Aptera has opened the possibility to order a solar electric vehicle that can be equipped with batteries that allow up to a range of up to 1600 kilometers. Aptera’s Solar EV provides up to 45 miles of range per day without needing to be plugged in .
Its manufacturers claim that its 180 small solar panels, which make up an area of more than three square meters, will collect enough energy to make all of this possible.
Aptera
With a vaguely aeronautical-looking two-seat cabin, the Aptera has an ‘unheard of’ coefficient of drag of just 0.13. Compare that to, say, the ‘unbelievably low’ drag coefficient of 0.24 from the Volkswagen ID Space Vizzion concept . It is also completely constructed of carbon / kevlar / linen composites, making it very light and strong .
As for the engine, there are multiple options available, with liquid-cooled electric motors on the front two wheels or all three.
The sizes of the batteries will also vary, for a range of 400, 644, 965 km or up to 1600 km . To get an idea of just how efficient this three-wheeler is, Tesla’s Model S P100D saw a radical increase in efficiency this year and can now reach 650km with a battery of the same size.
To be fair, Tesla has actually put its cars on the road already, and Aptera has only made it to the prototype stage of production so far. But it is ready to accept reservations for the special edition ‘Paradigm’ and ‘Paradigm +’ vehicles that will be produced in 2021.