Aptera expects to start production later this year. Will anyone buy it?

[jwanderson88]

It seems like the Aptera community is made up of two kinds of people: the fanboys who can't or won't see anything wrong with the vehicle and the naysayers who can't see anything good about it and say the whole enterprise was doomed from the start. Aptera has said it intends to start limited production later this year. It seems they are having a hard time getting a commitment from the financial community. There was a lot of interest in the Aptera at CES. You can google it to find out more about the vehicle. I would like to get some comments from a community that is open-minded and isn't wedded to conventional vehicles, namely Rivian owners. I have a $100 reservation, so I'm not a disinterested party. I would love to see the faces of the farmers in the rural community where I live when they saw one drive up to the local grocery store. Other than that I have little interest in owning one right now. I'd have to see it first. I guess a good place to start is, is this even a car? What is it exactly? Is it too weird for most people? Would you buy one? Is the solar-charging feature enough to sell the vehicle?

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[mudito]

I'm on the reservation list as well. I'm interested in seeing how this goes. I would love to have something like this for my neighborhood drives (tennis and social activities) + Starbucks runs during the mornings.

Would see what's the actual final price when ready as well...

 

[TexasBob]

I am a big naysayer on the investment where I think the founders fleeced (strong word, I know) the retail investor with insane valuations. I am actually a fan of the vehicle which I think is a very cool and innovative design. However, for the price of the Aptera there are a rapidly increasing number of much better alternatives.

For $40k (target price launch edition) would you rather have this or an R2 for $45k? This will go farther and use less electricity but only has seating for 2 and will be much less crash-worthy. You can get an EV6 with 310 miles of range and wicked-fast charging. You can get over a dozen vehicles for $45k and under - some much less than the Aptera - all will be with less range but more practical and almost certainly more crash worthy. It is a very tough sell at the late stage in the ev transition.

I think this winds up in a place of honor at the Petersen Automotive Museum as a unique design that shows the range of ideas people pursued to overcome what turned out to be a very temporary challenge of expensive, slow-charging energy storage systems.

 

[CharonPDX]

*VERY* long time reservation-holder and investor. (And owner of the similar Arcimoto FUV.)

I've been suspicious that they won't actually get to production, they've been begging for more money for multiple years now. I know they say they have enough to start "limited initial production" (aka: to the people who invested at least $100,000 *AND* are willing to pay another $100,000 for the vehicle) but I find it doubtful they'll reach a point where they hit "full rate production" and my reservation ever gets made.

Also - these are *HUGE*. As wide as my old F-250, only two feet shorter than an R1S. - You can use their Augmented Reality simulator to see it in your own driveway/garage.

(And yeah, I assume that my investment is lost.)

Their AR simulator showing it in my garage next to my Arcimoto FUV:

 

[Hillbilly]

?

 

[tps5352]

I purchased a few shares in the company a couple of years ago--not because I expected to make any money, but because I wanted to support, in a small way, new and innovative thinking.

Would I buy one? Sorry, but I don't think so. Right or wrong, I have too much of a bias against three-wheeled vehicles. But do I hope that they are successful? Yes. So what are my concerns?

I am no engineer. But the vehicle seems right at "the edge" of technical plausibility. It (apparently) has to be made of (expensive) high-tech carbon fiber and to have only three wheels in order to keep weight to an absolute minimum. And I guess it has to have a super aerodynamic shape in order to to sustain a reasonable range and achieve adequate highway speed. But as a result, you end up with a vehicle that (a) is "way out there" as far as design and (b) therefore risks alienating a large number of consumers. The Aptera (not surprisingly) looks like one of those student-designed entries in a solar-powered race (the results of which are ignored yearly by most consumers, I hate to say).

And I keep thinking of what a mess it is when an Formula 1 racing car (made up mostly of carbon fiber) is in an accident on track. Tiny, sharp shards of CF everywhere (puncturing the tires of other cars). And the Aptera is obviously (and intentionally) a two-person-only vehicle with very limited storage space. Good for around town. But for lengthier trips; maybe not so much? And as with the Cybertruck, are the bread-and-butter consumers (one needs to be a successful car company) ready for such a futuristic, non-conforming design? (Perhaps good for the sunnier-areas of Europe, where they are more used to 2-person cars?)

I note that the promised range numbers have apparently declined (e.g., from as high as 1,000 miles down to 400). Four-hundred is still pretty darn good, but the real-world value will probably be much less (as we see with pretty much all BEVs)--a variety of things will conspire to reduce range. And only 40 miles per day from solar is, to me, very disappointing. But that is probably not Aptera's fault, but simply reflects the current state of our solar technology. (And yes, I know that the average car in the US is only driven 40 miles per day.)

