The New Aptera Electric Car

 

History of the New Aptera

Sometime in 2019, Chris Anthony and Steve Fambro were able to buy back

most of the IP and were able to restart Aptera Motors and build the

prototype of the new Aptera three-wheeled car. This time they have a third partner named

Michael Johnson. Anthony and Fambro named themselves co-CEOs (Chief Executive

Officers).

Johnson was named COO (Chief Operating Officer).

Michael Johnson was co-founder with Chris Anthony at Flux Power. He also owns an oil

company which he calls an upstream company. In other words, they find the oil, pump it out

of the ground and then sell it to the refinery.

It would appear that he’s more of an investor and may have provided the seed money to

buy the IP back.

He may also have seen that the days of oil are numbered while sustainable transportation

has a bright future. Of course, I’m just speculating about all this.

Anthony and Fambro spent most of 2020 hiring, fundraising, engineering, and building

a new prototype. Of course, Covid slowed them down, just as it did everyone else. One

way they are trying to get around this is by spreading their people around to several

different cities and countries.

Features

The Aptera not only has many features that distinguish it from a gas car but also has

features that distinguish it from other electric cars. Here are some of those features:

• The body is made from composites including carbon fiber in high stress areas which means that while it may look fragile, but it’s actually stronger than if it was made of steel.

• You also won’t have to worry about rust.

• The composites also allow the car to be engineered so that the energy of a crash can more easily be directed away from the occupants.

• Solar cells are far more efficient today than they were in 2008. Aptera has taken advantage of these efficiencies in solar to make solar an important part of the new Aptera car. In fact, if your commute is less than 40 miles per day and you live in a sunny climate, you may never have to plug-in.

• Unlike the 2e which had a motor under the hood, the new car has hub motors which means more efficiency, fewer moving parts, and more room under the hood.       

•  (If you would like to read more about Aptera’s hub motors click here)

• The composites allow the car body to be made up of compound curves which were designed by fluid dynamics which makes it push through the air more efficiently than other cars. At high speeds, almost half your horsepower goes to just pushing the air out of the way. This doesn’t happen with the Aptera. Also, the curves in the body make it so crosswinds have a hard time pushing the car sideways.

• Aptera has over-the-air updates so your car will get better even as it gets older.

• The Aptera is extremely efficient. A 25 kWh battery will let you travel 250 miles before you run out of juice.

• Aptera also has a 100 kWh battery available which means apartment dwellers who can only charge at public chargers may only have to do so very infrequently, (If you would like to read more about the batteries, click here)

• One of the best ways to measure efficiency is by the coefficient of drag (CD). The Aptera’s CD is only 0.13. My Leaf was built to be efficient, but it only has a CD of 0.28. Perhaps one of the most efficient cars on the road, the Tesla Model 3 has a CD of 0.23. As you can see, nobody even comes close.

• Right to repair. This means that if you want to, you can work on your Aptera yourself. Any parts required will be shipped out within 24 hours. This is unlike one other EV maker that is slow to ship parts, they are very expensive, and they actively discourage people from working on their own cars. If they don’t like what you’re doing they’ll use an over-the-air update to turn off your fast charging. If someone has a policy of turning off features, then it seems like you don’t really own the car.

• The Federal government and most state governments call the Aptera a motorcycle since it only has three wheels. This will result in lower registration fees and in most cases, lower insurance costs. Check with your agent to be sure.

• All-Wheel-Drive is available for an extra $2,500. This would be especially important for people who live in snowy climates.

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The new prototype Apera three-wheeled car was unveiled on December 4^th, 2020. The

company also started taking pre-orders the same day. I read that pre-orders for the first

manufacturing run sold out in twelve hours. I placed my order in mid-January 2021 and

there are over 7,000 people in front of me. As of October, 2022 there are over 46,800 pre-

orders.

 

Fundraising

The company’s last fundraising round of 2020 was way over-subscribed with a lot of

people begging them to take their money even though they can’t. Nice problem to have.

 

Success Before The New Aptera

As I mentioned before, Chris Anthony and Michael Johnson founded a company named

Flux Power. This company has been successful and recently joined the stock exchange.

Between the old Aptera and the new Aptera, Steve Fambro started a company called

Famgro. It specialized in a technique that Fambro developed for the vertical growth of

organic plants. It too was a successful company.

It would appear that all three founders could have stayed put where they were and

enjoyed continued success instead of risking potential financial ruin and potentially

wasting a lot of time and money starting a car company. A very important point when

trying to decide if the whole thing is a scam.

