The Solar Powered Aptera EV 👀
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Description
I have had so many people sending me this car over and over for years. So, all right, fine. Let's do it. This is the Upterra. So, here's the thing. The idea of this car, people seem to really like. A fully electric car with 400 m of range, a bunch of solar panels all over the top, getting you up to 40 m per day of free driving, and a starting price of just $35,000. It is super easy to get behind. Everybody wants it to be real in the comments. But in order to achieve this, well, you can see there's quite a few quirks. Here's just a few. So, this whole thing from front to back has to be sculpted like a teardrop for pure efficiency, which is why these wheels have this airflow cover. And also, there's only three of them. There's also no door handles, so it can slip through the air even better. But that means in order to get into the car, you have to do this, and they go up. But good luck getting that to work after a Chicago ice storm. But then this super long tail gives it way more solar coverage and this really aerodynamic shape. But that also means probably more storage than you'll see in any other two-seater. And also the forged carbon fiber everywhere which makes it super light. The battery is in the floor and it's only 41 kwatt hours. So again, everything is super light and the entire thing weighs just 2200 lb making it the second lightest production car on Earth is what I would say if it was a car. but it's actually classified as an auto which is why it has this tiny motorcycleized license plate which hides the NACS charging port. This thing looks and feels like the car of the future, like a Jetson's car or like a fish depending on who you ask. But the problem is it's not real yet. Anyway, see this company Atera has been working on getting funding for production for the better part of the last decade and it's just been a challenge to get over the hill and actually get enough interest to build this thing. So, let me know by subscribing if you would actually buy a car like
The video discusses the concept car from Aptera with a focus on its solar powered design and extreme efficiency. It describes a fully electric vehicle with an estimated range around 400 miles, supported by extensive solar panels that could provide up to about 40 miles of free driving per day, all at a starting price of roughly $35,000. The speaker highlights several design choices aimed at maximizing efficiency, such as teardrop shaping to reduce drag, air flow covers over the three wheels, and the absence of traditional door handles to minimize air resistance. The vehicle is notable for its very light weight, achieved with forged carbon fiber construction, a floor-mounted battery, and a total weight around 2,200 pounds, which would place it among the lightest production concepts if it were real. There are caveats discussed about the current status, including production funding challenges, ongoing development, and the fact that the car has not yet entered production, leaving viewers curious about whether the project will come to fruition. The presenter also contrasts the Aptera with current vehicle trends and comments on how its unconventional design could influence future automotive engineering while acknowledging safety and practicality questions that accompany any novel vehicle concept.
Topics · technology · automotive · electric_vehicle · design
Questions answered
- What is the claimed range and daily solar mileage for the Aptera concept?
- The video mentions a target range around 400 miles with solar panels capable of providing up to about 40 miles of driving per day under favorable conditions.