I like what Aptera is trying to do. Tackling the question of range by boosting vehicle efficiency rather than cramming in a monster-capacity- battery is admirable - and rational.
The problem is that auto buyers aren't very rational, especially in the US. 1. The Aptera looks ... funny. It's small. It seems fragile. It has only 3 wheels. That could work (somewhat) in Europe - look at the mild successes of the Renault Twizy and the Citroen Ami. BUT, it would have to be cheap like they were/are, and it's not. 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. 3. As Michael and Lee said, Aptera seems to be over-promising. EV manufacturers and converters made the same error in the 1970s and 1980s. The person who bought an "up to 40 miles of range" 1976 Citicar expecting it to take him to a job 18 miles away and back probably gave up and sold the car. Today's Aptera buyers who don't get their 40 miles on sunshine are more likely to file a class action suit. Do you think Aptera would survive one? Sidebar: Renault was careful not to make that mistake with their Zoe. In their literature, they stated the Zoe's real-world range in different kinds of weather and uses, along with the required regulatory-standard range figures. Again, I like Aptera's fundamental principles. We can use that kind of thinking, and that kind of EV. But in my view, the PV is a gimmick that just pushes the price up. I also have my doubts about the wheel motors. I wish Aptera the best and hope it takes flight, but I wouldn't invest in them. David Roden, EVDL moderator & general lackey To reach me, don't reply to this message; I won't get it. Use my offlist address here : http://evdl.org/help/index.html#supt = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = When we look at Auschwitz we see the end of the process. The Holocaust did not start with gas chambers. The hatred gradually developed from words, stereotypes and prejudice, through legal exclusion, dehumanisation and escalating violence. -- The Auschwitz Museum = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = _______________________________________________ Address messages to ev@lists.evdl.org No other addresses in TO and CC fields HELP: http://www.evdl.org/help/