 

Why Now?

I’ve watched several interviews with Anthony and Fambro and one question that is often

asked is, “Why re-start Aptera now?”. They answer that electric cars are much more

accepted now. They used to get questions like, “What happens when it rains? Do you get

electrocuted?”. They don’t get those kinds of questions anymore.

Another important point they make is that ten years ago there was no crowdfunding.

This is important because they did run out of money last time. Now, the SEC will allow

them to raise $2,200. per year from each small investor so they don’t have to depend on

getting a government loan to sustain their business until they start getting revenue. They

are applying for a government loan again (because you can never have too much

money when starting a business), but this time the continuation of the business won’t

depend on a government loan.

The SEC limit is just for small investors. Accreted Investors can invest as much as they

want according to the SEC. To be an accreted investor you have a net worth of one

million dollars or an annual income of $200,000. or more.

Fambro and Anthony also point out that supply chains for electric cars have been set up

so it’s much easier to get the parts they need now. Ten years ago, if they needed a part

they sometimes had to invent it or find it in another industry.

Another thing that helps is 3D printing. That wasn’t available ten years ago. They’ve

stated that a lot of the more complex parts of the Aptera are 3D printed. This means no

waiting for suppliers to make parts and parts should be cheaper if made in-house. It also

means that you don’t have to worry about a supplier going out of business and then you

can’t get parts.

Tesla had several suppliers for their first roadster go out of business so now they have to

buy perfectly good roadsters and disassemble them for parts. I’m sure Tesla hates to do

that.

The charging standard for the Aptera is planned to be the Tesla plug. Aptera Motors feels

that the Tesla plug is by far the best plug available in America today. There will be CCS

adapters available at a fair price.

One thing I don’t know much about, but I can see how it would be important to Aptera is

that the field of computational fluid dynamics is much improved. This was a big help in

designing the new Aptera to be efficient.

Another thing that makes me feel good about Aptera and makes me think it’s not a scam

is that Fambro and Anthony hired Sandy Munro’s company, Munro & Associates back

in May of 2020 to help Aptera design their car and set up a variable profit assembly line.

Variable profit means that the line will be profitable even if it makes a small number of cars

or a large number. BTW, Sandy Munro made a personal investment in Aptera during the

Series A funding round that was completed in February. Clearly, he’s confident in Aptera

and doesn’t believe it’s a scam.

 

Cost

The Aptera not only has groundbreaking technology but also has one of the lowest

starting prices in the world of electric vehicles. The starting price for the base model of

the Aptera is only $25,900. This is thousands less than many of the competitors. The

Aptera lineup is very simple with only four models. The pricing structure is as follows:

250-mile model $25,900.

400-mile model $ 29,800.

600-mile model $34,600.

1,000-mile model $44,900,

Once you pick your model, there are several options to choose from. They are listed

below.

Update: October, 2023

Aptera Motors has stated for a couple of years that inflation will definitely have an effect on the final price of the car, but the extent of those price changes will be a reflection of the effect of inflation on suppliers so prices of the cars still can’t be finalized. Hopefully, next year.

 Choices

As I said above, when you order an Aptera, you have your choice of four different battery

packs. They are: 25 kWh(250 miles), 40kWh(400 miles), 60 kWh(600 miles), and 100 kWh(1000

miles). As you can see, you get roughly 100 miles of range for each 10 kWh of battery.

Also when ordering you have a choice of three exterior colors or for $1,500. you can

have a custom color. All colors, even the stock ones, are wraps which makes custom

colors relatively easy to accommodate.

Next, you need to pick your interior colors. Once again, there are three different color

combinations to choose from or for $900. you can select your own custom interior.

You also have to decide on how much solar you want. This will depend a great deal on

where you live. There’s a fantastic chart on Aptera’s website that will help you decide if

you live in a good area for solar. The solar roof is standard on all cars, If you want to

add a solar hood, that would be $300.. Adding the solar onto the rear hatch would be

$600.. If you have all three, you have a total rating of 700 watts of solar power.

After choosing the basics for your car, then you will choose any upgrades that you’d like

to have. They are:

Safety Pilot: Right now this includes Lane Keep Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control, and

Emergency Braking. The plan is to eventually have full level two autonomy, but from

the sound of it, Aptera isn’t quite there yet. Level 2 would be the equivalent of Tesla’s

autopilot.

Cost is $1,300.

