Aptera unveils full specs for its flagship 2e
By Ross Miller 
posted Feb 3rd 2009 6:47PM
posted Feb 3rd 2009 6:47PM
posted Feb 3rd 2009 6:47PM
Estimated time drivers save by using real-time GPS traffic updates
Drivers that use GPS systems with real-time traffic info spend 18% less time behind the wheel than those who do not.
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110v 15A charge time: 8 hrs.
this is the killer .. with a limited range and long recharge time its just not practical enough.
Sorry put a better battery solution in it for the price and it might sell.
Damn you and your crappy comment system!
Sounds great as I rarely travel more than 50 round trip.
This space age design wow'd people in the 70's, let's take a look at Tesla now...
I could just see myself pulling up to work in this. omg!?
The safety rating is probably worse than that of a motorcycle...
Can we please stop these OLD safety concerns please! Go check out what it is before you post such stupid comments!
Mars
yea this thing is actually designed to be pretty safe.. similar to an indy car in that the cockpit stays intact while the rest falls to pieces. I would buy one but I don't live in california
In the Popular Mechanics Innovation issue, the Aptera "meets current Federal crashworthiness standards for a compact car, even though its three-wheeled design technically makes it a motorcycle--and therefore is not subject the stringent safety standards applied to passenger cars."
Ignoring safety doesn't make it go away. You'll just die quicker.
If I ever have to ride in one of these I will shoot myself. Its like having your dad drop you off in a Saturn with Mary Kay stickers all over it.
I'd much rather get dropped off in one of these things than a Prius.
oh, like rolling up to school dressed like Big Bird is any better?
Well played sir.
It still seems like a deathtrap. You never ever 'plan' to be in accidents. But God forbid, you DO get into one...this thing looks like you could be hit with a motorbike and die. But hey...for all I know it could be the safest vehicle on the road...
The bigger you are the more likely you will be hit or hit.
sorry but thats just not true. take this from an experienced motorcycle rider. people don't see you when you are small
THAT'S COOL!
Looks like some solar car! :D
That is an old picture. The latest verision has numerous styling differnces--the main one being that it has side view mirrors.
plz add wings to it...
Look at that big Chevy in the back round...
I don't find 25k to be outrageous. But the swoopyness kills the want.
Pray tell, why would I want to pay $45K for an electric scooter with a shiny shell plopped over it? - this company is all PR and no delivery - please stop posting their PR - you are enabling them to continue their scam.
But its not an electric scooter. See the 3rd wheel?
If I lived in California and required a car everyday, an electric one like this would be quite nice.
Not $45k. See the price tag? No? That's because IT HASN'T BEEN RELEASED YET, YOU DOUCHE.
Try to see your electric scooter get this low a drag coefficient, unless you bathed yourself in grease and went on a starvation diet.
Good job signing up just to post negative comments about a cool car.
Personally, I'm digging the futuristic design of both this and the Prius, but that could be the utilitarian in me.
Check between your own legs before you assume I am a douche - the article clearly states an upper limit of $45k - as for drag coefficient - it doesn't mean squat if you can't get it above 40MPH - have they EVER spec'd this turd at that speed - oh - excuse me - they have never speced it at any speed, other than to say it will get 100 miles - well at what speed will that be? - when they do, and assuming it can go faster than 40 MPH - I bet the range will be less than 75 miles - something my "green" motorcycle can do - no matter what - these shysters can't change the fact that all they have done is built a 3 wheel Vectrix "SCOOTER"
So your the one I laugh at on your scooter going 20mph in 10* weather.
I know you are a Troll, but...
Aptera gets 120 miles to the charge at 65 MPH. Top speed is 90 MPH. At 45 it could go closer to 200 miles on a charge. At 25, it would get closer to 400 miles to a charge. Below 25 the total distance actually goes down, due to loss of efficiencies, but it would still be more miles than you could put on it in a day at such low speeds.
I would check the website for safety features before calling it a death trap.
I saw an Aptera prototype on the road last week. It looked like something right out of the future. Personally, I love the looks. If they really sell them for $25-30K, I may get one. As for safety considerations, I ride a motorcycle part of the time, and the Aptera will be a hell of a lot safer.
For a tech-enthusiast's site I see an alarming resistance here.
I really wish people would quit comparing a new vehicle technology with one that's had a century worth of development and maturation.
Yes, it takes time to charge, and yes, that will make it inconvenient for some users. For many, though, that will just take a little adaptation, and it may not pose a problem.
As more electrics hit the road and the technology matures, they will improve and become more acceptable. In the meantime, cut these guys some slack. At least a little.
Exactly what is new about an electric scooter - remember - they originally hyped these as 200mpg hybrids - which from the start, was the only reason the company received its press - how their story has changed over time - now all they have is a shiny fiberglass shell that is all PR - let's say they ever can get these into production - the first time someone clips one of tricycle wheels - the company can say good-nite.
