Tag Archives: Aptera

Aptera: Is It Getting Closer to Production?

Posted on by

It is showing at CES in Las Vegas a production-intent model with aero validation performed in Italy. Huh?

By Gary S. Vasilash

Aptera is a vehicle company that seems to have been around a lot longer than it actually has, probably because the vehicle that it has been promoting is pretty much unlike anything else out there: a three-wheeled, two-person vehicle that has a shape more akin to a teardrop than what is ordinarily thought of during this age of Large Rectangular Vehicles That Can Accommodate More People Than They Typically Ever Do.

It was founded in 2019.

The Aptera model is an electric vehicle that gets supplemental power via built-in solar charging. It is said to be able to provide 40 miles of range on a daily basis through the solar panels alone.

(Image: Pininfarina)

In association with the vehicle being at CES 2025, Pininfarina has announced that the vehicle underwent aerodynamic validation at the design house’s wind tunnel in Turin, Italy.

(According to Aptera the vehicle has a low coefficient of drag of 0.13, compared with the 0.23 figure for a Tesla Model 3.)

Said Chris Anthony, Co-CEO of Aptera Motors of the model at CES: “Our production-intent vehicle is not only a testament to years of innovation and engineering but also a tangible solution to reducing carbon emissions and redefining how we think about energy-efficient mobility. We’re excited to show the world that Aptera is ready to hit the road and deliver a cleaner, more sustainable future.” 

The company says it has $1.7-billion in pre-orders.

It had previously announced that it would go into production in 2024, which obviously hasn’t happened.

One curious thing: Why did the company, based in Carlsbad, California, determine it was necessary to go some 6,000 miles to do wind tunnel testing?

After all, there are some that are closer, like the A2 Wind Tunnel in Mooresville, North Carolina, which is used by motorsports teams and offers general pricing of $595 per hour.

Yes, I understand that there is a difference between Turin and Mooresville, but were I one of the claimed nearly 50,000 people waiting for my car, closer would be quicker and consequently better.

Sandy Munro on Tesla, Three-Wheelers and Flying Vehicles

Posted on by
Reply

From a functional and executional standpoint, there is probably no one who is more well versed in Tesla than Sandy Munro, who established the lean design, engineering and manufacturing consultancy, Munro & Associates in 1988. The teardowns and analyses that he and his colleagues have performed on Tesla models have become the stuff of grist for the never-stopping mill that is a phenomenon since the vehicles started rolling out of the Fremont, California factory. Has there been an auto company’s products that has garnered more attention? It seems unlikely.

Obviously, once a vehicle has been completely disassembled and assessed, it isn’t the sort of thing in which it is possible to take for a ride.

Arcimoto three-wheeler. (Image: Arcimoto)

So on this edition of “Autolline After Hours” Munro talks about how he has acquired another Model 3. . .and this time he and company president Cory Steuben are going to take it on a road trip, where they will make a determination of everything from how the battery works in the winter of the upper Midwest to the heat of the southwest to how hands-off the Tesla FSD (full-self driving computer system) actually is.

In addition to which, Munro talks to “Autoline’s” John McElroy, “Autoline’s” West Coast correspondent Chase Drum and me about what he sees as what is likely to become a growing automotive trend: three-wheel vehicles, like the products developed by Aptera Motors and Arcimoto. Munro explains that these electric vehicles are highly efficient and enjoyable to drive.

What’s more, a couple days before the show GM’s Mary Barra, in a presentation for CES, revealed a concept, the Cadillac Halo, an electric powered, four-rotor VTOL craft. Munro, who has also done extensive work on aircraft, thinks that there is likely to be a proliferation of personal aircraft for commuting.

While this might seem to be something that will be happening in the Jetson’s future, Munro anticipates such transformations in transportation in a matter of years—a few, not many.

And about that Tesla test drive: Munro says that he’ll also take the opportunity to. . .eat a lot of hamburgers.

And you can see it—the show, not the burgers—here.–gsv