Update: June 14^th 2022

Chris Anthony stated that although a lot of progress had been made on level 2 autonomy

by several companies in the last year, Aptera won’t have it in the initial production run,

but he left the door open to adding it in the future.

 

Enhanced Audio: This will give you three more channels of audio plus a subwoofer.

Cost is $600.

 

Camping Kit: This upgrade gives you a tent that fits over the rear of the car while

the deck lid is open. There is also a step stool for climbing in.

Cost is $600.

Here are some renders I found of the camping kit. I don’t know who did them so I don’t

know how accurate they are:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pet Kit: The main part of this upgrade would be the barrier that goes between the

occupants and the baggage area. I couldn’t find a render of this upgrade, but it also

comes with a water bowl and some kind of step or ladder for your pet to get in.

Cost is $300.

 

Off-Road Kit: This upgrade comes with tougher wheel covers that also have more

ground clearance. The body of the car will also be higher, but I don’t believe it’s been

decided how to do this.

Cost $1,000.

I did find a render of how this kit may look:

One thing to keep in mind if you are pre-ordering is that over 46,000 people have pre-

ordered so even if you order today, it will most likely be two years before you get your car.

This may be a good thing. Usually, it’s the early adopters that have to deal with the bugs in a

new model. In two years, any problems should be worked out. If not, deposits are 100%

refundable so you can always get your money back and move on.

Update: January 2022

As you may have noticed, Aptera Motors is way behind on the goals they set for themselves at the beginning of 2021. A year ago they were saying that production would start in September of 2021. Of course, that didn’t happen. Now they are saying the end of 2022. Normally, I would be worried and wonder if it is all just a scam, but Aptera Motors isn’t the only car manufacturer to experience problems. Even some of the big companies like GM and Ford are having problems, in the fall of 2021. GM had to shut down Bolt production until February 2022.

Aptera Motors hasn’t explained the delays, but I’ve read that everyone is having supply chain issues, chip shortages, and labor shortages.

Aptera Motors thought they were being really smart at the beginning of the pandemic because they scattered their employees in several locations around the world. That has turned out to be a big mistake with the travel restrictions and supply chain issues.

Even with all the pandemic-related problems, work has continued and all three of the Alpha prototypes have been finished. The second Alpha prototype called, “Sol” is pictured below:

Back in November of 2021, the final Alpha prototype named, “Luna” was revealed. It is pictured below:

Not to be forgotten is the first Alpha prototype which was shown to the world on

December 4^th, 2020. It is named “Noir” and is shown below.

In the December 2021 update, Chris Anthony said that they are at the point where they will build 6-12 Beta prototypes next. Some will be used in-house for testing systems and some will be crash-tested. He warned that the Betas will be ugly and he was right.

They managed to build one Beta prototype in December of 2021. It is pictured below:

It’s ugly because each one will be built to test one or more systems that will go into the final car. From the looks of the first Beta car, I would guess that it was built to test suspension setups since it doesn’t even have a hood and looks like it has a radiator instead of cooling channels. It also doesn’t even have doors!

Update: February 2022

The Aptera pre-order list is now over 36,000 people. Considering the fact that their initial goal is to produce 10,000 cars per year and eventually ramp up to 40,000 cars per year, that means that an order now may not be filled until 2024 at the earliest, assuming that production starts this year as hoped. Aptera Motors has talked about having additional production facilities in other parts of the world. Perhaps the enthusiasm of buyers will cause Aptera Motors to accelerate those plans. Aptera also needs to keep in mind that once their cars start being delivered, a lot of people will start taking test drives and orders should increase even more.

Update: March 24^th, 2022

In the latest update given by Chris Anthony, he stated that the new Beta design has a 1% larger internal cabin area (mostly in the headroom area), but overall has 5% less total drag.

There were several other changes made; a complete redesign of the front suspension system including the addition of a sway bar, external rear-view mirrors, a yoke, elimination of the swing-arm for the rear wheel, instead they’re using a double trailing-link suspension, and what he called the “Eyes Forward Vision System”.

This vision system calls for the elimination of the separate screen for each rear-view camera and instead, there will be a screen right in front of the driver that will handle the feed from both of the side cameras. As far as the external rear-view mirrors go, Anthony said that they are required by law now, but if that changes in the future, the mirrors will be easily removable by an owner.

Nikki from Transport Evolved recently rode in the Beta prototype. She said that the suspension was definitely improved and the ride was much nicer compared to her ride last year in an Alpha prototype.

