Aptera at CES: Interview with Steve Fambro

[@RomanChaar]

THANK YOU AGAIN Steve for not throwing softball questions and giving us a true update of where Aptera currently stands.

[@apterasolar]

Yes! And thank you Steve Fambro for delivering us real answers. Very much appreciated!

[@DemaGeek]

Thank you Steve and Steve, these were great questions and feedback!! With an electronics, laboratory air flow testing, and aviation background, this really hit at the heart of many of my Aptera thoughts! Steve Fambro, thank you again for your openness, allowing us to share in the depth of your designs and design process, it's rare and wonderful to be a part of! Like you, we are very excited to follow the validation tests, and are most eager for the results.... I can't imagine how you must be feeling at this point!!!

[@kwaazaar]

What a pleasant man to listen to. No commercial BS talk, just sharing tech details with us. I also don't have the idea he's holding back on topics. He's very passionate and loves talking about it. As a (software) engineer, I can really appreciate that! Thanks! 😊

[@ScottOstr]

"Not only did we keep up with that loop but we increased the charge by 1%" That is such an important statement IMO ⚡

[@netscrooge]

And they did it within weeks of the winter solstice, when there is much less sunlight. Amazing.

[@ScottOstr]

@netscrooge 🎯 I'll bet it charges at least 50 miles a day for most people

[@Crunch_dGH]

@@ScottOstr Re: Aptera Battery “Memory”. Do they recommend 80% charge levels, unless just before driving, like others? Are their battery chemistry choices any less prone to memory effects on long term battery life?

[@williamclark6466]

Such a candid discussion. This interview is so telling. Aptera, per their promise, practices truth and openness in communication in every way possible.

[@lc2156]

Dude, this was an awesome interview. It was great to hear Steve explain things in so much depth. You also did a great job with the questions you asked him and the flow in which you asked them. Found out some good information watching this. Thanks for what you do brother. We aptera fans really appreciate it.

[@karlschleifenbaum5793]

You're already like a family member to them. Great coverage

[@deanmcmanis9398]

Wow! This was packed with good questions, and answers. Steve's scientific/engineering perspective is confidence inspiring for me. Your discussion showed that there is still mountains of work to be done to get the Aptera through upcoming testing and validation, let alone the ramp up to production. But the Aptera team has the steps and their roadmap well planned out, working with their suppliers, engineers and partners, to get the job done. And ultimately get Aptera EVs in our driveways.

[@CommanderMaga]

Amen, Dean! I was going to post something similar to what you wrote here. Listening to Steve Fambro does indeed inspire confidence. When he answers questions it's not a sales pitch; it's a frank discussion of the testing and engineering challenges ahead without trying to dumb it down for the masses. Most appreciated!

[@brucebender5917]

Chris is great, but I freaking LOVE Steve Fambro. He's all about the engineering and the physics. 100% nerd brain and I say that as a 100% compliment. Thanks for this interview! ❤

[@dennisjohnson2870]

Great that you got to meet both Chris Anthony and Steve Fambro.

[@RajGiandeep]

Thank you for the interview Steve. Very good info here. Nice to hear more about the thought process about the cooling.

[@chrisbarrett2512]

Seems to me that the respect for each other was apparent, and that is wonderful! Mr. Fambro has an opportunity to have Aptera be recognized as an important future player in the automotive industry. Mitsubishi has been strong player in the Japanese market in many different areas, and a major force in the trading houses of Japan. They could easily write a check to help out Aptera, and it makes sense for them to do so. Backing Aptera makes sense to me, as they will benefit from the CPC group making the carbon fiber needed to build this dream machine. The risk is beginning to fade, as this project heads to reality, instead of just a concept. My head says most would have given up on this concept, however Mr. Fambro has a warrior mentality and will not allow for this to end in defeat this time around. Wall Street has been reluctant to open the vaults, 4 wheels is how it has been done in the past 120 years, even longer if one includes Conestoga wagons so maybe 250+ years, so 3 wheels just a huge departure from the past. Strangely Wall Street's original mission was to bring new innovation to the marketplace. Risk should be tempered by logic, and history, however new is where the money is really made. I want to see Aptera on the highways and byways soon, and believe it is just a better way, better for the planet earth, and a more enjoyable way to travel.

