Aptera Motors to start production of their groundbreaking solar EV .Aptera Motors announced the successful completion of its Accelerator Program, raising over $33 million. This funding will kickstart production for their groundbreaking solar electric vehicle. The Aptera solar electric vehicle (sEV) is a two-seat, three-wheeled vehicle under development by the crowd-funded relaunched company, Aptera Motors.
source.image: aptera
The Aptera’s primary design goal is to be the most energy efficient vehicle in mass production. The design has an aerodynamic shape and uses lightweight carbon fiber and fiberglass composite materials, wheel hub motors, and built-in solar panels to significantly extend its range.
source.image: aptera
Aptera’s EV has a patented design for 2-axis automotive-grade solar panels with the Launch Edition having close to 700 W of solar cells to cover a 400-mile distance in a single charge like any other EV. It can travel up to 40 miles/per day on free power from its integrated solar panels.
Advertisement
It claims that the car can ‘slip through the air’ using far less energy than other electric and hybrid vehicles today due to its unique shape that uses only 6 key body components. The Aptera has a 100 kilowatt-hour battery pack and can be plugged in to charge just like any other electric car. Its solar roof array is called Never Charge, and there’s also an option to put extra panels on the hood and hatch to add range.
The car also boasts a “safety cell seven times stronger than steel,” for those worried that its unique design may not hold up well in an accident, and can go from 0 to 60 in 3.5 seconds. The driver’s cockpit is equipped with a two-screen digital display and a yoke-style steering wheel, while a large touchscreen infotainment system is positioned in the center of the dashboard. The interior only has two seats, but the elongated trunk area looks like it has plenty of room for cargo.
