The car of the future “: so was defined, by those who saw it in action – including Jay Leno – the car of Aptera, the electric three-wheeler also powered by solar energy that we started talking with increasing interest at the end of 2020. A year later the Californian company closed the fundraising and announced that it had already received 15,000 pre-orders, for a total value of half a billion dollars.
2021 was indeed a lucky year for Steve Fambro and Chris Antony, who founded Aptera in 2006: at the time the idea of developing an ultralight vehicle that used solar panels on the roof to accumulate energy was quite futuristic. Too much, for the time: the US government’s Energy Department refused Aptera’s request to join the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing, a program dedicated to technological development in the automotive field capable of concretely financing the project, and the company was stuck for several years.
However, research and development have continued, and in 2019 Aptera’s car has (re) seen the light: modified both in terms of design and technical characteristics, it has kept the initial concept, adapting itself to new standards, needs and requirements. And the prototypes began to come out, arriving at the end of 2021 in three: Noir, Sol and Luna, the latest and closest to the vision of the car. Meanwhile, interest has grown in tandem with the boom in the electric car market, and pre-orders have begun to flock together with private investors, on which the company has begun to focus, aware of the effectiveness of a more successful campaign. targeted.
How the Aptera car works
The idea behind Aptera is, on the other hand, as simple as it is ingenious: an extra light and aerodynamic vehicle covered with solar panels (you can choose how many and where to install them) which guarantee an autonomy of about 60 kilometers a day using only the solar power. The battery is available in different versions (and prices) and allows you to add 400 to 1,600 more by charging. The 150-kilowatt, 200-horsepower engine allows the car to go from 0 to 100 in 3.5 seconds and reach a top speed of 160 kilometers per hour. Put simply: if you buy an Aptera car for a daily commute that does not exceed 60 km, the car would never need to be recharged.
To complete the picture of a company that in 2021 has risen to the top of those from which a lot is expected in the coming years is the price: Aptera Alpha, the final prototype that should initially be sold only on the US market, will be sold at a base price of just under 23,000 euros, a cost that can rise depending on the customization in terms of colors, battery capacity, number of solar panels and gearbox.
The plans for 2022 are equally ambitious: the company will test suspension and gearbox on the road, and will officially open the first “micro-factory” of its cars in Carlsbad, California. The goal is to produce 250 vehicles per month initially, rising to 40 per day over the next few years.