[@richardryley3660]

There have been three wheeled vehicles in the past, but you're right, four wheels is stable, and that's been known since ancient times. Although I don't know how you'd categorize a chariot. 😂 The problem is that trikes got a bad reputation because of those with one wheel in the front. I don't think most people realize that a trike with two wheels in the front can be just as stable as four wheels. It's a lot more likely for a vehicle to tip over when braking then when accelerating, and if a wheel does leave the ground when accelerating that will reduce the acceleration. So it's just a matter of driving safely.

[@willstreckfus4248]

I love that Steve mentioned linear equations. I’m teaching y = mx + b right now to my 8th grade honors class. Love being able to give real world examples. Trying to get these kids interested in engineering.

[@gr8dvd]

Maybe you could get one of those 1:18? scale Aptera models for the classroom… my interest and comprehension always benefited from visuals, see & touch even better.

[@GNiessen]

I was wondering where Steve was. Good to know about Mitsubishi.

[@Soothsayer210]

Being a reservation holder and an investor, I hope Aptera WILL have bi-directional charging in their future versions.

[@richpate9436]

More good news. Thanks, Steve, for your investigative reporting to keep all of us well informed. Of course Aptera's excellent transparency is helpful and appreciated.

[@jasonhochstrasser8657]

These were the questions I wanted. Excellent.

[@robertkirchner7981]

Very good news that skin cooling is still on the to-do list.

[@ccibinel]

Pragmatic decisions are necessary to get to production but as they scale greater efficiency and features may come. Heated seats and AWD would be very important for my use case as an all season vehicle in BC. A motorcycle size trailer mount point would also be super useful and was discussed in the original FAQ so i can take my kayaks 15 km. My ideal would be to have the aptera as our one vehicle but ill keep a gas clunker for these utilities and going to the mountains if needed (probably only do 2000 km per year in it)

[@jeffprofessional123]

What a great interview! There was a lot of relevant information in this video and I appreciate it!

[@richarddickey7367]

Thank you Cris and Steve! Interviews like this help confirm the earnest work of the team.

[@galacticgreg8261]

There was a lot of useful information given here. And the calm, matter of fact delivery of Steve F. gives me confidence that things are going as well as they can be expected.

[@TonyG_Film]

Two fantastic interviews with the Co-CEOs. You asked great questions. By far the most informative Aptera channel.

[@garywozniak7742]

Great interview with some very interesting details. Steve Fambro seems like a very smart and nice guy. Their three front men, Steve, Chris, and Chris, are an impressive trimuverate.

[@ccibinel]

Great interview. Steve is really easy to talk to - I had some time to talk to him at Everything Electric.

[@nickavisa]

Really good interview.

[@stevelane5023]

I love it! Two Steves nerding out. This coming from a Steve. Great interview. Glad you two were able to meet and spend some time together. As always Steve, thank you for all that you do.

[@danam0228]

Yay, it's Steve with Steve! Great interview. Thank you so much Steve

[@vinyasa99]

Really good interview, Steve. Good questions and great informative answers. Chatting with Chris A is nice, but talking tech with Steve F is awesome!

[@Mikey_Likes_It_Too]

I love it, "normal" in an "extraordinary" package!

[@rchender]

This is one of the best videos you've done Steve...really nice set of questions and great information. Thanks. Good detail on the sequence of validation. I didn't think I could get more excited about Aptera, but this interview just raised the bar. Your overall coverage of CES was quite good but this interview IMHO was the icing on the cake because of the additional details we learned.

[@gmv0553]

I agree with you!

[@stix2you]

Thanks Steve! Great questions!

[@TheDapperham]

Good stuff!

[@kevinjensen9803]

Great interview Steve and Steve - Thank you!

[@Rich1Rodriguez]

Great interview and a lot of technical information exchanged. Well done, and Charge On!

[@DrTeeHenry]

Great interview! Thanks for rotating around half way through! Steve Fambro sure does instill a lot of confidence in knowing that Aptera knows what the heck they're doing.