Because all this is classified only as a motorcycle, the company has been able to avoid a lot of the design safety and testing issues that otherwise should have shut these hypsters up before they sucked their investors dry.
Sounds like marco parco has GM stock. The Volt can't hit the streets fast enough for you, eh, marco?
marco parco, you are spewing utter nonsense. Fact is the hybrid is still in the works, and neither cars are motorcycles.
Nonsense? - nothing but switch and bait by these guys - where is 200 mpg they promised to investors - where are there any real world specs that can convince me that this tricycle is anything other than a glorified scooter - I will guarantee you that at the yet to be determined max MPH the yet to be proven max MPG will be no better than I can get on a more manuverable and faster motorcycle. With their 3 wheel configuration, by not having to comply with DOT and EPA requirements - these guys have been able to obfuscate that that their shiny white whale is nothing more than hype - in other words - all you will get for $45K is a 3 wheel motorcycle in a shiny box - I would much rather buy the VOLT for the same price - at least I will know what to expect - and I bet the Volt will be available before this company ever brings an actual product on line.
I would like to thank Marco Parco, by making his amazingly stupid remarks, he has gotten all of the more knowledgeable and reasonable posters here to post the true facts.
There has been a consistent "anti-Aptera, or other hybrid/EV" and pro-Volt poster on all the major forums for over a year. His(her?) login name consistently changes, but the posts are almost identical. The poster was tracked to a PR firm who's purpose was to sow FUD (Fear Uncertainty Doubt) about all of the Volt's competitors several months ago. It looks like their current login is.... wait for it... Marco Parco.
What's better/worst for the environment?
- Buying a new eco-car. Even with recycled materials, the Eco car takes energy to manufacture and transport, and has nasty chemicals in the batteries. Plus there's the energy consumed and chemicals released in recycling the existing car in which the eco-car prematurely replaces.
- Keeping an existing car. Even if it uses more energy per mile driven, I'd have to drive a lot of miles to use the same energy it takes to manufacture and transport the new car. And there's a net gain of one less car manufactured and later recycled, and less materials overall reach the landfill because 100% of a car cannot be recycled.
There's 3 "R"s: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. Recycling should be the last resort. We should focus on reducing and reusing by keeping and maintaining the cars, computers, and cell phones that we already have for as long as possible, instead of discarding and wasting energy recycling perfectly serviceable equipment.
Keeping an existing car
I like that they are trying to reinvent the car - the current cars are based and limited by things like engine, tank, exhaust and many other components, which are not necessary in electric cars (at least with that in engines in wheels). So placing an electric car components in "standard" car look is for me like placing the plane engine to airship, just because it was here before.
I think they are also developing a hybrid version, which would be better in my opinion and the one I would want.
This thing is awesome, it's like a shark, they should make it in gray with fins
I saw one of these driving around Pasadena, CA just the other day.
Who new sperm had such a low drag rating... :)
Hah! Well, they do have to go a very long way on a tiny bit of energy themselves...
I have a hard time believing this will ever go into production.
Oh! Quit all the kvetching! The Aptera is cool! The real question is not how long it takes to recharge the battery or even what the range is. The real issue is if you show up to pick up a date in this thing, will you get laid?
Great concept, too bad people don't realize that it is legally and technically a motorcycle. So it is not beholden to ANY of the DOT safety standards of an automobile (gee, maybe a lapbelt in some states). Translation: it will fold up like one of those sheet metal poker tables that your parent's kept in the basement.
Got any hard evidence to back up your personal assumptions which you state as facts ?
13 kWh .. 100 miles...
OK .. so in california electricity comes out to what? 17 cents a kWh ?
17 * 13 = umm thats too hard of math .. umm let's make it 20 * 11 = 220 cents.
so $2.20 for 100 miles .. .. that ain't bad .. though i haven't accounted for battery charging efficiency loss etc. so it's prolly close to $3 for 100 miles.
"DVD-based navigational system"?
Optical disks tend to be slower, less practical, and less convenient than their flash counterparts. What does that mean anyways? Do I insert a DVD with maps everytime I want to use it?
Y'know, for my money, I've yet to find any in-car navigation system that can beat Garmin's. Garmin's user interface is far, far superior than just about every automaker's in-dash navi system I have ever used. You can DEFINTELY tell the UIs for the dedicated in-dash systems were designed by engineers and not human-factors experts...
And zmjjmz is right. DVD-based navigation has been far supplanted by Flash-based offerings. You all know that just about all the handheld GPS units have street-level maps + a zillion POIs and still plays MP3s and fits in your pocket.
I'd be happy if they just stuck a Zumo with a GXM-30 Sirius/XM receiver on the dash and called it a day. There's your whole navi/audio system, half the price and twenty times better than anything an automaker has developed, in a tight little compact package. QED.