Q: "Is there any concern with not being able to straddle potholes or objects in the road? How will it do over speed bumps or entering steeper driveways?"
A: "It will handle most potholes nicely with 5" clearance and good entry and exit angles on the wheel covers. Anything a Honda Civic can handle, we can too."
A Honda Civic can't handle much either. It would be nice to have an option to raise the height, like some Citroëns can. But... that will probably add to the weight. I think 9" clearance everywhere would be better; not just the main body.
I hate to slow down for speedbumps, but Aptera should not have to:
I had a car with a low airdam & relatively long front overhang, & before installing it & lowering the car I went around measuring all the worst speedbumps. None were over 5". Take a broom handle & measuring tape to your worst local ones.
Also note that the entry/exit angle makes a difference, with Aptera having the advantage of a pretty short overhang from the wheels to the back of the covers. That won't help for sharp potholes though, so measure them too, but over 5" seems more likely to damage a car's tires.
As for solar capacity (mentioned earlier, before this post was "upvoted"), here's how Aptera will keep up: It is currently much better than every other car. If every other car added the same solar, Aptera would still be 60% better (takes 60% less power per mile). By the time others can equal that, with solar that's 60% better, Aptera will have already switched to better solar too, available to current owners by switching out their hatch (& hood? & dashboard cover?).
The Aptera is larger than it appears, and so is the wheel clearance. The wheels have 5 inches clearance, the same as many cars. It has 9 inches from the lowest part of the main body to the road.
How bad are the roads in your neighborhood?
Re. pot holes and speed bumps: Slow down for speed bumps. That's why they are there. Then you will do fine.
Potholes should be avoided when possible. Again, slow down. This vehicle is half the weight of many cars. It should behave better on the big bumps than heavier cars.
The old models were tested to 110 mph cross winds and were reported fine
There is only flat surface, is the rear wheel skirt
Solar panels are reported to be changeable even my owner??? At least ten+ years expected
You do realize they only have one Dev. vehicle on the road and being tested with two more in build for test and crash test....Right? Production can only begin with basic requirements in place.
I live in Az. The winds speeds get really high. How does it handle? The car is solar. Can the panels be changed out? And with solar power constantly changing, how is the company going to keep up?
3) Solar and batteries as well as all technology are constantly improving. I expect their vehicles to do the same year after year, just like those of other manufacturers.
2) The solar panels are designed to be easily replaceable if damaged. However, they are designed to last for 10 or more years, so unless you run into something like a deer or extreme hail, you may never need to.
1) This is from the FAQ sheet at https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/11Of3g6RYqstbXecs7j2UHHd_b8s5MebxEs-ZwkyMiiQ/
"How stable is Aptera?
"Our advanced aerodynamics has some REAL benefits! We have 110 mph crosswind stability, while most flat sided cars start moving at 80 to 90 mph. In addition to that, you barely feel semi trucks as you just slip through their turbulence. For people concerned about stability at high speeds; Downforce on the rear of the vehicle is about 25 pounds at 65 MPH."
Speedbumps, from line 81 of Aptera FAQ Spreadsheet:
Q: "Is there any concern with not being able to straddle potholes or objects in the road? How will it do over speed bumps or entering steeper driveways?"
A: "It will handle most potholes nicely with 5" clearance and good entry and exit angles on the wheel covers. Anything a Honda Civic can handle, we can too."
I hate to slow down for speedbumps, but Aptera should not have to:
I had a car with a low airdam & relatively long front overhang, & before installing it & lowering the car I went around measuring all the worst speedbumps. None were over 5". Take a broom handle & measuring tape to your worst local ones.
Also note that the entry/exit angle makes a difference, with Aptera having the advantage of a pretty short overhang from the wheels to the back of the covers. That won't help for sharp potholes though, so measure them too, but over 5" seems more likely to damage a car's tires.
As for solar capacity (mentioned earlier, before this post was "upvoted"), here's how Aptera will keep up: It is currently much better than every other car. If every other car added the same solar, Aptera would still be 60% better (takes 60% less power per mile). By the time others can equal that, with solar that's 60% better, Aptera will have already switched to better solar too, available to current owners by switching out their hatch (& hood? & dashboard cover?).
The Aptera is larger than it appears, and so is the wheel clearance. The wheels have 5 inches clearance, the same as many cars. It has 9 inches from the lowest part of the main body to the road.
How bad are the roads in your neighborhood?
Re. pot holes and speed bumps: Slow down for speed bumps. That's why they are there. Then you will do fine.
Potholes should be avoided when possible. Again, slow down. This vehicle is half the weight of many cars. It should behave better on the big bumps than heavier cars.
From my reading...
The old models were tested to 110 mph cross winds and were reported fine
There is only flat surface, is the rear wheel skirt
Solar panels are reported to be changeable even my owner??? At least ten+ years expected
You do realize they only have one Dev. vehicle on the road and being tested with two more in build for test and crash test....Right? Production can only begin with basic requirements in place.
I live in Az. The winds speeds get really high. How does it handle? The car is solar. Can the panels be changed out? And with solar power constantly changing, how is the company going to keep up?