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

[Rivianero]

Also a long time Aptera supporter, investor, res holder. Have the t-shirt and follow their progress.

Like some of the others, my investment is more of a vote that I would like a world with solar EV in it. It is fascinating what they have done from an engineering perspective. There are several key elements that are pretty revolutionary with respect to current vehicles. I respect Aptera's engineering.

My original res was for the dual motor 250 mile version, and I would really prefer a model with some of the off-road "pants" they teased at some point.

I do think they made a mistake of choosing 400 miles for the launch version. It raises the price beyond what many feel the autocycle is worth. A 250 mile vehicle that completely recharges in 20 minutes for under $30k sounds like a good market entry. By going big Aptera is ignoring minimum viable product principles.

I also am somewhat disappointed that they abandoned in-wheel motors this past year. This greatly complicates the mechanical aspects of the vehicle, as well as user-repairability. I recognize that is a function of the motor manufacturer not being able to deliver to spec and price point. Still disappointing.

I have since bought my R1T and recognize that it, aside from efficiency and solar charging, runs circles around the Aptera in every way. Paid less for my salvaged R1T, than a new Aptera.

I need a truck for ranch work and insurance costs discourage me from having more than 1 vehicle. Doubt I will ever buy an Aptera, but I'm not going to cancel my res or cash out my investment. I want this to exist. I want it to cause other manufacturers to reconsider what they produce. IF delivered at an affordable price point, Aptera's would be a great solution for many people's needs.

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[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

Also a long time Aptera supporter, investor, res holder. Have the t-shirt and follow their progress.

Like some of the others, my investment is more of a vote that I would like a world with solar EV in it. It is fascinating what they have done from an engineering perspective. There are several key elements that are pretty revolutionary with respect to current vehicles. I respect Aptera's engineering.

My original res was for the dual motor 250 mile version, and I would really prefer a model with some of the off-road "pants" they teased at some point.

I do think they made a mistake of choosing 400 miles for the launch version. It raises the price beyond what many feel the autocycle is worth. A 250 mile vehicle that completely recharges in 20 minutes for under $30k sounds like a good market entry. By going big Aptera is ignoring minimum viable product principles.

I also am somewhat disappointed that they abandoned in-wheel motors this past year. This greatly complicates the mechanical aspects of the vehicle, as well as user-repairability. I recognize that is a function of the motor manufacturer not being able to deliver to spec and price point. Still disappointing.

I have since bought my R1T and recognize that it, aside from efficiency and solar charging, runs circles around the Aptera in every way. Paid less for my salvaged R1T, than a new Aptera.

I need a truck for ranch work and insurance costs discourage me from having more than 1 vehicle. Doubt I will ever buy an Aptera, but I'm not going to cancel my res or cash out my investment. I want this to exist. I want it to cause other manufacturers to reconsider what they produce. IF delivered at an affordable price point, Aptera's would be a great solution for many people's needs.

A more expensive version keeps demand at a lower, more manageable level, so they can invest in production and tooling at a more manageable level. Same reason Tesla, Rivian and Lucid chose to launch more expensive products/trims first, to provide seed $ and yield production experience before expanding/scaling to produce lower cost variants that would be subject to higher demand.

 

[jwanderson88]

Rivianero, this is off topic, but I'm interested in your "salvaged" Rivian. I recently bought a salvaged vehicle. A salvaged vehicle is generally meant to be totaled in an accident and then refurbished. What is a salvaged Rivian like?

 

[Rivianero]

A more expensive version keeps demand at a lower, more manageable level, so they can invest in production and tooling at a more manageable level. Same reason Tesla, Rivian and Lucid chose to launch more expensive products/trims first, to provide seed $ and yield production experience before expanding/scaling to produce lower cost variants that would be subject to higher demand.

You make an excellent point.

I just keep looking at what Aptera is offering at $40k and thinking there are other capable vehicles in that same price range. I suppose there will be a market for early adopters and those with $$ to spend on cool new toys. IMHO, after that first brief set of novelty buyers, Aptera will be a hard sell until it offers a more affordable model.

