Aptera's Typ-1 gets a video test drive

After getting a good look at this thing, all we can say is that it better not take as long as the Tesla to get to market. Aptera's ultra-aerodynamic Typ-1 most certainly has some outrageous claims behind it -- most notably that 300 MPG rating -- and some people are doubting how real or drivable this thing could be. Popular Mechanics got a chance take the little Jestons-mobile for a spin, and discovered that it does indeed exist, and in fact happens to drive quite nicely. The interior is just as sexy as the exterior, so we'd recommend you peep the video now before you end up the last person on your block to pre-order one of these.

[Brentt @ Dec 22nd 2007 7:00AM]

just watched the video...

the reflections are all wrong.

definitely photoshopped.

[Kurian @ Dec 22nd 2007 7:16AM]

lol XKCD

[poulan @ Dec 22nd 2007 7:39AM]

they photoshopped the video??? didn't you find the link to the test drive? besides nothing about the photo looks photoshopped...i doubt your've ever used photoshop yourself judging on that comment

[monkfishbandana @ Dec 22nd 2007 7:53AM]

@ poulan

LACK-OF-UNDERSTANDING-OF-SARCASM-SVILLE. Population: You.

[I LOVE THE CAPS LOCK KEY @ Dec 22nd 2007 3:36PM]

I trust the journalistic integrity of Popular Mechanics more than I trust your random unedugamakated opinion.

[Brentt @ Dec 22nd 2007 3:41PM]

aha, i guess you guys didn't get the reference...

http://xkcd.com/331/

(it was sarcastic :P )

[jango fett @ Dec 22nd 2007 7:02AM]

what the hell is this????

[Ben Gorman @ Dec 22nd 2007 7:06AM]

Mr Brentt I believe you have verbal diarrhea. How the hell can it be photo shopped? The reflections are perfect as are the perspectives. Seriously just because something is new and odd looking means its photo shopped? Give designers a break would ya?

Okay back to topic this thing looks so cool. As if it stepped out from the future. The styling is superb. Now only if they could make it fly...heh.

[MacAnkka @ Dec 22nd 2007 7:25AM]

http://xkcd.com/331/

[Ricardo @ Dec 22nd 2007 7:12AM]

Tesla Roadster looks way better.

[crescentdavid @ Dec 22nd 2007 11:56AM]

At $73,000 more, the Tesla SHOULD look better. Of course, you'll still have to wait for a transmission that doesn't fall apart sooner than later ... before the Tesla can actually be sold, but hey, you get points for spelling it correctly.

[Zeus the God @ Dec 22nd 2007 3:49PM]

I believe they already have one- though its only a temporary and a single speed. The one that they are working on not breaking is the final box, with two speeds, that (if I recall correctly) will be installed on all Teslas that sell with the the single speed.

[Precise @ Dec 22nd 2007 7:41AM]

This thing makes the Toyota Prius look like lambo.
Yuk!!!!

[stefan @ Dec 22nd 2007 7:46AM]

I really like their concept about the drivers cabin diverting the shock of a frontal impact downwards below the vehicle. Then again... what happens if two apteras crash ;)

I'm not sure about this 300MPG statement though... is that with the plugin fully charges, meaning that the first 100 or so miles are driven with the batteries and only then comes the generator?

Because otherwise this car would be on par with the 1-liter-per-100-km concept-car by Volkswagen which demonstratet the feasability back in 2004 or 2005.

Lastly... I wonder weather the onboard-electronics and the air conditioning have a significant impact on the range... Suppose they do... anyway... want one!

[Technex @ Dec 22nd 2007 8:46AM]

Good god, you just said all I wanted to say... :) Specially if the two of them crash lol!

[TekManiac @ Dec 22nd 2007 10:24AM]

The 300 MPG is in the H version, it still uses only the electric motor for the drive, but uses a generator to deliver the voltage, rather than having to rely on a recharge, thus your range is unlimited, or as long as gasoline holds out.

[max andrews @ Dec 22nd 2007 7:05PM]

300mpg is without any precharging. If you have a full charge, you'll get 1000mpg until the generator kicks in, at which point you'll be getting 300mpg. So for the vast majority of short point-to-point driving, you aren't using any gas. For longer road trips, you're getting 300mpg. I think this car can go well over 1000 miles before needing more gas, pretty sweet.

