Aptera's Solar Working Better Than expected !

[@stix2you]

What I love about this car most, coming from a strong auto repair background, is that engineers have really thought about servicing, maybe for the first time in decades. It's something we're not talking about, it's kind of hard to get excited about that in the face of everything else. But I expect this car will be very serviceable, and in fact it's my mission to make sure people can work on it.

[@brentwalker8596]

I'm pretty sure Aptera will have "right to repair" for the vehicle with each component having a unique QR code to make ordering and installation easy for owners.

[@MaximGhost]

Not a car. It's a motorcycle.

[@craigmerrow225]

I've been binge-watching Aptera CES videos this evening, really exciting to see all their hard work cone to fruition!

[@netscrooge]

I'm glad to know I'm not the only one binge-watching Aptera CES videos.

[@mgxmaddguiness7066]

@@netscroogeI as well. I own nothing but combustion engines. I really am excited about a change. Aptera is my favorite.

[@dreamleaf6784]

They certainly have cone a long way

[@cplbulletsponge]

I just came from the Aptera after party. Tomorrow is the last day. Since its outside I'm gonna try to sneak in and see it up close. Lol

[@Fairburne69]

I want Aptera to succeed as much as anyone. I invested because I believe in what they are trying to do and their vision. BUT If they don't get the 60 million they still need soon the end of year deadline isn't going to happen. Worse yet they could go belly up without that money. I have all my fingers and toes crossed hoping that this event at CES will help them get the money they need.

[@freepower1082]

I hope they find a way to make it happen . 😎

[@richardryley3660]

It's my understanding that Aptera will attempt to produce the vehicles by hand if they fail to produce the funding they need. They won't ever be able to produce a few dozen a year that way, or maybe the 60 they expect to build this December. Maybe, just maybe, if sales go well and they can keep the production line going on sales alone, they will be able to make it without funding. But that is highly unlikely. They NEED investors once they begin production or they will never be anything but a custom car builder turning out limited runs for private clients. They will never reach mass production. But that will be because the public at large does not see the value in solar energy and efficiency. It means people just want to waste gas on massive vehicles. And CPC and CTNS will end up taking a huge loss. It won't be good for anyone.

[@MaximGhost]

Sounds like a Ponzi scheme ... and sounds like you're part of it.

[@robwalker4548]

@@richardryley3660 It's not that people want massive vehicles it is more about how can they use it. Aptera is really a commuter/errand vehicle which takes care of 90% of my driving. It will not be what I take to Lowes' to load up with lumber or 4x8 sheets of plywood and it is not what I will use tow anything. Nor will I use it to take several friends or family members to different places. I for sure will not be taking it to some of the places my Jeeps will go. Living in pickup country I already know I will not enjoy not being able to see around the vehicles in front of me. So people will use their big vehicles as commuter vehicles most of the time just so they can use it carry more than 2 people and when they need to move something bigger.

[@richardryley3660]

@@robwalker4548 And that's inefficient. I'm not saying I don't understand it, I'm just saying there is no sense in insisting on inefficiency to the point of stubbornness. I have been able to live my entire life without buying a single big vehicle. I have been able to buy lumber from hardware stores, and move between apartments. You just have to be a little more aware of your limitations. I'll also add the Telo truck is being designed to handle those size loads.

[@TechnikReviews]

Awesome video! Aptera rocks

[@theodoredesmarais4219]

GREAT VIDEO, BEST info from the 10 or so CES Aptera videos,

[@freepower1082]

Wow, thanks ! 😎

[@richardryley3660]

In that clip you showed a screenshot from, Chris says the solar panels are generating 31 Watts of power. But as he pulls away from the stop light, the reading jumps from 32 to 76-79, then drops to around 56. It seems to vary in that 40-80 W range while "in the shade". Then when Chris points out he is in full sunlight, the reading has jumped to 230-260 Watts. Again, it seems to fluctuate around that range of values. So the 40-80W range and the 230-260W range are not from different times of day, it is just based on the position of the car, and the amount of shade it's getting. I suspect that the lower range of numbers may be when the Aptera is perpendicular to the sun. There are no solar panels on the doors, so if the sun is particularly low, only a narrow row of solar panels up the hood, across the roof and down the hatch will be getting direct sunlight. If the Aptera is turned towards the sun, it will generate a lot more Watts. But it may also be a combination of angle to the sun and amount of shade. I expect positioning the Aptera for maximum charge while parked will become a learned skill for Aptera drivers. 😂