 

Update: June 17, 2022

Aptera Motors gave a company update on May 27^th, 2022, and held a webinar with a Q & A session afterward on June 14^th, 2022 so I’ll be combining information from both events in this post.

Three important supplier announcements were made. One was that Aptera Motors will be partnering with Red Viking to use its AGVs (automated guided vehicles) for their assembly line.

Another announcement they made was that they would be using Yazaki to make their wiring harnesses. Yazaki makes harnesses for 50% of the cars made in the USA today so they know what they’re doing.

Speaking of wiring harnesses, one of Aptera’s innovations is that instead of all electrical items being directly connected to the central computer, each area of the car will have a circuit board that will handle the wiring in its specific area. These circuit boards will then be connected to the main wires that will be routed to the computer. This arrangement means much less copper will be required and therefore will result in a lighter car. See the illustration below for how this will be put into practice.

The last supplier announcement Aptera made was that EVE Energy would be their initial battery supplier. They will be supplying 2170 cells for the battery packs.

EVE Energy is based in China which gives me pause for concern with the current shipping and supply chain problems we are having.

The batteries they supply will use the chemistry called NMC 811. This chemistry has this name because it’s 80% Nickel, 10% Manganese, and 10% Cobalt. EVE Energy says that this is the most energy-dense battery they make so I’m sure that is why it’s being used.

During the webinar, they officially hit 25,000 pre-orders. They took the occasion to mention that at first, suppliers weren’t that interested in talking to them, but now that they have lots of pre-orders, suppliers want to be part of what’s happening.

Another announcement they made during the webinar was that Elaphe would be building the hub motors for the cars from the outset at their facility in Slovenia. The initial motors will be built in small batches in Elaphe’s current facility. However, Elaphe is building a factory in Slovenia that is slated to be done in 2023. At that point, they will be able to ramp up production to 100,000 units per year. That should equate to 30 or 40 thousand cars for Aptera depending on the percentages between FWD and AWD, Elaphe also is talking about building a U.S. factory in the future. Meanwhile, Aptera is talking about building a factory in Europe. Both factories would definitely save money.

The Aptera people discussed solar and the challenges they’ve had in finding cells that would fit their needs. They couldn’t find suitable cells so they had to design their own. So far, their solar team has filed 50 patents covering solar cells. Solar is so important that they have a separate facility just for their solar development and I believe this may be where they produce solar cells once production starts.

Part of the webinar featured Jason Hill talking about the interior of the Gamma prototype. He said the yoke seen on the renders of the Beta and Delta prototypes were definitely the direction they were going to go. I know and they know that this is a deal-breaker for some people, but Aptera really wants it so it can accommodate the “Eyes Forward” system. Jason stressed that it’s something you can easily get used to.

Jason announced that the Gamma prototype would be done about the middle of July

However, instead of calling it a prototype, he kept referring to it as the “Gamma Showcar”. I don’t think there are any major car shows over the summer so maybe they plan to show it at EV events this summer and college campuses this fall.

Jason also mentioned that Coast, Codex, and Vida were still the main choices for interiors

The webinar contained several other announcements. One was that the 400-mile version would be produced first. It seems that 40% of the pre-orders are for that version so that makes sense. Next will be the 250-mile version, then the 600-mile version, and finally the 1,000-mile version.

Also, they said that the first 1,000 cars produced would be for “local” customers, whatever that means. I would assume that means Southern California, maybe Las Vegas, and maybe Phoenix. They want the first cars close by in case they have an early recall.

One thing I’ve noticed over the last few months is that Aptera originally talked about scaling up to 10,000 units per year, and then they were talking about scaling to 20,000 units per year. Now that they have 25,000 pre-orders, they’re talking about scaling to 50,000 units per year!

All in all, between the June webinar and the May Update, it appears that Aptera is moving right along toward production. Of course, success isn’t guaranteed, they still have to go through what Elon Musk calls “production hell”, but sounds like they are taking the necessary steps.

I’m always on the lookout for any sign of a scam and so far I haven’t seen it. One thing I looked at was the salaries of the CEOs. Chris Anthony was paid about $253,000. and Steve Fambro was paid about $183,000 in 2021.

If Aptera was a scam, Chris and Steve would pay themselves millions of dollars in salaries and bonuses, but they’re not doing that so I really think they are trying to build a successful car company.

One thing missing from the May update and the June webinar was any mention of the 6-12 beta prototypes that Chris Anthony talked about in the December 2021 update. He said they would be used by engineers to test facets of the vehicle and also for crash testing. For reasons to change course on this, all I can think of is that maybe the engineers were satisfied with the tests they ran on the only beta prototype and maybe they were able to work out some of their problems by using computers.