[Michael Chastain @ Dec 22nd 2007 11:53PM]

I hate it when people pull numbers out of their ass. The Aptera actually gets 130mpg without pre-charging. Claiming to get 300mpg is both arbitrary (they could just as easily claim infinite mileage on short, electric only trips) and misleading. Unfortunately it seems to be commonplace among plug in electric hybrid makers.

Check the numbers for yourself direct from Aptera under the performance tab at this page:

http://aptera.com/details.php

[George Kirkaldie @ Dec 22nd 2007 7:59AM]

This thing looks nothing like the Volkswagen Type-1 (aka Beetle)

[Clinton @ Dec 22nd 2007 8:10AM]

The Jetsons

[Neeko @ Dec 22nd 2007 8:55AM]

Hey anything thats innovative and gets off away from being oil dependant is a good thing. I like this car imagine how much less traffic there would be if cars were all this size and efficient. Wonder how much itll cost though.

[Neeko @ Dec 22nd 2007 9:05AM]

ok at 30K that is a great price. To bad itll only be avail on Cali 1st. Bring on the all weather versions to NY please.

[Zeus the God @ Dec 22nd 2007 3:51PM]

Yup, an all electric car that requires the use of thousands of tons of coal being burned every day.

[tekdroid @ Dec 22nd 2007 8:59AM]

air conditioning and cooling having blingy lights didn't do it for me.

Low drag is wonderful, but attracting attention would be a bigger drag in this car. I would prefer it didn't look so different in that sense, but what can you do.

The annoying music all over this video when you want to hear what it sounds like when driving and so on was ultra annoying.

Promising, and something different, even though I think there's lots of room for improvement for low-impact vehicles to take off, particularly in battery technology.

[eflyersteve @ Dec 22nd 2007 9:47AM]

I'd be curious to see how long the battery source lasts - not in years, but in miles driven. Even with the hybrid version, they will be relying mostly on the battery to do the work and today's commercially available batteries simply don't have an acceptable life span in my opinion. If you are replacing the battery every 20k miles for $20k, the cost per mile if still going to be up there with a traditional, gas powered car.

I can believe 300mpg using a high efficiency generator and pre-charging the battery before trips. You'd get 150+ miles on a charge (no gas used yet) and then if the generator was allowed to charge while the vehicle was idle, using the generator at it's most efficient output, you'd probably get close to 300 mpg.

[jake @ Dec 22nd 2007 2:22PM]

Most lithium ion batteries guarantee at least 100k miles. For typical hybrid batteries: are warranted for eight years or 100,000 miles, and under California regulations the battery warranty extends to 10 years or 150,000 miles. I don't think you will ever see 20k mile batteries, that's usually just exaggeration to make EVs look bad. The Lithium Phosphate batteries that Aptera use should have no problems meeting these requirements, LTC has created a pack with 3000 charge cycle capability guaranteeing 150k miles @ 80% charge for a 60mi PHEV. Since this is 150mi EV, a simple calculation yields 150k*(150/60)= 375k miles. There is more than enough overhead to guarantee a 150k mile warranty on the battery.

[max andrews @ Dec 22nd 2007 7:10PM]

300mpg is without any pre-charging, actually. With pre-charging, you get close to 1000mpg for the first 120 miles. After that, the generator kicks in, and it's 300mpg efficient all by itself.

[Michael Chastain @ Dec 22nd 2007 11:58PM]

@max andrews

No it's not. It's bad enough to be wrong, but you don't have to SPAM your incorrect data all over the comments. Mod this guy down folks.

See my other comment--130mpg once the battery is dead.

[Tyler @ Dec 22nd 2007 10:01AM]

I enjoyed the techno in the video. Best review music I've heard in awhile.

I mirror many comments on the video's site.I mean, one-wheel drive? That's not going to take snow well at all.


And you see that gesture-based touchscreen? Holy cow!

[grjohnston @ Dec 22nd 2007 10:12AM]

You think this car is sexy? I'd hate to see the porn you watch. All flailing doors and no passion.