[@Tazdeviloo7]

Large back panel facing south towards the sun is ideal. I'm parking this thing facing north no matter what, parking lines at work be damned 😂

[@andremcamara3120]

Looking great. OMG William, just think of it. Another 12 to 14 months and some of us will be driving our Aptera. So exciting.

[@freepower1082]

YEAH andremcamara , that’s what I’m talking about ! Very soon we’ll have our Aptera in hand , YAY 😃

[@Fairburne69]

Maybe be driving at the end of the year. They still haven't received the 60 million they need to get the tooling they need to go into production. If they don't get it soon there is no way production will happen before the end of the year. I HOPE I'M WRONG! I'm just trying to keep my expectations realistic while hoping for the best.

[@freepower1082]

A lot of people didn’t think they could make it this far , so just hold on and watch Steve & Chris work , it’s going to happen ! 😎

[@shrimptopian3392]

​@@freepower1082how far did they get, the binc arrives in April, and in 9 months this is what they present, a no functionial showmodel with most parts 3d printed in a ugly way And for the ride it's a testmule with no yoke, no interior If i was a investor i would not invest after i saw their presentation on ces 9 bloody months is not enough to make 2 decent showmodels OMG

[@Jolly-Green-Steve]

In another 3-4 months it will get delayed to 2027. The cycle never ends.

[@DemaGeek]

Love all the Aptera content and exposure coming out of CES with the Production Intent vehicles!! May it bring the final investors needed! Thanks for your part William!

[@freepower1082]

You got it DemaGeek , we’ll keep going until we get our APTERA MAN ! 😎

[@randyland1000]

I actually like the black steering wheel better than the yoke. lol

[@mobayguy]

Congrats APTERA! The show is a great way to introduce the vehicle and the innovation and features in the PI version is incredible! Yes, it'd taking a while to get to full production but I am happy to wait for mine - The cash is ready to be paid! Great video

[@universeisundernoobligatio3283]

Looking forward to my Aptera in my driveway here in Ontario Canada. Hope they sell a winter version of the front wheel skirts, current ones will act like snow plows. Note from my solar panel output this winter expect some ware between 0 to 5miles of solar for 4 months a year. OK with that. Also hope the redesigns stop soon, so that Aptera can head for production. Hopefully might see mine by 27/28

[@paulnyman6739]

Exciting developments at Aptera!

[@drivenbythesun]

Soaking up Energy is fantastic.

[@MarkLLawrence]

My 2019 investment is looking really good today😊

[@itsjustacomment454]

The air intake location is the only thing I don't like. I think that will be a magnet for road debris, and snow for those of us that live in winter climates.

[@AverageJoe928]

Aptera commented about this in the comments of another video. They said they purposely oversized it for testing and expect to move it higher and shrink it once they have initial real-world test results. I was really worried about it as well, but hopefully they address it.

[@phileasler5401]

Hope they make it

[@daneverhart7649]

The Aptera is a whole new platform for me to be pimp'n out my ride, and it's right up my ally! My only disappointment so far has been the price jump. One minute they're boasting how much cheaper this will be to mass produce, then I read they're barely affording the first release, and even gossip they may sell off to another car manufacturer. My head's spinning. I hope they stay independent and affordable. ...and/or I get a big raise this year, lol! I've never afforded a new car, and swore I never would... but now I just have to find a way.

[@NoorElahi1776]

I sold outerwear for 30 years and my first thought looking at the interior is that the zipper pouch glove box better be removable. Zippers break. Often. I want to know how to remove the pouch and replace when it inevitably breaks at an inconvenient time. If that thing is difficult to take out of the car (because trust me, you're not going to fix that in place) it will be the first thing Aptera redesigns.