As far as the crash testing goes, I would think that NHTSA would prefer vehicles that were closer to production intent vehicles so perhaps that’s what happened.

 

Update: October 1^st, 2022

Aptera Motors revealed their Gamma prototype at the “Fully Charged Live” show in San Diego on September 10^th and 11^th 2022. The Gamma prototype is the third prototype in a series of four as Aptera inches closer to production. In fact, Aptera Motors stated that the Gamma is made up of 80% production intent parts. There were several things we found out at the Gamma reveal. I’ll list some of them below:

Solar: The Gamma had a working solar roof as opposed to the Alpha prototypes which only had cosmetic solar cells. Aptera Motors has a 130,000 sq. ft. factory to make solar panels for the car and the factory is already in limited production. The solar panel is a separate part that is bolted onto the car so it will be easy to change when it’s time to upgrade. We found out that the company is working on an external solar panel that can be plugged into the car for extra charging while not moving.

Batteries: The actual pack sizes for each version of the Aptera were announced. They are; a 23kw pack will power the 250-mile version, 45kw will power the 400-mile version, the 600-mile version will have a 66kw pack, and finally, the 1,000-mile version will have a 99kw pack. Chris Anthony stated that the two larger packs will use larger cells, presumably to get more power density per unit of weight. He didn’t say whose cells he was talking about, however, Panasonic’s 4860 is the only battery I know of that fits the bill.

Vents: The small area around the center screen will be the main heating and air conditioning vent. There will also be a defrosting vent close to the windshield and supplemental vents aimed at the side windows and at the feet.

Inverters: The Aptera will use silicon carbide Mosfet inverters. There will be an inverter for each powered wheel. This will be necessary for torque vectoring.

Cooling Systems: There are a total of three cooling systems in the Aptera. One will be the cooling system for the inverters and the in-wheel motors. This will use an aluminum belly pan that will use the air passing by the car to cool the fluid. There will also be a separate cooling system to cool the batteries. This system will also run its fluid through tubes in the belly pan. Right away you’re probably thinking, “What happens if the car is stopped in traffic or is charging”? Aptera has thought of that. In that case, there is a fan that sucks in outside air from around the windshield wiper and blows the air over the cooling tubes in the belly pan. The air exits the car through vents located in the back of the car next to the license plate. If it’s extremely hot outside, then the HVAC system will be used to blow cool air over the cooling tubes. It has been mentioned that there is now a small radiator, but I haven’t read which cooling system it will be connected to.

Wheelpants: These are important partly because they are the widest part of the car. Steve, from Aptera Owner’s Club, measured the greatest width of the car, which is at the wheelpants, and came up with 85”(2.159m). This is important because the same measurement on the Alpha prototypes was 88”(2.235m). If Aptera Motors can get this measurement down to two meters, then they can sell in Europe and Australia without worrying about getting a waiver or changing the regulations for width. The yellow lights on the wheelpants are the running lights and the turn signals. Also on the wheelpants are parking sensors for parallel parking.

The wheelpants have been completely redesigned since the Alpha prototypes. One new feature is that the front and the back of the pants are made of EVA foam. This foam is made to be abraded away in case the driver has clearance problems. If necessary, it’s supposed to be cheap to replace. Another handy innovation has been the “split” wheelpant. Half the wheelpant lifts forward out of the way so the wheel can be easily removed or serviced. This new wheelpant is featured in the picture below.

Also measured by Steve was the distance from the bottom of the wheelpant to the ground. This was only three and a half inches. This doesn’t sound like much clearance, especially in cities that have a lot of potholes. The Aptera team will have to do a lot of testing on this.

Interior: The Gamma prototype sported a lot of Pineapple Leather in its interior, however, Aptera stated this material hadn’t lived up to their standards so it will be replaced in the production cars.

Yoke: It appears the yoke is here to stay. I can understand why they want it for their “Eyes Forward Vision System”, but the yoke has become very controversial so I wouldn’t be surprised if they offered a wheel as an option.

Motors: It was announced that Elaphe is making a new motor for the Aptera based on their M700. They will be making them at first in Slovenia while they build a factory in the U. S. . You can see a picture of their new motor below.

Crash Tests: Chris Anthony announced that crash tests will be done when the car gets closer to production. He said the videos would be available to the public.

Knock, Knock: It was revealed that both the doors and rear hatch will open by knocking on a specified part of the body.

