daily use. The company has leveraged breakthroughs in lightweight structures, low-drag aerodynamics and cooling, material science, and manufacturing processes to deliver the most efficient vehicle ever made available to consumers.
“With Aptera’s Never Charge technology, you are driven by the power of the sun,” said Cofounder and Co-CEO Chris Anthony. “Never Charge is built into every Aptera and is designed to harvest enough sunlight to travel over 11,000 mi (17,700 km) per year in most regions. Our built-in solar array keeps your battery pack topped off and anywhere you want to go.”
Anthony and Co-CEO Steve Fambro lead a relatively small California-based team with a lot of entrepreneurial background developing Aptera vehicles. Anthony was the Founder and former CEO of Flux Power, an advanced lithium-battery technology company. Fambro is a venture partner and COO of Ocean Holding, an investment and development company dedicated to advancing the use of clean, renewable energy. The other Aptera Cofounder, Michael Johnson, is venture Cofounder, Owner, and President/CEO of Esenjay Petroleum and Cofounder, major shareholder, and Director of Flux Power, a lithium-power provider. Tom Reichenbach is VP of Engineering & Chief Engineer.
Other key members of the Aptera team include Jason Hill (Design), Nathan Armstrong (Mechanical Engineering), Sarah Hardwick (Marketing), Miles Wheeler (Aerodynamics), Darren McKeage and Uldis Stīpnieks (Mechanical Design & Surfacing), Louie Dietz (Mechanical & Industrial Design), Thomas Hall (EV Chassis Architecture), and Gabriel Iosif (Suspension & Chassis Systems).
Aptera announced in November it had snagged an additional $1 million in capital to manufacture its Never Charge solar vehicle to supplement its WeFunder raise, the investment coming in at the same valuation terms as Aptera’s current crowdfunding efforts. The funds will help the company continue its launch and development efforts into 2021. The investment will also help Aptera open a new production design center in San Diego and ramp into full-scale manufacturing. Working with partners such as Munro & Associates, the first initiatives include the layout of the assembly line and overall manufacturing process, including productionization of metal parts, interior systems, and HVAC.
The three-wheeler Never Charge vehicle is technically not a car, being classified as a motorcycle or auto-cycle. It is 172 in (4369 mm) long, 88.0 in (2235 mm) wide, and 57 in (1448 mm) tall. Weight ranges from 1800 to 2200 lb (816 to 998 kg). Cargo volume for the small vehicle that accommodates two adults “and a pet” is an impressive 25 ft³ (708 L).
With only four main body pieces, Aptera execs say they have solved key challenges allowing for rapid, high-volume, and cost-efficient manufacturing. Their vehicle is made of lightweight composites that they say are many times stronger than steel, allowing the unique body shape to slip through the air with an impressive Cd (coefficient of drag) of 0.13.
Its low drag helps to give the Aptera the longest range of any production vehicle “ever created,” achieving up to 1000 mi (1610 km) per charge with a 100-kW·h battery pack. Other battery options give ranges of about 10 mi (16 km) per kW·h: 600 mi (966 km) for 60 kW·h; 400 mi (644 km) for 40 kW·h; and 250 mi (402 km) for 25 kW·h.
Its body features over 3 m² (32 ft²) of 180 efficient solar cells at 700 W to self-charge up to 60 km (37 mi) while parked. More cells can be added to the vehicle’s hood and rear hatch for up to 24 mi (39 km) of additional solar charging per day. This makes Aptera the first vehicle capable of meeting most daily driving needs using solar power alone. However, supplemental grid charging with standard 110-V plugs can provide 13 mi (21 km) per charging hour and rapid DC chargers can up that to 500 mi (805 km) per hour.
Liquid-cooled electric motors propel the Aptera. All-wheel drive and vectorized torque control give Aptera comfort, stability control, and the ability to handle inclement weather.
The front-wheel-drive base model producing 100 kW is as quick as 5.5 s to 60 mph (97 km/h). The all-wheel-drive with 150 kW ups the performance to as quick as 3.5 s to 60 mph. Top Speed is more than 100 mph (160 km/h) but rpm-limited to 110 mph (177 km/h).
The user interface includes a driver display and a 15-in touchscreen. Adjustable settings built into Aptera’s user interface keep drivers updated with ways they can conserve energy and extend range in real-time. Enhanced Audio gives you an extra three channels of audio for sound depth and deeper bass. SafetyPilot makes travel easy with Level 2 autonomy capabilities.
Among other interesting features are a safety divider and accessories to secure pets while driving, an integrated tent and rear awning for camping, and more ground clearance and tougher wheel covers for off-roading.
The Aptera is available to pre-order at www.aptera.us. For a refundable fee of $100, customers can reserve one of a limited number of special-edition Paradigm and Paradigm+ vehicles, which will be the first produced in 2021. Pricing ranges from $25,900 to more than $46,900.
