Aptera Motors
Aptera, it's HUGE! Surfboards, kayaks, or luggage, it carries them all with ease!
Chris Anthony
Published on Sep 27, 2019
We've been getting a lot of questions about how big the Aptera is and how much it can carry. Here are some answers.
Anthony Dubose
Sep 28, 2019
Lol! Thanks. I'm just wondering if the future of flying cars starts with this company.
We get this feedback a LOT! And we think it's great! Because its a recognition of how aerodynamic and lightweight we are. We are MUCH closer to an airplane than a steel car for sure. And the lightweight technologies we employ are often used in things like the SpaceShipOne, Cirus Aircraft, and the Solar Impulse. Though, our plans only involve ground transportation, for now... Thanks for the comment, support, and your investment!
How about a tow mode? I have a 1998 Winnebago Rialta and would LOVE to have one of these as my towed vehicle. Something tied into the OBD2 system so it could use regen braking and maybe mild boost to the RV towing it? The possibilities are endless, and tying the most efficient vehicle to the most efficient RV ever made. Would be Awesome!!
Thanks, Eric, we agree! Not sure how you'd control it yet but we'll begin testing this and other ideas this summer ;)
Any weight requirements/suggestions that would affect the cars efficiency? The capacity is such a plus, Awesome job!!!!!
Thanks, and great question Larry! The Aptera is a bit weight sensitive. All the numbers we've run so far are with a 250lbs payload. You can break that up any way you'd like but every 30lbs over 250lbs you carry in the vehicle will cost you about 1% of your range at highway speeds. So two 150lbs people plus 70lbs of cargo will cost you 2% of your range. I hope that helps to answer your weight question. Thanks for the support!
Any knowledge of the legality issues in the Australian Market (traditionally a PITA). I think the concept and the design are brilliant btw.
Thanks Peter! We will be working to be Australia compliant. But we have to finalize and test our designs here in the US first. Then get US and EU compliance and hopefully the UK and Australia is easy after that ;)
I have had a revolutionary transportation invention for about 25 years now. It came to me in a very odd dream as a young man. Tech was never there until now. This little car could be the key.
I work in civil engineering, laser scanning, point cloud modeling and 3d Visualization. I know transportation infrastructure quite well. Im not anyone important nor rich so me personally taking this idea and realizing it has been the holding point for me. I also didnt have a viable plan for the vehicle. This idea could change the world.
Wanna talk?
Great, and thanks for the support. E-mail at info@aptera.us if you have something we should be looking at. Thanks!
so... Ease of parking in tight spaces not going to be a selling point then?
Michael, thanks for your investment! We found parking to be MUCH easier with our three wheels and tapered body. From backing into spots to parallel parking, it's easier when you don't have such a wide rear end. And you have PLENTY of room when you get out because the doors only open a couple of inches past where the wheel covers are. You can park with your front wheel 3" from a wall and still get out of the car easily. The only tricky part, I'd say, is when you first drive a vehicle like this the width of the front wheels are not comfortable. Most people we had driving were overly cautious the first couple of time they drove. But after that, you realize you can easily see the top of each wheel cover and you know where the vehicle is in relation to other obstacles. Thanks for the support and the question!
So there's already a prototype? That's awesome! I can't wait to help further the process
We've built 12 vehicles in the past and crash-tested several. But these pictures are computer-generated from the new design data. We expect to build the first new validation prototypes over the next six months. Thanks for the support!