Third Seat: Chris Anthony said that there will be a third seat option on the ‘base” model of the Aptera. Everyone assumes he was talking about the 250-mile version. He didn’t say if there will be a jump seat for kids or a full-size seat for adults.

Suspension: Roush Engineering was heavily involved with the Beta prototype to try to improve the Aptera’s ride. They came up with changes to the front suspension and also recommended the rear suspension be changed from a swing arm to a double trailing link. The result has been a much-improved ride.

Charging: A Tesla charging plug has been confirmed. A CCS adapter will be available. As I said before, one of the most important takeaways from the Gamma reveal was that the Gamma is made up of 80% of production intent parts. That 20% means that a lot could still change before production. The production intent “Delta” prototype is supposed to be done by the end of 2022.

Once parts are identified as “production intent”, then suppliers have to tool up which could take up to six months so I don’t expect actual production to start until the second half of 2023.

A few cars might be hand-built in early 2023 for crash testing or for employees to test.

Update: On November 3^rd, 2022 Aptera Motors announced today that they have signed a supplier agreement with C.P.C. Group of Modena, Italy.

C.P.C. Group will be producing the composite body of the car, otherwise known as the BINC. This stands for Body In Carbon. In conventional car making, this would be referred to as the Body In White.

C.P.C. Group has been producing auto parts since 1959 for the likes of Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren, Maserati, BMW, Lotus, and more. They have the specialized equipment necessary to make carbon fiber parts.

Sandy Munro visited the C.P.C. facility and was very impressed. He feels that C.P.C. will produce a “perfect” product.

Aptera Motors also stated that they have over 37,000 pre-orders now.

This news about C.P.C. Group has its good side and not-so-good side. On the good side, having parts pressed instead of hand laid up will result in parts that are identical to each other making replacing and fitting parts much easier.

I believe that the original plan was to hand lay up the bodies in San Diego in a fashion very similar to how Chris Anthony built boats in his boat factory. This would have resulted in some variation in parts, but it would have resulted in very low upfront costs since no presses and other tooling would be needed.

It was also believed early on that sale numbers and overall interest would be much lower than it has turned out to be so everything would have been manageable. In reality, they’re getting way more orders than they forecast and the only way they can increase production is to try to use as much automation as possible.

The not-so-good side of this news is that paying for the tooling at C.P.C. Group will cost Aptera Motors a lot of money. Earlier in 2022, Aptera Motors said in an SEC filing that they needed 50 million to go into production. In the December 2022 update, Sarah Hardwick said the company is planning on a Series B funding round of 200 million dollars. Presses aren’t cheap. She also reiterated that the start of production is funding-dependent.

Update December 2022:

Also in December was an Ambassador webinar so I will be combining some of that information in this update. The December update was given by Sarah Hardwick. It was very short at only 3:40 minutes.

The goalposts seem to be moving a little bit because six months ago we were told that the Delta prototype should be done by the end of 2022. Now they’re saying that they hope to have a Delta render by the end of 2022.

In the update, Sarah stated that there will be a webinar in January 2022. As soon as Delta prototypes are built, then the engineers will be doing real-life testing of the car’s performance. She also said that the Deltas will be used for crash testing. Previously, Chris Anthony stated that the crash test videos will be made available to the public.

Announcements from the December 2022 Ambassador webinar include:

1. 1. The initial batch of cars will not have a hitch or wiring for trailer lights.
   2. No frunk.
   3. No third seat option for the initial batch of cars.

Sarah stated once again that production is funding-dependent.

Update: January 1^st, 2023

Well, they made it. Aptera Motors said that they should have a render of the Delta prototype ready by the end of 2022 and they fulfilled their promise by publishing a video render of the Delta prototype on December 31^st, 2022.

There were several small changes to the render, but the basic form factor is still the same.

Most notable was a completely new center console setup. The bungee cord cup holder has been replaced with a more traditional style of holder. Forward of that, there appears to be a wireless phone charger. Behind the cup holder, is a small storage area that is accessible from either seat.

On the Gamma prototype, the center area was divided into several sections that were populated with replaceable modules. No word on whether the new cup holder or the wireless charger are just modules or permanent units.

Just below the center screen, there are tabs for selecting which gear you want. I’m sure this change came about because a lot of people were complaining about the idea of selecting gears on the touchscreen. You can see these tabs and the new cup holder in the render below.

Another change was that the rear corners of the car have been replaced by what looks like some kind of foam or rubberized material.

