For a time, it looked Aptera might be missing out on the US Department of Energy's funding bonanza for energy-efficient vehicles due to its car's three-wheeled nature, but it looks like President Obama has now had the final say on the matter, and signed legislation that makes both two-wheeled and three-wheeled vehicles eligible for the same funding as their four-wheeled counterparts. Of course, that doesn't yet mean that Aptera will actually receive any funding, and the legislation doesn't have anything to do with safety regulations, where the 2e is still classified as a motorcycle by the Department of Transportation. For its part, however, Aptera says that it'll be filing another application to meet the updated requirements, and it still insists that it'll hit "volume production" of the car sometime in 2010, and get it on the road for between $25,000 and $40,000.

Aptera only just unveiled the complete specs for its Aptera 2e all-electric vehicle a little over a week ago, but the folks at Road & Track Magazine have already managed to talk their way into a test drive, and they've naturally shared their impressions for those of us still stuck in our non-space age vehicles. While there's obviously still a bit of refining to do before the final production model, the magazine nonetheless seems to be pretty impressed with the head-turner, saying that it seems far quicker than it actually is due to its go-kart-like handing and aircraft-style windshield, which gives the driver an up close view of the pavement ahead. They do say that the not-quite-gullwing doors will take some getting used to, however, but once inside there's apparently plenty of room, even for someone with a 6-foot-3-inch frame. Be sure to hit up the read link below for a video and plenty more pics, including a glimpse at the development process.