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[Starpower]

I forked over my $100 deposit for the 250 mi. For me:
I do like the design, I suspect that it would have minimal buffeting from wind due to the aero's, I live with an off-grid solar/micro hydro system and cannot charge a Bolt for example. I can manage my SR over 2 days and this does not draw anymore than my SR, however the extreme efficiency and integrate array can provide ~40mi./day. Just the wife and I, retired,  mostly need a run to Town that is 40 mi. RT. We do that at most 2x/wk but could go every other day w/o ever plugging in. Wife visits mom once a week that is 150mi. RT and can charge there if need. Grandkids are 240mi. RT and can charge there. Plenty of room for am massive Costco run and it looks ideal for us.

We'll se if it ever comes to be....

[MVetter]

Obviously, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But I wouldn't be caught dead driving around in an Aptera. That thing just looks too weird to my eye.  Even worse than the original Brammo Enertia. I think that if your purpose is to sell electric vehicles in a volume to the general public that will return a profit to your company and its investors, you need to make them look more conventional. However, if you want to make a rolling statement to shock the viewer and rack up YouTube reviews, you make it look like the Aptera. 

The Aptera would be perfect to be featured in a James Bond or science fiction movie. 

The physical laws of our universe, i.e. what is and is not an aerodynamic shape, are not beholden to your sense of taste. One might as well say all birds are ugly because they have a similarly aero shape.

As always, I am skeptical about concept vehicles, and not thrilled about a hub motor, but these guys check a lot of boxes for me in terms of a correct way of approaching it. Aerodynamics are ignored in every other vehicle out there. I wish these guys the best of luck, though.

[Crissa]

I find it rather bizarre that here we have the most speaking out against the car's ugliness - I didn't expect many to jump at it, because we already have something basically a step better.  But over at the truck forum, only a couplle thought it was ugly.

PS, the Model 3 devotes most of its space to passengers.  Its pure cargo space is 15 cubic feet, while the Aptera has 25.  So yes, the Aptera has more cargo space.

-Crissa

[caza]

While beauty is really important to some I don't think it's all that important for a vehicle to be successful. The 1st gen leaf is ugly as sin IMO, but for a long time it was the best selling electric, because plenty of people aren't as concerned with looks as they are with practicality and value.

Crissa, the Model 3 has passenger seats that fold down and give you over 40 cubic feet of total cargo space. This is what makes it far more practical and useable IMO. Hatchbacks are pretty darn popular for a reason, the flexibility between how you use your space allows the car to adjust to your changing needs. Sometimes I need to fit furniture or large packages in my volt that would absolutely not fit in the aptera. Sometimes (not in 2020) I give a couple friends a ride or carpool to work. Again, not possible with the aptera.

2 seats and only 25 cubic feet of storage is far more limiting than almost any hatchback, crossover, suv, or truck out there.  My point was that for most people, that sacrifice is not worth the fuel efficiency that the aptera has. The average consumer is far more concerned about getting their kids to school than getting 1000 miles on a charge.

For some people, like Starpower, the Aptera makes perfect sense and will work very well for them. But again, the number of people who buy brand new electric cars but also live off-grid with a small solar array is as niche as it can get.

[Crissa]

I feel as though tl;dr; is appropriate, since from the first glance, I think this was missed:

PS, the Model 3 devotes most of its space to passengers.

Kinda like I already said that.

But a Model 3 is neither 25K nor a two-seater.  And if you fill the seats in it, you have 15 cubic feet of storage space, just as if you fill out the seats in an Aptera you have more.

On that point, doesn't that make the Aptera still better Wh/mi per seat than the Model 3?

-Crissa

[ultrarnr]

So the Aptera is not a car but a motorcycle which means helmet laws will apply. So I am guessing that a lot of Aptera owners, much like some Slingshot owners will be counting on police not knowing they are supposed to be wearing helmets!

[caza]

You're willfully missing the point. The model 3 has flexible space that can be storage or passenger space depending on your needs. The aptera has storage space only. You cannot fold the seats down and fit bigger items in the aptera. So its practical, useable storage space is way, way less. It's less flexible to peoples daily changing needs.

As for price, they claim 25k now. The model 3 claimed under 30k and never got there. We won't know Aptera's real price until people own them, but hopefully they can make good on that claim. Worth noting that like the tesla, the aptera has announced a price range 26k-47k. It's very possible the first models rolling off the line will all be the higher end models and the entry level ones will be the last to be delivered. Even then, we won't be able to compare that price to todays prices, but the prices of other EV's whenever the Aptera launches.

The aptera probably makes better wh/mi than any enclosed vehicle out there, but most people buying EV's don't even know what wh/mi is. They might look at its MPGe though, which will certainly be impressive.

As for helmet laws, it varies state to state. In many states including California, the aptera fits the requirements to not need helmets.

[Crissa]

So the Aptera is not a car but a motorcycle which means helmet laws will apply.

No.  It's got a steering wheel and an enclosed cabin.

You're willfully missing the point. ...

Says the person willfully ignoring that I already granted that the Model 3 had more passenger seats?

There is no perfect vehicle.  Different people have different demands, and different vehicles do them better.  Saying four seats is better than two is the same argument that two seats are better than one.  Or six is better than four.  But that still has to face how much energy it costs to move it, how much space it takes up to store it, and how much money it costs to get it.  The Model 3 costs at least 50% more than the Aptera up front, takes 'about' the same space to store, though really a little less, and per-seat the Aptera meets or beats the Model 3 for both cargo and watt-hours per mile.

That's pretty cool,

-Crissa

[Fran K]

It was harder to look up the load rating than I expected.  Just the tire curious about the rating of the vehicle.  Is the owners manual on line?

 https://www.summitracing.com/parts/MHL-63711?seid=srese1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAzsz-BRCCARIsANotFgO7Xn9D1icAjp9QBznlKz--rwJs0P4GQydDQifN1MhB8M4gB0A7VXsaAmH0EALw_wcB

So 1100 Pounds weight rating and I expect it will be pretty hard to put cargo (they call it luggage where I was at Aptera) load on the front.

Will these new force vectoring vehicles come with different turning circle values for different settings, like a tractor with or without 4wd engaged and whether one depresses one brake pedal to help it turn.

Will there be support groups that will figure out how to do smoke shows and tricks with these things.  Must be possibilities beyond donuts in reverse for front wheel drive automobiles.