Been following Aptera since their first generation hybrid vehicle. Huge fan of putting engineering first and the mission this company has. There is a long list of breakthroughs too long to list here so I will skip the part most of us know. In addition, drawn to the dedication, transparency and humility the founders have shown over the past decade in this space. This for me earns trust in the leadership. Finished off with an investment / partnership from Sandy Monro :D
I have an investing Discord and often talk about this company regularly to a few thousand people. There are 3 questions that frequently get brought up and want to make sure these are addressed through marketing and testing documentation / video.
1 - Crash Test Video along with rendering of the safety technology. People I've spoken to think small, lightweight vehicle and get cold feet.
2 - What if I live in the North where it snows regularly? Solar Panels heated to melt snow?, Range Degradation? Tech to keep batteries at better temps like efficient Heat Pump system?
3 - I don't think I can fit in it. *I know the videos are out there saying a 6'7" person can drive it, but just identifying the consumer perception.
I wanted to get anyone else's take that speaks to large numbers of individuals on what concerns you hear that are most common. This is in an effort to help the Aptera team address them head on. (I'm sold personally, I want us to help sell others on this).
Using Ctrl+F & "heat" at Aptera's Spreadsheet the 3rd result is only line 25: "The battery will have a heater", & the 5th result is only line 65: "we also have a heat pump to keep the battery warm. "
Thanks for the comments everyone! Yea, the purpose of the post was to start a discussion on what other forum members have heard in addition to the 3 items I listed from the general public.
I agree that you shouldn't waste your time on convincing people that wouldn't be buyers anyway. I say the same thing to my staff in the Promotional Products business I run. If they don't believe in spending $ on branding, don't waste your time selling to them!
However it is important to listen to market feedback (as any customer centric company should) to improve a product. For me, both as a future owner and shareholder - like to see what the general public thinks. Note: this doesn't change my opinion of Aptera.
Another point to consider is if the Can-Am 3 wheel motorcycle can sell 40k units a year for the same price as an entry level Aptera, they should have no problems exceeding that goal. I think that number is very conservative which I like. Buyers are out there.
Regarding the Cold Range, I was asking what tech does Aptera have to keep the batteries at better operating temps when operating the vehicle in cold weather climates. *I'm in Upstate NY so I am curious. For example, in the Tesla Model Y & 2021+ Model 3, they added an energy efficient heat pump system and an "OctoValve" that keeps the heat loop close to the batteries. This translated to only 8-10% loss in range in cold weather. In contrast users report in the Model X and older Model 3, a 30-35% drop in range during ~30 degree F temps. The model X and older 3s do not use the heat pump / octovalve system.
Interested to hear about this since the solar panels in the 1st version of the Aptera in 2010 used the solar panels to power a heat pump to keep the cabin at a comfortable temp. I have seen the new Aptera "skin" heating/cooling routed to the exterior panels which eliminates a radiator and fan. Actually interested to learn more about how that works and the components used for this system.
Their YouTube channel is gaining steam. Look forward to the updates / videos they do on a regular basis!
#2 from 1st post: There's no range "degradation" from cold. In fact battery lifespan is better.
IF you don't have a standard wall outlet available within extension cord range, there IS temporary range loss, but in a 400-mile Aptera it's less of an issue than any other BEV.
The increase in cold air density also means more drag, but again much less of an issue than with any other car.
Sell to those who want it. Don't waste time, effort and money trying to convince doubters.
The questions you describe come from the doubters. Those might get convinced at a later stage when the car has been on the roads for some time ... some years.
This is why Tesla does not spend any money on advertising. People who want it buy it. Those people then convince other people.
The aptera addresses a very narrow niche of potential customers - like me and everyone else who reserved an aptera and potentially also invested.
We the niche buy it for what is is and what it can offer. For us it is more important to come to production, rather than being perfect and serving everybody's wishes in version 1.
Idon't have any faith in computer rendered frontal crashes. A computer image can be made to show anything. Only the real thing is reliable.
I'm pretty sure I saw a computer rendering of a frontal crash. Maybe someone can post a link.
"The battery will have a heater" is on Aptera's FAQ sheet, currently on line 25 (but numbers change when they delete lines above).
There's a 6'7" driver of a FIAT 500e on one of the forums, who says he fits comfortably. It's usually the BACK seat of small-medium cars that's cramped.
I can give you my answers from “my street corner” from what I read mostly in the FQA ( if your friends 🔍search for that in this forum or the subject matter
So under each
1 - Crash Test Video along with rendering of the safety technology. People I've spoken to think small, lightweight vehicle and get cold feet.
👉Aptera is just finishing the SOL development vehicles now, going directly onto the beta development vehicles so…. Crash testing would have to be on production intended vehicle, which comes after the gamma when they enter into the delta->“production vehicle” So they can’t show the actual safety technology items until finalized Right?
2 - What if I live in the North where it snows regularly? Solar Panels heated to melt snow?, Range Degradation? Tech to keep batteries at better temps like efficient Heat Pump system?
👉I lived on in snow county for over 6 decades. I had PV solar panels there on a 40 ‘ high slated roof and I never had to go up there to clear
When the sun came out the snow melted and slid off “ the warm black” panels “ like an landslide!”…many afternoons after a snowfall.
Aptera is only ~ 53” tall so it would be easy to remove snow, like clearing the windshield if it doesn’t start melting.
I am not sure how many people in low solar some areas will order the option solar cell options???
3 - I don't think I can fit in it. *I know the videos are out there saying a 6'7" person can drive it, but just identifying the consumer perception.
👉Well …They say targeting 6’7” but people have different toros and leg lengths . The seats angle back? The seats are being improved So we have to 🤞 and that too
I hope this helps “ a little?”
Re: #3 - For those concerned that they won't fit in a car designed to meet the 6'7" metric, suggest they find a MINI Cooper (coupe version) and try it on for size. It was designed to easily fit a 6'7" person. I was 6'4" when we bought an early '02 model and I had ~4" of headroom but couldn't reach the pedals with the seat full aft! I had to move the seat forward ~3" to fully depress the clutch. I have even more headroom today thanks to the vagaries of age and gravity for which I've lost 2".
The other concern I hear a lot about is width. I think addressing that head on with footage of it driving around and being parked in garage or parking lot etc would go a long ways... Also parallel parking.
Jay Leno talked about it with the old 2e prototype he drove I believe, and said it didn't seem like a big deal. I'd love to see him (less biased, independent) drive it and be asked the same thing. Same thing with hitting potholes.
I also hear about trike stability. I'd love to see some serious hard moose testing and track testing to see how it handles at and beyond the limits. These things will come but we have to be patient and that is hard.