I’m contemplating using this vehicle in Maine, and I’m a little worried about the amount of overhang on the wheel covers when it comes to rough terrain or even Maine roads in winter. A little bit of upsweep, fore and aft, like a Cessna’s wheel nacelles would put my mind at ease.
And on a different note, when it comes to choosing the note which you have to add for slow speeds, could we have a choice menu?And could one of those choices be the sound that the hover cars made in Star Wars?
Clearance: The standard street wheel covers already clear a 5-inch-deep pothole.
Ice: Good or bad, unlike a normal car's wheel-to-fender area, Aptera's front wheel covers move with the wheels, but the rear cover does not.
I'd love to add various sound effects for everything possible. Startup sound, parking lot sounds, etc.
Regarding ice buildup in the wheel wells, I'm familiar with that problem living in NJ and Upstate NY. It happens on all cars. Often a good thump with my gloved fist shook the frozen slush loose. That's with old metal and plastic wheel wells. With the more flexible composite material that Aptera uses, a good thump should quickly get the icy stuff to let go.
The offroad package has wheel covers with higher clearance than regular cars. The in-wheel motors and brakes produce heat and have liquid cooling lines to prevent heat buildup inside the covers. Braking hard or stopping the coolant flow should melt any snow/ice in the wheel covers. Also, the cooling system can send warm coolant to the batteries to warm them up on cold days, so they could do this with the wheels as well if ice builldup in the wheel wells is a problem.
I also worry about clearance. We have some giant pot holes every winter in Michigan.
Also, I'm concerned about the slush build up that can form large ice blocks in current car wheel wells. What effect will this build up have on performance or function on the Aptera?
Re: Sound. I don't know if anyone will know/remember this one, but I want to have the sound of The Mammoth Car from Speed Racer playing when I roll through a parking lot. Either that or the sound of the war machines from War of The Worlds (the original movie, not the Tom Cruise nonsense). Yes, I'm a bit odd.
They offer offroad wheel covers with more ground clearance.
My vote is for the Jetson's theme song.
Take the wheel covers off in the winter or when off road.
I vote for the sound of pod racers. Lol