 

[Rivianero]

Rivianero, this is off topic, but I'm interested in your "salvaged" Rivian. I recently bought a salvaged vehicle. A salvaged vehicle is generally meant to be totaled in an accident and then refurbished. What is a salvaged Rivian like?

I expect that my R1T is just like anyone else's (dual perf max), except that the back end is a bit ugly, it has no warranty, and resale value is poor.

I chose to only make functional repairs (rear bumper, sensors) and not sweat minor dents to the tailgate and rear quarter panel. I figure I would inevitably ding the pickup anyways. This dent saved me $50k off retail.

It is a very capable pickup that I plan to own for decades.

 

[eRacer]

Every time I see a 3 wheeled vehicle concept, I feel like it's groundhogs day. Have you heard of "the Dale" and Elio motors? This just gives me the same vibes.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

Every time I see a 3 wheeled vehicle concept, I feel like it's groundhogs day. Have you heard of "the Dale" and Elio motors? This just gives me the same vibes.

For me, it's the Corbin Sparrow I think of. Mostly because I used to work a few blocks from a showroom in San Francisco between '99-'00. The other car I think of is this (for comic relief), though much different and inherently unstable:

 

[Rivianero]

Completely different stability with 2 wheels in front.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

Completely different stability with 2 wheels in front.

And I pointed that out for a reason. Aptera has two in front, like the Corbin, but much much further apart. Front end stability shouldn't be a problem for the Aptera. Rear end and oversteering could be an issue. And there isn't much information on what dynamic stability features it has.

 

[solaskaze]

Assuming you want to go eccentric, and you're already toying with less than 4 wheels, I am hoping Lit Motors will make it with a self-balancing 2 wheel design using flywheels. These are long Vegas odds. More fun than Arcimoto, narrow than all? (so motorcycle benefits come into play).... 2 seater only.

 

[s4wrxttcs]

I do hope to get some unconventional EV in the next few years so its certainly a possibility.

I was hoping Nimbus would become a thing, but I think at this point that its just vaporware.

One might ask about safety, and my only answer is I haven't bought a motorcycle YET.

I have a longboard that goes 25mph
I have a pedal assist bike that I routinely go 30+ mph and I routinely try to break my record time from home to work (slightly under 25min and its 10 miles).
I'm considering getting a stand on scooter that does 44 miles and hour. In this case I'd error on the side of caution on not getting the 50+ mph out one.

I figure life is about living and my heart has already tried to kill me once. So I gotta live before it makes its next attempt.

 

[Tim-in-CA]

Every time I see a 3 wheeled vehicle concept, I feel like it's groundhogs day. Have you heard of "the Dale" and Elio motors? This just gives me the same vibes.

The Lady and the Dale was a pretty good watch. It was not a vehicle I had been aware of. It's on HBO/MAX

The Lady and the Dale: Official Trailer | HBOYouTube · HBO261.1K+ views · 4 years ago

 

[Donald Stanfield]

I do hope to get some unconventional EV in the next few years so its certainly a possibility.

I was hoping Nimbus would become a thing, but I think at this point that its just vaporware.

One might ask about safety, and my only answer is I haven't bought a motorcycle YET.

I have a longboard that goes 25mph
I have a pedal assist bike that I routinely go 30+ mph and I routinely try to break my record time from home to work (slightly under 25min and its 10 miles).
I'm considering getting a stand on scooter that does 44 miles and hour. In this case I'd error on the side of caution on not getting the 50+ mph out one.

I figure life is about living and my heart has already tried to kill me once. So I gotta live before it makes its next attempt.

I'm toying with the idea of an unconventional EV toy as well. I'm thinking of a Pivotal Helix.

 

[j.w.s]

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?

I love the style, efficiency, and generally coolness of the Aptera, and I have a reservation for one - the 250 mile range grocery-getter version, not the long range one.
I am, however, worried that it ended up being way too wide and a bit too long. I may end up waiting for something quite a bit smaller instead.

 

[s4wrxttcs]

I'm toying with the idea of an unconventional EV toy as well. I'm thinking of a Pivotal Helix.

I think the biggest issue with it is the flight time is less than the setup time.

20 mile range.

It's neat though

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