[@freepower1082]

Thanks for sharing NoorElahi , there maybe a third party fix it .More than likely I will not even use it , but we’ll have to wait and see . 😎

[@NoorElahi1776]

@@freepower1082 After sleeping on it, I'm sure it will be removable. Maybe I can even develop and sell a replacement to buy myself a second Aptera!

[@NAY2GAS]

6:43 I heard in another video that in total they drove 27 miles and lost no charge for the entire day. They gained all 27 miles back. Amazing!

[@netscrooge]

Especially only days after the winter solstice, when there is half as much sunshine as summer!

[@johnreeves7261]

Don't forget to take into account that a car salesman is making those claims.....

[@netscrooge]

@@johnreeves7261 Is there any evidence he ever worked as a car salesman?

[@kgamaseg]

I love the golf-cart electrical motor sounds. I'd rather have muted electric motor sounds than those fake ICE sounds that legacy auto can't seem to let go.

[@kevroll99]

Got to sit in it for the first time today, interior is a little smaller and cramped than I expected but it's pretty much got to be and that's ok.

[@johnziegler5453]

I love the idea just not sure if it is to late and to little for cost.

[@TheViewFromHome]

It looks like the PI build on display is just a shell, no display on the dash, and it has not been turned on in any of the videos. All demos have been in the track version. You would think they would show the UI in the PI build to those looking at that vehicle.

[@robertkirchner7981]

My understanding is that they have only one PI battery pack, and it's in "Apollo", the track tester that they are using for rides at CES.

[@edzelmejia3233]

We created our own future.

[@ethanlinderman8833]

Wait so full sunlight it’s getting ~250 W? That’s pretty small. 12 hours of that (which is already optimistic) is 3 kWh. At 7m/kWh(which is also optimistic) that’s like 20 miles a day. I guess it’s better than nothing, but realistically you’ll get maybe 10-15 miles a day? Is that worth all the compromises of this smaller vehicle? Especially since if you pay $0.16 per kWh, that’s like 50 cents a day of energy “saved”

[@charlesbeane8795]

Details, details.

[@AverageJoe928]

That's later in the afternoon in the middle of winter. Mid day in the middle of summer should be much closer to 700 watts. And the solar will probably never be cheaper than plugging in but it'll be super helpful for people that don't have access to a charger (renters, etc).

[@netscrooge]

Early testing returned 9miles/kWh driving at various speeds, around 40mph, up to 50mph.

[@JamaicanMeCrazy]

I wish you guys had a regular strong when like the one in this car

[@robinpettit7827]

I already predicted this as I was very aware of engineering margin.

[@arnoldsmith5754]

great solar power should be great here in southeast Texas

[@chirawat.t]

Did air conditioner turn on during the test?

[@charlesbeane8795]

I guess it depends that your expectations are. Mine will not be met until I see one putting out 700 watts because that's what they've been implying it will do. Everyone knows it will be lower because all the cells can't face the sun but they only talk about the 700 watts capability. 250 watts in full sun is not compelling but it may be the reality. If the solar panels are a bust, they'll just go back to calling it the most efficient car on earth. Everyone will forget about solar in a few weeks. Remember, it was all about hub motors until it wasn't. Now if it only gets 4mi/kwh, they are going to have a problem.

[@netscrooge]

It still adds up to thousands of miles of driving on solar per year.

[@johnreeves7261]

If it means anything to you, I build, test and race with custom solar panels for solar race cars using the exact same solar cells as Aptera is using. The 700 watts worth of solar cells that Aptera has, will easily produce a daily average of about 3 kw-hours worth of energy per day if it's outside from sunrise to sunset in a sunny location. If Aptera's "efficiency" is, indeed, about 10 miles per kw-hour, that constitutes 3 kw-hours/day x 10 miles per kw-hour = 30 miles per day (AVERAGE).