The biggest change at the rear of the car is that the rear hatch has changed. The hatch now goes all the way to the rear of the car eliminating the six inches or so of the car body that you had to lean over to gain access to the cargo area. This change is a good idea because I’m sure that people would have struggled (some unsuccessfully) to prevent that six inches of the body from being scratched. Two renders of the area I’m talking about are below.

Even though some solar cells have been eliminated at the rear of the car, the increased hatch length and the rearranging of cells on the other parts of the car has allowed for a net gain of eight cells on the car’s body.

The Delta video starts out by showing the main parts of the Delta coming together.

Something I forgot to mention in the December 2022 update was that an employee of C.P.C. Group mentioned that the bodies would be assembled there. How much of the body will be assembled there I don’t know for sure, but in the render below are the parts that I’m pretty sure will be made by C.P.C. Group.

The Delta render appears to show a body panel covering the belly and no cooling channels. Some people are worried about this, but I’m not. The original Aptera had to drop out of the Progressive X-Prize back in 2008 because of overheating so I’m sure everyone at Aptera is focused on making the cooling work, The render may have been somewhat inaccurate because the artist may not have been familiar with the Aptera

 

Update: January 20^th, 2023:

Aptera Motors held a public webinar today to announce the specs of the Launch Edition Aptera. One surprise was that they announced the width as being 87.6” (2225 mm). This was a surprise because it was measured at 85” (2159) on the Gamma. They’re going the wrong way!

What they established early on in the webinar was that all cars in the Launch Edition needed to be the same to make the start of production as simple as possible. The specs announced stated that all Launch Edition cars would be the 400-mile version, have the “Luna” exterior wraps, and the Codex interior. They will all be AWD and they will all have enhanced audio. They will also all have the “Full Solar” option. The onboard charger will handle up to 6.6 KW. By the way, the yoke is standard.

Up to 5000 cars will be produced in the launch edition run and any reservation holder can change his/her reservation to the Launch Edition, which is really advantageous to those people who have high reservation numbers and want a car similar to what’s being offered in the Launch Edition.

Also announced during the webinar was that fast charging would not be included in the Launch Edition. They said it wasn’t really necessary since the car is so efficient.

It was obvious that somebody in marketing made a mistake about what people want in an electric car. Many people who pre-ordered an Aptera had planned on making cross-country trips with their cars so they weren’t happy to hear the news about fast charging.

There was an immediate backlash on social media. The good news is that the people at Aptera Motors heard the complaints and reversed their decision after only five days. They put out a video saying that they had decided to include fast charging in the Launch Edition.

Update March 24^th 2023

Today, Aptera Motors announced that they have picked Comma AI’s OpenPilot ™ for use in the Aptera. This software features, lane keep assist, emergency braking, and Adaptive Cruise Control. The fact that they picked an industry-leading software is good news, however, the announcement was still a little short on specifics.

The announcement was made by Chris McCammon of Aptera Motors. He said that OpenPilot ™ had been used on the Beta Prototype for several months and apparently, Aptera Motors is happy with it.

Chris mentioned that it still wasn’t decided if Comma AI would produce the required hardware or if Aptera Motors would make it.

Among the things Chris didn’t mention were: Is this going to be in the Launch Edition? Will OpenPilot ™ take the place of Safety Pilot in Aptera Motors’ list of options? If so, what’s the cost?

At the end of the announcement video, Chis named many of the things that make the Aptera a great car when he happened to mention access to Tesla’s Supercharger network. I don’t know if this is confirmed or is just hope because I haven’t read anything about any other companies having confirmed access to the Supercharger network.

 

Update: May 5^th, 2023

Aptera held a webinar on May 4^th, 2023. The main subject of the webinar was the progress that is being made toward getting the Aptera into production. Pictures were shown of the tools that are being made by C.P.C. Group.

The tools being made are the dies for the body parts that C.P.C. Group will be making for the assembly of the Aptera body. Bodies will be fully assembled by C.P.C. in Italy and then shipped to Southern California which will really speed up the production process. Some of the pictures shown were of blocks of raw steel that weighed several tons.

The blocks are then milled down by special machines that are capable of extreme accuracy. Finally, they are polished by craftsmen who have been at this for a long time. I suspect that the dies are polished so that the parts are easily released after they have been cured. The dies for the belly pan were too big for C.P.C. Group to make so they had to subcontract that out to another company in Italy, but now that’s completed. Each set of dies can make at least 100,000 parts.