[Sam Zebian @ Dec 22nd 2007 10:55AM]

All they need to do to perfect this car is make a 4-door version with Microsoft Sync built into the stereo, along with bluetooth and USB connections. Then, make sure it runs in the cold-environments like over here in New England, sell it to the whole U.S., and then I'll be purchasing, but basically, if they only make a 4-door version, I'm still going to buy one in the near future.

[Bad Beaver @ Dec 22nd 2007 11:13AM]

Gawd, how tired of life do you have to be to want ANY M$ technology in your CAR? For media it's not as critical of course, but boy... no!

The car is neat, btw., very. I hope it comes to Europe too. It would have been good to see it next to a regular car to get a better idea of the dimensions.

[Sam Zebian @ Dec 22nd 2007 11:16AM]

C'mon, the microsoft sync system is one of the best in-car voice command systems out there... plus, it will work with all of my zunes! Nothing works with zune except for the sync system anyways!

[Bad Beaver @ Dec 22nd 2007 11:22AM]

Yeah, you're right. I mean *somebody* has cater to those Zuners... ;)

[Sam Zebian @ Dec 22nd 2007 11:27AM]

Yeah, maybe it will work with my 360, too. LOL, maybe it'll run Vista too? If only...

[Andir3.0 @ Dec 22nd 2007 10:27PM]

This whole series of comments made me barf.

[Sam Zebian @ Dec 22nd 2007 10:30PM]

Ur avatar will make me barf if I get near you... Apparently you're contaminated?

[Balzac2m @ Dec 22nd 2007 10:55AM]

The funny thing about that car is that it looks like the car of the future from the past.

[MikeG @ Dec 22nd 2007 11:35AM]

Nerds, that's not sexy.

[Mark @ Dec 22nd 2007 1:33PM]

I'd want one...if it looked like a normal car, instead of an eyesore.

[Ethan @ Dec 22nd 2007 1:46PM]

Why isn't the taper cut off earlier? If it was, it'd reduce surface drag without changing the airflow. (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kammback)

[mike d. @ Dec 22nd 2007 1:09PM]

there website has some explanation of how they calculated the mpg for the car. 300 mpg assumes a full charge and a trip under 120 miles. 40~50 miles is the range on battery only. 120 mpg is the long-range average on trips after the batteries are initially depleted and the gasoline engine kicks in.

http://aptera.com/details.php

scroll down and click on the "performance" tab.

[max andrews @ Dec 22nd 2007 7:14PM]

Mike, you read that section wrong. It gets 1000mpg for the first 100 miles, and then 300mpg AFTER your charge runs out. So it always gets AT LEAST 300mpg.

[James Cameron @ Dec 22nd 2007 1:11PM]

I don't think this car will pass the crash test. By the look of the design, you would expect this thing to fly.

[Luke @ Dec 22nd 2007 1:21PM]

Where are the side view mirrors? I like how it can pipe heat out of the inside of the car when parked in the sun.

[Ethan @ Dec 22nd 2007 1:35PM]

Doesn't have 'em. Uses cameras instead.

[Clinton @ Dec 22nd 2007 1:47PM]

Question: Shouldn't that backdoor open "up" instead of sideways... to prevent water from getting into the car in case it rains?

[Griffon @ Dec 22nd 2007 2:08PM]

That thing sounds LOUD, the whine was insane on the video. I'm interested but not if you have to hear that.

[mark lee @ Dec 22nd 2007 5:50PM]

I hope in the near future this company can make something that's safer, even if that means augmenting its size/weight and reducing the fuel efficiency to 100mpg.

Aptera can succeed if constantly remind themselves why the Honda Insight failed.

[kev @ Dec 22nd 2007 6:55PM]

IMO the reason the Honda Insight failed was because it was a 2-seater. So is this.

On safety:
The reason these things are unsafe to drive is because the American market is flooded with unnecessarily overweight SUVs, tractor trailers and pickups. Weight translates into safety in this market, but if all automobiles gradually became lighter over the next few years, it wouldn't be as much of an issue then. At least for Manhattan, this should be safe to drive, since traffic is always at a standstill anyway...