One wise early decision was that Aptera elected to go with the (now-named) NACS charge port. Prescient.

So again, despite the criticisms here, I really hope for success for this company and the product. As RJ says, we need all_kinds of electric vehicles available for sale. Perhaps the Aptera car itself will not ultimately be successful, but if it can help pioneer the eventual wider use of solar panels on BEVs, then perhaps it will have been worth the effort? I, for one, would be willing to sacrifice a see-through roof (on the R1S) in order to have efficient solar devices embedded there (and on the front hood).

 

[COdogman]

Potholes in CO would rip those front wheels off in 15 minutes or less.

 

[kyunam]

Potholes in CO would rip those front wheels off in 15 minutes or less.

Exactly what came to my mine.
It wouldn’t even survive west coast potholes.

 

[DayTripping]

I am a fan but as each month passes, less likely to buy one. At this point I am just looking to pick one up used with a busted drivetrain and put in an ICE motorcycle engine. I have a nice supercharged Kawasaki motor making about 250 HP to the wheel that I think would be awesome to drop into that.

Drop the batteries and solar out of that and it might be close to 1k pounds. With its ultra low drag coefficient I'd have an incredibly efficient and fast ride.

I do mean that in all seriousness. While I love BEVs, I am not sure there are enough buyers for something so far out there. As an aeronautical engineer in my former life, I am a total geek when it comes to a lot of this but I don't think it will make any headway except in a few markets and the size will be turnoff.

I keep wanting to buy an Arcimoto but my wife would probably divorce me if I bought another vehicle at this point. So I get the concept, love it, but still wouldn't buy one at this point. Sort of like a Cybertruck for me (but not quite as bad) in that a lot of good things about it, but at the end of the day, it really wouldn't work for me. I definitely wouldn't buy one without driving it. That kept me from making a mistake with the CT.

 

[vandy1981]

I don't even buy that they're starting production this year (or ever).

 

[Rivdog]

It’s a cool vehicle as a concept, but no possible way it can be commercially viable. I’d love to drive one around on a closed course, but it seems like a death trap for anything more than a low speed collision. Plus, if there’s one thing any Rivian owner has learned, it’s not just about being able to build the vehicle, but also being able to service them - particularly if there’s any collision repair to be done. It’s how a scratched driver’s side door ends up costing $7,000 and almost 50 days for repair (ask me how I know!). The technical expertise needed to service and repair such a low-production vehicle will be significant hurdle for Aptera and potential buyers.

 

[tps5352]

I am a fan but as each month passes, less likely to buy one. At this point I am just looking to pick one up used with a busted drivetrain and put in an ICE motorcycle engine. I have a nice supercharged Kawasaki motor making about 250 HP to the wheel that I think would be awesome to drop into that.

Drop the batteries and solar out of that and it might be close to 1k pounds. With its ultra low drag coefficient I'd have an incredibly efficient and fast ride.
...

Ha, ha! I was simultaneously both horrified and delighted when I read that idea.

 

[Gen(R3)Xer]

Is this even a car? What is it exactly?

No, it’s a three-wheeled autocycle

Is it too weird for most people?

Yes, but I like weird things.

Would you buy one?

No, because it’s too expensive for what it is ($40K), it’s only a two-seater, it doesn’t qualify for the EV tax credit because it has three wheels, and has unproven reliability and safety. It looks cool though, and I like how they’re trying something different from everyone else.

Is the solar-charging feature enough to sell the vehicle?

It’s tempting, but I guess it really depends on where you live and how much you drive for it to be worth it, or not.

If you live in sunny California and only have a 40-mile commute you’d probably never have to plug it in. I’m not sure what the electricity rates are in California, but the gas prices are atrocious.

But even saving thousands in gasoline or electricity would still take time to recoup the purchase. Maybe if you were a ride-share person it would speed things up.

 

[Eeyore]

Not my kind of vehicle, but a good friend of mine and his brother both have reservation. I doubt that it will ever be produced in volume, or at all. They'll likely be out their deposit $ when the company finally folds.

 

[schlosrat]

I note that the promised range numbers have apparently declined (e.g., from as high as 1,000 miles down to 400).

LOL, no they did not drop the range from 1000mi to 400mi. The launch edition is designed for 400mi. There are other models planned with larger batteries - one of which is targeted at 1000mi range.

I put $100 down for one of the launch editions, but that was when I lived in relatively sunny Florida. Now I'm in WA and not so sure. Yeah, it's a three-wheeled autocycle. Yeah, it's only a two-seater, but I've owned and loved driving a Miata, and it's got much more cargo space than my Miata had. Will I buy one when it comes out? Not sure, we'll see.

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