[@GaryGreenway]

Great interview. Very informative. It's good to hear technical info over Chris Anthony's 'Introduction to Aptera' speech repeated over and over. I wish Steve Fambro would have said if the shocks were still going to be adjustable preload once the valving is set. That's quite necessary when the passenger load varies from 5% to 25% of the vehicle weight. Steve, please find more time to talk to this guy and other engineers.

[@fotoguru222]

With their "Right to Repair" policy, I'm sure you can substitute those expensive adjustable shocks to your Aptera if it's worth it to you.

[@thejose24]

Really good insight! Thanks Steve, and Steve! Lol

[@johnmalcom9159]

Aptera's respect for AOC revealed in this excellent interview with Steve Fambro. A wealth of pure technical and project information not available from other channels or posters. The best status report yet! Good to see engineering speaking about engineering rather than marketing hyperbole or speculation from uninformed sources. Builds confidence about what is going on behind the curtain.

[@Kukaboora]

Now the angle of Mitsubishi is interesting. Mitsubishi is an American car company in the US, it is a subsidiary of Mitsubishi of Japan, a heavyweight in Japan. Lucks may strike Aptera if Mitsubishi has some interest in it. The stake is quite small but the potential is very big.

[@CH-es4up]

I got to sit in it!!! I am a bigger guy and I fit inside just fine. Aptera compares quite well to the Lexus CT I am driving round right now as far as interior room in the driver’s seat goes.

[@thomascorbett2936]

Actually it sounds like they are not ready for production, but thats ok with me , i can Wait .

[@tims8603]

Great interview! Anyone who says Aptera isn't being transparent is wrong. I was surprised when Steve F said 2 radiators. Maybe needed for the Southwest but not where I live. It does get hot here but usually high 90s F at the most.

[@gr8dvd]

Similar here, rarely exceeds 100*F But could use 4 radiators if thimble-sized…. IOW trust they’ll get to correct number/size.

[@richardryley3660]

It's likely only one radiator is needed. It's intentionally over engineered which is actually an advantage with this configuration. We already know how radiators perform.

[@artboymoy]

Very good interview with Steve, Steve. Lots of good technical information and the scoop does concern me and I'm glad to hear it's going to be modified. Personal preference, I'd rather not have it at the very bottom of the vehilcle.Aslo interesting t to hear about the Friday meeting back in Carlsbad for the CTC/ Mitsubishi acquisition. That could be the reason why he wasn't at the after party. Would be interesting to see if Mitsubishi would like to add a quirky solar EV to their line up... (Kidding)

[@ArchangelMichael94]

I worked for a start up making LTE enabled gps trackers and we used text messages to to send commands and get updates (ie location, battery, logs etc.) it was very low power consumption and I can only imagine that’s gotten better since 2018 when I was dabbling in it

[@davidmarlow194]

What about effkcency of the regen with the new motor?

[@thisisme379]

Chris is fine but I'm always so impressed with Steve Fambro. It doesn't feel like he's spinning things or holding back a half truth. His stewardship gives me hope that Aptera will make it.

[@paulrybarczyk5013]

With so much Aptera enthusiasm, I bet volunteers would assemble their first 2000 vehicles for free. 😊

[@northernsouler]

I'll leave it to the experts. 😉

[@harriettanthony7352]

Most likely the Calif Nanny State labour laws will not allow this. But the concept is fine. Some retired mechanic with 40 yrs of suspension repairs work could put on the Aptera parts with ease and NO TRAINING

[@gmv0553]

​@@harriettanthony7352there are federal laws!

[@keelferm]

Great questions Steve

[@kylerobinson7572]

Great discussion! Thank you :-)

[@andremcamara3120]

Great interview Steve and Steve

[@drivenbythesun]

I'd like to know if Aptera plans to test at the Arizona Mobility Test Center in Wittmann, Arizona. Maybe Toyota opened up their 10-mile test track in their Arizona proving grounds since GM and Stelantis closed their Southwest Arizona proving ground tracks last year.

[@rngalston]

Very informative

[@DaBinChe]

Glad that it is Mitsubishi and not a Chinese company that bought CPC

[@jackgreenstalk777]

Motorcycles needing headlight on all the time is going to hurt efficiency. Really curious how much. Look forward to validation numbers post hermes testing if it is in fact done in february, wonder when we will actually see or hear the results.

