I've seen a lot of promising tech innovation pointing toward bismuth & graphene related innovations which should make even the Sol model highly opportunistic in capturing more solar gains. Are you already pursuing this or have you gone in another direction you could share with us?
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There are lots of research developments in high efficiency solar. High efficiency is usually a compromise on inclusion of precious / rare metals and production cost. ~20% currently seems to be the sweet spot for high performance obtainable off the shelf.
https://www.nrel.gov/pv/cell-efficiency.html
I gather that the bismuth PV chemistry is only suited for the niche application of indoor lighting conditions; so for low power consumption indoor appliances like maybe clocks. The light absorption characteristics are wrong for sunlight.
A sound strategy. Their current selection are quite efficient for silicon cells and their design approach for easy maintenance/replacement provides a path for upgrade while keeping the current costs down. Bleeding or cutting edge technology is expensive. Always best to wait for "Commodity" pricing for best value for the invested buck
I like that plan. The flexibility allows Aptera to take advantage of constant innovations. I will buy the smallest battery, giving me the least financial commitment to batteries, making it less painful to upgrade until I reach the level I need/want.
Presently Aptera is using silicon cells with 22 - 23% efficiency. They have designed them to be easy to replace in the case of damage and technical advancement, and are ready to upgrade when better cells become available at commodity pricing.