Aptera is a San Diego based startup that’s trying to create a new type of electric car. The company has created the most efficient Solar Electric Vehicle (SEV) that requires no charging for most daily use — giving you the freedom to do more with less impact on the planet.
The solar panels on the Aptera can provide up to 40 miles of range per day. Since the average American drive about 35 miles a day, the Aptera can be entirely sun powered. You may never have to plug it into a charger.
Why Haven’t This Been Done Already?
The reason we haven’t seen any solar powered cars on the road is because a car doesn’t have enough surface area to harness enough energy from the sun to move a heavy hunk of metal. In order to make a solar powered car work, you need to maximize surface area, minimize weight, maximize aerodynamics, and maximize efficiency. That’s what the Aptera has done.
The design and shape of the Aptera offers an ultra low drag coefficient of just 0.13, better than any car on the road today. The design also maximize surface area to mount 700 Watts of solar panels. Because the sun can add up to 40 miles of range a day, it doesn’t need a huge battery, and that means it can keep the weight down to just 800kg, which increase efficiency even more.
Bottomline, the Aptera only requires 100 watt hour to go 1 mile. That’s 2.5 times better than the most efficient EV on the market today, the Tesla Model 3. If the Aptera was a gas powered car, it would get the equivalent of 334 MPG.
Not only is the Aptera efficient, it’s also fast. The base model has an electric motor inside each front wheel. However, you can also order a third motor to power the back wheel. In this AWD setup, the Aptera will shoot from zero to 60 mph in just 3.5 seconds. Top speed is 110 mph.
Because the Aptera has three wheels instead of four, it’s considered a motorcycle. However, you don’t need a motorcycle license or a hemet to drive it.
It Is Surprisingly Affordable
The Aptera starts at $25,900 and goes all the way to $50,700. The item that affects the price the most is the battery. Getting the 100 kWh battery will increase the price of the car to $44,900, but it will allow you to drive 1000 miles on a single charge.
You can reserve your own Aptera today with a $100 refundable deposit. Over 25,000 people have already done that.
The only issue I see is Aptera has been in business for over a decade now and haven’t shipped a single car. The car is suppose to start shipping this year, but many 2022 reservation holders report delivery dates have been pushed back to 2023-24. While the $100 is refundable, the odds of getting a refund if the companies goes up under is zero. You will have to decide if the reward of being among the first to get a solar power car is worth the risk of losing $100.
For me, it was worth it. I’ve order an Aptera for myself. Noir black with the 400 mile range battery, solar panels on the roof, dash and hood, and all-wheel drive because I like speed. Final price came to just $32,600. Now, the wait begins.
My Aptera Order