[@Crunch_dGH]

⁠ Re: Aptera Battery “Memory”. Do they recommend 80% charge levels, unless just before driving, like others? Are their battery chemistry choices any less prone to memory effects on long term battery life?

[@chrisbailey5055]

O damn....I was looking forward to fully adjustable coil overs!

[@fotoguru222]

You could always add them yourself.

[@larry15154]

Love the interview Steve thank you. The one thing that I'm thinking about is while driving on a two-lane highway with a semi coming at you, how will the aptera behave?

[@denisoudard5003]

Great interview! Question for Aptera, when parking the Aptera in the sun, will it charge better facing the nose into the sun (south in the northern hemisphere) or the nose away from the sun. I understand that if the sun is totally overhead it does not matter. In other words, which is best: expose better the hatch or the hood?

[@artboymoy]

IMO I would say park it so the back faces the sun. THere are more panels between the trunk and roof than the other way around, I think. I have a light colored garage door so I think I would get some reflected sun off of that for the front of the car.

[@richardryley3660]

You might get more power with the hatch open and the nose facing the sun, but that could invite thieves. On the other hand it is perfect for the tent option.

[@willstreckfus4248]

@@artboymoy That’s a great idea! Chris M. was saying that they got a big jump in power when they drove through some reflected light from one of the buildings.

[@DrTeeHenry]

@@richardryley3660 If you are nearby (security not so much an issue), I bet hatch open with the vehicle facing the sun would be optimal. If security is an issue, then hatch down and facing away from the sun would be best (just my guess). It will be really interesting to see how much variation there is between the various orientations and hatch open vs. hatch closed. Put the thing on a turntable and cycle the hatch open and closed through a bright sunny day and log the power produced. That would be a very interesting data set! 😊

[@adimchionyenadum2962]

​@@DrTeeHenryPutting the thing on a turntable through a bright sunny day would be an interesting experiment to suggest to Aptera. Positive date could serve as a huge selling or advertisement point for them. Apart from that, I can't imagine the common Joe out there mounting Aptera on a turntable outside their apartment building.

[@glike2]

LED Headlights? 100W seems like incandescent

[@CommanderMaga]

At 13:30 in the video Steve says, "As a motorcycle, they have to be on." This illuminating statement (Ha!) made me smile. It's important that we keep in mind some of the distinctions between cars and "autocycles." The restrictions, requirements, safety equipment, licensing, and testing for the Aptera are different than for an actual car.

[@fotoguru222]

That's ALL the lights, head, tail, backup, signaling (and interior?). I wonder if it includes the 4 digital display screens as well. Probably not.

[@keelferm]

Hi Bruce!

[@ScottOstr]

If Mitsubishi merges with Honda and Nissan, we could be looking forward to a Japanese version of a four wheel Aptera-ish vehicle in 2 to 3 years 🤔🔮 The merger company will need a product to set itself apart from the competition 🏎️

[@chrisbarrett2512]

Look at the Honda 0 saloon and tell me that aerodynamics is not thought about, as you look at it you might be reminded of the shape of another concept vehicle. Honda showed it off at CES and it does look very sharp.

[@ScottOstr]

@chrisbarrett2512 Agreed. Probably too expensive for me right now. An affordable aerodynamic carbon fiber four door would be nice but probably not possible just yet.

[@aftonline]

Mitsubishi bought out CPC? This is highly speculative, but is there a chance that Aptera could be distributed/serviced through Mitsubishi car dealerships? (Maybe even Honda and Nissan dealerships, given the merger which is currently going ahead?)

[@ccibinel]

doubtful. Dealers don't want to handle their own EVs let alone a "boutique" one that their parent company just happen to sell some parts for.

[@adimchionyenadum2962]

Good interview with very interesting technical details from Steve Fambro but the whole thing was poorly set. It was noisy with poor sound quality and many distractactions from the crowd. Anyway, thanks for your effort.

