You may have read on line...last month there was an Advance Look Event for some Tesla (San Diego) members.
I was able to stop in at (AMC’s) Aptera Motors Corporation’s headquarters for the June event .
I am NOT employed by Aptera but have been following them well before I had my first ride in the old Apter 2e in ~2010. Yes I have a reservation. So I guess you can say.. "a longtime Aptera enthusiast! This will be my first sEV, as nothing else really offered what I wanted.
I was one of those fortunate to see their headquarters/studio, while the FWD Sol was featured in the open courtyard and the AWD Noir was staged in the studio garage bay. The Luna was under final build ... I did not see it. Many Aptera sample component like the lightweight composite, aluminum frame and batteries , etc. were displayed in the studio.
So I thought I would take a moment and share some feedback and my first impressions.
From Len's Street Corner :
(My needs are a 60 kWH (600 mi range), AWD and all the offered options, allowed back in Dec 2020) 👉AMC knows how to throw a classy event! This is no longer like a Twilight Zone episode “for me”.... I did get to meet many of the amazing Aptera team.
👉 REAL fine mission driven team !
Well I would say that many invitees had looks of amazement, while the team had their frequently seen.....broad smiles. I am still pinching myself! I probably should have asked more questions but...was just taking it all in! ╮(╯_╰)╭ Even though I have been seeing the same videos the general public have been seeing of Noir and Sol.... they are AMAZING! 👉 They DO LOOK like what you have been seeing/enjoying.
For me... seeing renderings in 2019 to late 2020 that look just like what I now had in front of me, was mind blowing. 🤯 Who does that? Aptera! Think about how many other concept vehicles never look like the planned production units... 👉 IMHO there was a great trim and fit “for this early stage on the these first two development (alpha) vehicles!” As Chris has mentioned in a video... You can’t imagine what your have to do to put together the early vehicles... 👉 You have the dimensions but ...They really are a nice sized vehicle! 👉 I was not closely examining the interior fabric but it looked great. To me... the Sol had what looked like the color scheme of the offered Codex. If not a close hybrid of that 👉 Someone asked Chris to jump in to show how “he fits” and how “ easy it is”... Well.. “he easily fits nicely” I guess Chris is about 6+’. I am about 6’ and I had plenty of leg and head room ( I only sat in the passenger seat). 👉 They partially installed the camping tent for the audience, which looks easy to install/use. 👉 Yes... the top panel is clear on both the Noir and Sol, where it covers the hatch / where a full solar array would be. 👉 Noir’s solar area finish had a kind of slightly raised diagonal designed encapsulation :
👉 Where as Sol had a smooth finish, which seems to compliment their aerodynamic design passion.
Both nice! 👉 The finish on the dash solar array was very flat.. No worry about glare there ! Best way to describe "the look" at this early Development Vehicle design Flat black solar cell square that look like they are powder painted, arranged in the diagonal design we see. 👉 I never owned a vinyl wrapped vehicle but it was nice to see the matte colored wraps on these vehicles. As you know Noir is entirely a mono matte black body with gloss black solar on roof, and hood and those” > “ on the tail; Sol is the combo of matte white with matte black nose and bottom rear skirt, with gloss black solar on roof, and hood and those” > “ on the tail These development vehicles had the same flat body color on the front wheel pants.
👉 I believe the battery packs in both he Noir and Sold are smaller than the production offer size ( 25 10 100 kWh) at this point. And why should they? More development vehicles coming and final decision on battery supplier, etc....
👉 Of course these early development vehicles did not yet have 1)completely closed front wheel pants and 2) the seal around the front arms and 3)at the body...Hoses / lines will be tucked into that final closed design I understand. 👉 I hope these tiny antenna like side view cameras will be a reality. Of course that design (camera lens at end of short stalk ( aka antennae) is needed to see around its curvy body... but it complements its quirky look! 👉 Yes “whisper quiet” ... It is an sEV after all! But at high acceleration it has its own neat EV performance sound, The new sound of an impressive 0-60 mph in single digit second ERVs, I guess! ( i.e., My observation watching from outside the vehicle, as it wizzed by!) I hope this helps bring some closure on some of these topics.
I am sorry... I couldn’t help myself and “rubbed the belly” of the Sol. Because you can’t press it in, like on the legend 😉 Pillsbury Dough Boy...
Can’t wait to see Luna reveal with promised new options inside!
Onward....Beta vehicle(s) next
If what I've heard about upgradeability because of the embrace of the right to repair - Aptera has yet another revolutionary feature that seals the deal. In a strange way, the Aptera is going to be the first user accessible computer car that can have 'specialized apps."
Let me explain it this way. If I were a politician, I'd get one of these for my campaign. I'd drive in parades, doors up with banners flying. I'd put a harbor freight dolly under the rear tire and set up a routine with the computer that would spin the Aptera in place by punching a button that disables the rear motor (if present) and reverse one front motor while rotating the other front motor forward.) That move is a crowd-pleaser! Heck, I might even rig it by removing the back hatch and installing a 'speaking podium' in the cargo bed where I can wave to the crowd and throw candy :).
Parade over, I pack the gear in the cargo area and, at an incremental cost that borders on free, I'd head to my next engagement in my Red, White and Blue wrapped billboard I call Aptera.
The secret in all this are the benefits that come from the in-wheel motors including torque vectoring. You can go backwards, forwards and turn any direction by precision adjustment of these motors. This control communication can be adapted to give us simple humans the experience of driving a traditional car or a farmer could rig it to herd sheep by radio control 'out of the box.' You could even herd cows to ford a river 'case the thing floats.
Qtrain ... and icing on the cake is that is near indestructible and so lasts forever.
Bottomline, it may not be the perfect tool for automated farming or performing parade tricks, but it promises to be the only available platform to do so off the shelf.