[@netscrooge]

@@johnreeves7261 That's great! So you know about it. There's nothing wrong with 30m/day. It's good, over 10,000 miles/year. That's right around what Aptera is quoting. If I remember right, they were estimating about 11,000m/year in super sunny locations, and more like 7,000m/year in less sunny areas. It sounds as if they are getting close to their targets. By the way, when Aptera says 40m/day, they say "up to," but the press often drops the "up to" in their coverage.

[@johnreeves7261]

@@netscrooge About 20 miles per day in the Winter in, for example. About 30 miles per day in the Spring and Fall. About 40 miles per day in the Summer. By the way, Aptera does not always say "up to" 40 miles a day. Chris Anthony, in particular, often, conveniently, drops the "up to" part.

[@netscrooge]

@@johnreeves7261 That's true. I have heard him drop it. But there are many times he says something like "up to" or "capable of." As for your 20/30/40 miles, yes, I think there is a good chance that's what this version of the Aptera will get (assuming, of course, no clouds or shade). There's room for that to improve in the future.

[@wendellbrownbrown5968]

I wish they would've made a four door vehicle,

[@-whackd]

By the time this comes out, Tesla will release robotaxi and every car maker will go under

[@golfish8589]

Your headline is misleading. Aptera did not say their solar is working better then expected. You did. Max is 700w

[@netscrooge]

Aptera said they got well over 20 miles (27?) of solar charging. The 40m/day would be under ideal conditions. So that is better than expected, since CES 2025 was only days after the winter solstice, when there is half the power from the sun as summer.

[@johnreeves7261]

How does 260 watts from 700 watts of solar cells constitute "working better than expected"?

[@netscrooge]

Getting over 20 miles (27?) from solar charging is better than expected, because it happened only days after the winter solstice, when there is half the sunlight of summer.

[@johnreeves7261]

@@netscrooge Unless they were crawling at "walking speed", no one got well over 20 miles worth of energy from 4 solar panels delivering 260 watts peak. Math/Science doesn't work that way.

[@netscrooge]

@@johnreeves7261 Early real-world testing returned 110Wh/mile when driving around 40mph (no more than 50mph). The math works.

[@johnreeves7261]

@@netscrooge The 110 wh/mile thing has NOTHING to do with the solar related math.

[@netscrooge]

@johnreeves7261 True, if you're only talking about how many Wh of charge from solar. But you were commenting about the video's title, which also relates to the solar range.

[@mgxmaddguiness7066]

❤A❤P❤T❤E❤R❤A❤ 🇺🇸 ⚡️ 🌞 🚗

[@jeffnreno5080]

Will it supercharge if needed?

[@richardryley3660]

Yes. It has a NACS port.

[@jeffnreno5080]

​@@richardryley3660I know but will it have access to the Tesla Supercharger network. I L2 my Model Y in my garage and public chargers but without SC use, I'd be stuck to local use.

[@gmv0553]

​@@jeffnreno5080it will charge on a 120 outlet and give you 150 plus miles over night.

[@richardryley3660]

@@jeffnreno5080 It's my understanding that Aptera will have access to Tesla Superchargers. I've already located my own nearest Supercharger station. I'm at least two years away from buying a new car, but I live in an apartment so I don't have access to home charging.

[@robertkirchner7981]

@@jeffnreno5080 Access to the supercharger network needs to be negotiated with Tesla, which to my knowledge has not been done yet. One could also used an adapter and charge on CCS chargers. The charging speed is still not established, but it's unlikely to be much more than 50 kW. That's not as slow as it sounds, because an Aptera could drive 250 miles on a half hour charge at 50kW. That's the equivalent of charging 10%-80% on a car with a 360 mile range. If that car got 3.6 miles per kWh, and needed to have a 100 kWh battery to go that far, You'd need 140 kW to gain that much range in half an hour. If you had 250 kW, it would take 17 minutes. So not a huge time savings for three and a half hours of driving.

[@electronicartis]

where can I find a blueprint for this vehicle.

[@freepower1082]

You may find it on their website , aptera.us . 😎

[@richardryley3660]

I don't know that there is a blueprint per se, but you can find and assembly video, and the "exploded" view that now includes the frame.