[@merrickhurst4150]

Thank God they aren't committed to the bottom vent

[@artsmith103]

If Aptera had been this competent over 5yrs ago, they wouldn't be in the trouble they are now. The really low speed miles at CES don't validate typical solar miles/day. I'm still confused if regen braking is installed. Disappointing if it isn't but then it makes solar miles/day more impressive if they did that without regen.

[@casylong8383]

right on time

[@adimchionyenadum2962]

FYI, Aptera 2.0 is barely 4 years old.

[@artsmith103]

@adimchionyenadum2962 If they start Aptera 3.0 next month, will it be less than 1yr old?

[@adimchionyenadum2962]

@@artsmith103 Yes.

[@pfunk768]

The charge port doesn't look like there's room for a CCS to NACS adapter, maybe even some chunkier NACS handles, and I doubt they will be able to test on Tesla Superchargers given the OEM limitations. Are they limited to non-Tesla NACS native DC chargers for the foreseeable future?

[@fotoguru222]

Really? I foresee them having plenty of time to test and get permission to use the Tesla Supercharger network. Are some NACS handles chunkier than others? Why would that be? Never seen more than one slim design, the same one used for the already tested Tesla Level 2 charging. They will provide their own CCS to NACS adapter, providing a custom one if necessary, allthough I doubt that will be necessary. Though they are chunky things. 😎

[@MakeSteelBattalion2]

Kinda wish you would have just let him talk.

[@thisisme379]

This is my only complaint about his interviews. He often anticipates and cuts off the answer instead of letting them just talk. Most people will volunteer more information you wouldn't have known to ask if you just let them fill the silence.

[@fourteenfour1]

Don't buy into the idea that Mitsubishi buying CPC enhances Aptera's chances at success. With regards to validation, why is the braking important if they clearly have no funds for ABS as per Chris in the other interview? Will we be told the weight of the vehicle and weight given for occupants? How about the as tested cD? I understand the need for a coast down testing but from that I want to know do they have regenerative braking yet or are the brakes fully manual? Liked the discussion on suspension work. Will they be providing updated schematics in any upcoming presentations as most of what we have is from 23 and I think one in very early 24.

[@GullWingInnMoclips]

"why is the braking important..." hmmm... well, to stop the vehicle, I'd guess. Did you know there are cars without ABS and they still need to stop?

[@n.brucenelson5920]

Steve already told us that the bus bars may end up being smaller after the supercharging system is bench tested at high amps. This will reduce the weight. The Mitsubishi purchase of CPC may mean that they could supply more of the parts, and may even make an investment, as the battery pack supplier did. Both of these could increase Aptera's chances of success.

[@fotoguru222]

Regarding weights, Chris A. has stated the current weight is close to 2200 pounds, 1 metric ton, less than half of my old Chevy Volt. They have also specified the designed carrying weight as 500 pounds, the same as other 2 seaters.

[@bojanmajdandzic]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/jpWbmJ5naZmCd9U

[@glike2]

Skin cooling has 0% chance of working for worst case fast charging AC hot summer day. It's only maybe good enough for steady driving

[@n.brucenelson5920]

It depends on the thermal mass of the liquid cooling as well. The temperature of the coolant will rise, but potentially not enough to have to shut down before the charge is completed

[@glike2]

@n.brucenelson5920 having studied skin cooling and in comparison also having looked at closely the P-51 Mustang cooling system, it's disappointing that the P-51 system has not been seriously considered. Lucid actually has designed their cooling system like that where you have a very efficient gradual diffuser which results in a high pressure low speed flow into a radiator and I didn't get a look at the nozzle outlet but their engineering is really good and I would expect they actually try to make use of the nozzle to cancel all the drag or maybe create a little bit of thrust. The P-51 cooling system can actually create a little bit of thrust and is essentially like a very weak jet engine when you look at it. Thermodynamically.

[@n.brucenelson5920]

@@glike2 You could be right there. Back when they were planning to use wheel motors, the cooling design was far more complex. and the batteries and wheel motors and inverters had different temperatures to be cooled to. Now the number of inverters and motors has dropped and they may end up with a much simpler system that can be more easily manufactured.

[@stix2you]

@@glike2 The Meredith Effect! I had forgotten about that! Very clever idea!!