Seems like a lot of comments about the Aptera so first I would say the Aptera
is not a motorcycle, it is classified as an autocycle which has features such
as three wheels, a steering wheel and the driver is enclosed. It is probably
true that in many states it is considered as a motorcycle for registration and
insurance purposes but having ridden a two wheel motorcycle in my younger days
I'm pretty sure I would feel much safer driving an Aptera, especially because
of the way the frame and body are made.
A number of comments have mentioned the limited amount of space inside the
vehicle but there are references to the Aptera having 60% more storage space
than a Honda Accord and 20% more than a Toyota Prius. The actual space from
one reference is 25 cubic feet and doing some simple math from a 2020 Honda
Accord the Aptera has only 50% more space. As pointed out there are videos of
placing a bicycle, surf boards, skis, a ladder and two people laying down
inside the Aptera. I think the more reasonable consideration would not be the
storage space, but the fact that it is a two seater. Openly the developers
have stated a two seater is not for everyone but when you consider a lot of
people commute to work alone this might make a great second vehicle, and with
gas now being about $5 per gallon, an efficient EV might just be the way to go.
A lot of discussion about how practical solar is for the Aptera. There seems
to be some confusion about the efficiency of a solar cell and the amount of
watts a solar array might put out. Solar cell efficiency and watts produced
are not really directly related-i.e. you don't multiply the efficiency by the
maximum rated watts to get the actual output. Solar cell efficiency is defined
as the maximum output power divided by the input power, measured in percentage.
Today efficiencies might range from about 17%-23% on average. This just means
the energy produced by the cell is maybe only 20% of the energy coming into the
cell from the sun or other light source. When talking about solar arrays or
panels they are usually rated in watts. If you spend $900 extra when
purchasing the Aptera you will get a full array of solar cells and the total
maximum watts is estimated to be 700. To get the 40 miles of range from this
array it was calculated that the array produced the maximum 700 watts for
approximately 5.7 hours so you would get approximately 4000 watt hours or 4
kWh. IF the Aptera can achieve 10 miles per kWh then 4 kWh will provide 40
miles of range. HOWEVER, as they say in investing, results will vary and I for
one would never expect to get the maximum output of a solar array over almost 6
hours. And depending on where you live, again, the results will vary. But,
just for laughs, say you were able to get an average of only 300 watts for 5
hours while your vehicle is sitting in an open parking lot at work in
California, you might get 1.5 kWh which then would mean an additional 15 miles
of range. Keep in mind this only works if the vehicle is very efficient in the
use of energy. It would not work on an EV that weighs 2 tons and has a drag
coefficient of 2.0 or greater. Also consider what happens if the efficiency of
the cells increases just 10-20% in the future. Yes Aptera may have over
estimated the range from solar but it seems like there are more than a few
people who are asking why they are not getting the range they expected from
their Teslas. It is all about education and understanding of EVs.
As far as a market for this vehicle, Aptera thinks there may be a market of
600,000 vehicles per year which they break down on the web site into such areas
as 2 passenger car drivers -140,000, efficient commuters-140,000 and
environmental adopters-120,000 plus others. They currently have about 44,000
people who have put down a deposit for a chance to get one. When the Prius
first came out a lot of people bought them just to say they were green and
saving the planet and actually parked them in their driveways just to show
their neighbors they cared. Not exactly rational thinking from my point of
view. It is a different looking vehicle but from my experience with my 1985
electric Avanti I get more interest than the Tesla parked next to it and when
the vehicle first came out people either loved the design or hated it. Aptera
is a forward looking vehicle and is not for everyone but the question is can
they sell enough of them to be profitable? From my perspective new EV startups
have often failed not because of lack of demand but because of lack of supply
and the money to make the vehicles. As far as leaving the vehicle outside
being a problem I can't see why that would be any more of an issue that if you
had a BMW, Mercedes, a Tesla or some other expensive car being left outside
which I see all the time.
If you have the time, take a look at the people who are working for and
investing in Aptera. You might be surprised.
Hate to say it but time will tell and yes figures can lie and liars can figure.
On Tuesday, September 5, 2023 at 03:13:13 PM PDT, Jay Summet via EV
<ev@lists.evdl.org> wrote:
On 9/5/23 17:51, EV List Lackey via EV wrote:
>
> 2. It's limited. It can't carry much cargo or many people. This again
> raises the value-for-money question. It might have around 80 miles less
> range, but in parts of Europe a similar price gets you a Dacia Spring EV
> that can haul 4 people in relative comfort, and a week or two of groceries.
>
Yes, it's a 3 wheel motorcycle with only a 2 person capacity....but it
does have a lot of cargo room under that long back hatch. [It converts
into a bed that can sleep two....and can easily carry a week's worth of
groceries.]
Jay
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