[@JaceLovesStrength]

I don't think I've ever seen an Onlyfans model advertise on a billboard before.

[@VegasRoManiacReviews]

250 watts .. thats 2.5kwh in 10 hours .. basicslly 10 miles in full sun

[@netscrooge]

Early real-world testing returned 110Wh/mile.

[@johnreeves7261]

Aptera's 4 solar panels didn't generate 250 watts for 10 hours. It peaked at about 250 watts on occasion. If Aptera averaged 110 watt-hours per mile of energy consumption and went about 25 miles that day, it would have had to collect 2750 watt-hours from the solar panels. That DIDN'T happen with solar panels that peaked, on occasion, at 250 watts.

[@netscrooge]

@@johnreeves7261 I saw 260W in one video during a test ride, and there's no saying the test drive videos captured the true peak. All the test drive videos I saw had really long shadows, like they were early morning or late afternoon. The peak could have been higher than 260W. In another video, I saw that they had it parked with the hatch pointed toward the sun (full sunlight) between test rides. Also, the test drives were probably done at a lower average speed than the test they performed that returned 110Wh/m. (As you know, aerodynamic drag grows at the square of speed.) So it really isn't fair to say that there is no way the math could work. Lots of time in full sun and test drives that averaged maybe 25mph rather than 40mph could be all you need. We'll know more soon. They will be doing more real-world testing in the coming weeks.

[@johnreeves7261]

@@netscrooge You forget about the unicorns and pixie-dust.....

[@netscrooge]

@@johnreeves7261 You're talking about "unicorns and pixie-dust" while Aptera is performing real-world testing. I prefer science over storytelling.

[@THESocialJusticeWarrior]

300 watts is nothing compared to the power it takes to move that vehicle down the street. There is no way that was enough to keep the battery charged while it was driving. Smoke an mirrors.

[@CalvinJordan-b1c]

It’s a trickle charger you clown it doesn’t go to the motor,it goes to the battery

[@bastiat691]

In many neighborhoods in the US the numberplate is going to be ripped off of this vehicle with how floppy it is, too easy.

[@netscrooge]

Almost any license plate can easily be removed with a screwdriver. Honest question: Why would anyone bother to cut through Aptera's hinge? I live in a high crime area (had my catalytic converter stolen), and I'm not expecting that.

[@designrama8]

How many distracted 2-tone SUV drivers are on the roads? One rear end by them, it's game over for your life.

[@danroberts8141]

Where is the self driving? No Fsd no sale.

[@gmv0553]

Open Pilot is coming later!

[@robertkirchner7981]

They plan to use Open Pilot.

[@shawncell1247]

SCAM CAR STEALING🤣 MORE MONEY FROM INVESTORS ,LOL

[@aliottoman1451]

Pretty noisy

[@bryanwhitton1784]

Engineering prototype. I doubt sound damping is a concern and probably not installed.

[@richardryley3660]

Yeah, there is no soundproofing so there's a lot of motor and road noise. I actually thought it was kind of cool to be able to hear that motor noise for these test drives. When PI3 and PI4 are drivable there should be less noise. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing those test drives.

[@bryanwhitton1784]

@@richardryley3660 I want to see the interior finished. It seems that in the back the covering for the body is installed on the floor but not on the walls. I also wish someone could give me a dimension of the height above the floor the roof is behind the seats. I want to see if my dog's crate will fit there.

[@richardryley3660]

@bryanwhitton1784 The interior is finished on PI4. I expect interior dimensions will be coming from Aptera Owners Club unless he's excited he forgets. 😅

[@robertkirchner7981]

@@bryanwhitton1784 If PI4 is any guide, there will not be coverings on the rear part of the cargo area walls. Raw carbon fibre sheet moulding compound doesn't look so bad when exposed.

[@nikolatesla5553]

Aptera showing more vapor. Two decades of BS. Call me when they have an actual factory and a production line.

[@casylong8383]

number? IFKYK

[@netscrooge]

Sorry, but I don't understand how a functioning validation vehicle made almost entirely from production tooling counts as "vapor." I could see if they could only show us a rendering, but it's real.