I purchased a Honda Insight in 2001 and drove it for 15 years and 225,000 miles (362,000 km). It still remains the best car I have ever owned and these include a 2019 BMW and a 1970 Porsche 914/6. But the Insight, also designed to be highly wind and rolling resistance efficient, quickly lost its edge on mountain passes. When the battery discharged on the climb, the car slowed to 35 mph. How does the Aptera perform on long (Rocky Mountain pass) hills? The second major joy of the Insight was Honda service. In 225,000 miles of driving I needed only one major service. This was to replace one of the wheels that had been so finely milled that it had a pinhole. Other than that and the battery replacement (which was well beyond the initial expectation) the car was flawless. What and how would one have the Aptera serviced and how would Aptera warranty the car and its components? (I understand that EVs require much less service than gas powered cars.)
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I still drive a Honda Insight... actually I have two, and recently donated a 3rd one (with 20 miles on it) to the Lane Motor Museum, in Nashville.
Ya, I've got a few of those too, plus a couple of offers if I come test-drive a car, they'll give me a $20 gas card. I suppose I could use it to scrape off my expired carpool stickers.
Soon after I bought my 2011 Leaf, someone from the dealer called and asked if I had received the coupons for an oil change and lube in the mail. I said, " You know there's no oil in this car right?" There was stunned silence on the other end of the line, then he hung up.
Thanks Bruce! My BEV battery has a bigtime-overkill cooling system*, so I forgot how heat could be a problem with marginal cooling. It was pretty hot out when I drove an air-cooled eGolf to BigBear, with 20 miles of 5% grade at around 50mph, & it was fine too though.
I wonder which Aptera model choice is best for long hot hills, or if these factors cancel themselves out:
A bigger battery generates less heat at the same output power, & also takes longer to heat up, BUT it's heavier so it takes more output power to haul it uphill.
*Liquid cooled, with the liquid chilled below ambient by the A/C fluid!
I also own a Gen 1 Honda Insight. I expect Aptera to be better in almost every respect. I asked Chris the hill climb question. At 65 mph up a 6 % grade in 110F weather, it may reach its cooling design limits and begin to slow down after 10 minutes, but this is a conservative estimate.
Simple answer:
1. A BEV like Aptera up AND down hills makes little difference.
2. BEV service is nearly zero.
Details:
My current BEV is by far the best car I have ever owned and these include a 2000 Toyota MR2 and a 1972 Datsun 240Z with a 5.0L Ford V-8 5-spd O.D. manual with Torsen diff.
Insight is 100% gas-powered. Aptera & all other BEVs are quite different, being 100% electric-powered.
1. A BEV takes a range hit on ONE-way hills, but on up AND down, it makes little difference, regaining most of the losses by brake regeneration on the way down.
2. In 5 1/3 years of BEV ownership, I've needed NO service except tires & 12V starter battery replacement, which is normal for any car after a few years.
$0 for oil changes. $0 for smog checks. $0 for air filters. $0 for brakes (it's all electromagnetic, except below 7mph).