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There were several other subjects discussed during the webinar. I’ll list some of them below.

Apple Car Play and Android Auto: Chis Anthony said that it may be quicker to go with an off-the-shelf infotainment system than to try and develop one themselves so they are already in talks with Apple about their system.

Pre-Orders: Aptera announced that they already have over 42,800 pre-orders with more coming in every day.

Funding: So far, Aptera Motors has raised a total of 90 million dollars over the last four years. They have been awarded 21.9 million dollars from the California Energy Commission. The catch is that those funds are matching funds, but since they’ve already raised 14 million through the Accelerator program, they are now receiving funds from the grant.

Aptera’s Department of Energy loan application has been submitted, but it may take several months to work its way through the bureaucracy so it doesn’t sound like Aptera is counting on it. Steve and Chris say the capital markets pretty much dried up in the States last year so they are talking to individuals and institutions in Europe about making in Aptera Motors.

Solar; Aptera Motors has continued to work on its solar panels and feels that they have made several noticeable improvements. All in all, the webinar was upbeat and it was pretty clear that the Aptera people aren’t just sitting on their hands, but are working hard towards beginning production. The coating over the solar cells has been replaced with a thin, flexible glass panel that appears to be strong and won’t have separation problems like the previous material.

Update: September, 2023

Aptera Motors has been awarded 81 million in tax credits for purchase of production equipment by the State of California. Having these credits will allow Aptera Motors to spend their money on other things instead of taxes.

BTW, since the dimensions of the car were “frozen” after the building of the Gamma prototype and the building of dies be C.P.C. Group has begun, the company has decided that there is no need for a “Delta” prototype and will instead call the next cars the P.I. (Production Intent) builds.

All of the cars built for validation and crash testing will be known as PI builds.

Update: October 4^th 2023

The October Update contained several pieces of interesting news. Perhaps the biggest news is the progress that C.P.C. Group is making with the Aptera build. C.P.C. Group has now completed 60% of the tooling that they are making for the Aptera. Also, they are already building body parts with the tooling they have. Below is a picture of how the tooling is being used. Here is an Aptera roof just after being pressed into shape.

After the parts are pressed, they go to a coordinate measuring machine to make sure they have been built to the correct dimensions. This will help to ensure proper fit and finish when everything is put together. Once they are checked for proper dimensions they are stacked to await assembly.

After all the parts are made and measured, they will be bonded together by C.P.C. into what is called the Binc (body in carbon). Completed Bincs will then be shipped to Aptera Motors for final assembly. C.P.C. Group will also be building the metal frame. I don’t know yet if they will be attaching those to the Bincs or shipping them to Aptera Motors separately.

Below is a picture of some of the finished parts waiting for assembly.

Perhaps the most exciting bit of news I heard this month happened during a Q&A with Chris Anthony that I listened to. He stated, as he has several times before, that full production is dependent on finding some more funding, however, he stated that the company can finance limited production with funds on hand.

The rationale for this is that most people still don’t know about Aptera. If a few cars hit the streets, maybe potential investors would see the car and want to get involved. Pre-orders would also be likely to shoot up.

I wholeheartedly agree with this plan. I think is important for people to see the car.

Update: January, 2024

Yes, progress has been agonizingly slow, but progress is being made. Its speed is merely a function of how much money is available. Speaking of money. I have good news. Aptera Motors successfully closed out their Accelerator program at the end of January 2024 with total funds raised of over 33 million dollars.

In the program, the first 2,000 cars were reserved for investors who invested at least 10,000 dollars. The top spots went for several millions of dollars so the program was able to raise a lot money.

The program is now closed to new investors, however, investors that are already in the program can invest more if they wish to move up and get a lower delivery number.

Aptera Motors now has enough money to pay for the tooling for a limited production run.

Aptera Motors is still trying to attract one or more well-heeled investors to make an investment that will pay for full-scale production. Having a few cars on the road as a result of limited production may help to attract those necessary investments.

Aptera Motors is just waiting for the first bodies to arrive from Italy so that limited production can begin. Hopefully, there will be more on this in the February Update.

The leading announcement in the January Update was that Aptera Motors has signed a partnership with CTNS of South Korea. CTNS will be assembling battery packs for the Aptera and will also invest five million dollars in the company.

CTNS plans to assemble the first 200 battery packs in South Korea and then move the assembly line to the Carlsbad area to make the balance of the Aptera battery packs.

Moving to Carlsbad will be good way for CTNS to shorten the battery pack supply chain.