Colors (Discuss!)

In one of the videos, they were asked about the weight of the PV panels. They said the cells are just applied directly to the pre-existing hood, hatch, and other non-structural body panels, so there is little weight increase. I presume replacing the cells would require replacing the whole body panel. Since the panels are not structural, hopefully they will not be very expensive.

The cells seem to stand a little proud of the surface of the car, which is what led me to think they were attached on top of the wrap. Someone else on the forum said a clear wrap went over the cells. You would think that if the cells are mounted to a plastic shell, they would mount them under the shell so they could make a perfectly smooth surface. I would feel a lot better knowing the whole solar assembly is a replaceable unit that does not interface with the wrap, and it sounds like that is the way it is designed.

I cannot say exactly how Aptera applies the solar cells, but it is certainly not over the vinyl wrap. For those of you who are not familiar with vinyl wraps, it is a convenient way to change the color of ones car. It has its advantage that it could be peeled off at anytime. We also use Plasticoat spray for this same reason. The vinyl has the same weight and consistency as vinyl shelf paper used to line kitchen shelves. One needs to use it combination with stretching and a heat gun to go over any 2 dimensional compound curves. It usually does not have a clear coat over it. It's also has an advantage in that it doesn't chip and has a certain amount of elasticity. But it certain rips when something sharp hits it. It is also comes in a perforated style. You will see an example of it if your city buses use it as solar protection and advertising/graphics over the windows. Hope this helps.

I am not sure I understand. The solar cells are attached to the underside of a clear, probably polycarbonate shell? And, that shell is attached to the composite shell? Does that mean the cells are removable/replaceable? Also, the color directly adjacent to the solar cells is a part of the clear shell and not a vinyl wrap?

I am wondering if there is a conflict between using a vinyl wrap and the solar cells. I have read that the best wraps last 5-7 years - not long for a car built to last much longer. Since the car is intended to be left in the sun, the wrap will be degraded by UV much faster, and I understand that the wrap becomes more difficult to remove the longer it is left in the sun and gets baked on. I think the stack up begins with a black wrap, followed by the solar cells, and finished with a clear wrap over the top of the cells. Will the black wrap hold up longer when it is covered with the clear? If not, will all of the solar cells have to be removed when rewrapping so as not to risk putting a fresh clear wrap over the old black wrap? Is the clear vinyl wrap filtering out useful spectrum for the solar cells? Also, I have read that the matte finish wraps are difficult to clean. Is this a good choice for the bottom of the car? Is the wrap a threat to the longevity of the solar cell package?

I think lime green (like they use on the Kia Soul EV) might look good on this car.

Perhaps I'm a bit dense, but reading through the comments I'm getting the impression that the means of adding color to the car hasn't even been decided upon as of yet. Am I missing something?

Glow in the dark vinyl wrap to match the logo... https://youtu.be/ne_OlUb5V_g

Sharp! Kinda the reverse of the noir with the red/orange interior.

Quick and dirty photo manip' in GIMP. I'm thinking of this with a dark blue roof with white and yellow graphics along the lines of the aero demographics.

Yea, I think that the testing over the next several months will reveal a lot. Color is probably a functional “non-issue”, but I think the gray body would show less dirt than white and I’m not really into the Batman look. To each his own. Wrap is always an option “down the road”. 🤔😁

The channels are inside the skin, leaving its outer surface smoothly aerodynamic, but I wonder about a wrap with some sort of extra-dirt-resistant non-stick outer surface.

Color may affect HVAC efficiency, but stock colors include each extreme (white, & black), so it must not be much of an issue.

Solar is not mandatory for me. My current BEV has none & it's fine for me. I dress accordingly, & precondition the cabin with A/C on the rare instances it's needed.

I found some non-black nosecones: Grey on the silver car on the order page, & blue on the pic above (but personally I think the TOP of the cone should match the hood).

I live on the wild coast, and dirty cars are a daily.... no, an hourly challenge. Black or white paint show the dirt more than silver, so silver on all of the lower surfaces makes great sense to me. Whether it's the channels in the skin, or just the usual muck, I hope it's easy to hose down!

The Aptera does not use a finned radiator which causes drag. Instead coolant will be routed through channels in the skin for the cabin heat pump etc., The skin will sweat and ice will form over these channels. Will the color choice or wraps etc. affect HVAC efficiency? Also, road dirt will be attracted to these areas. Which colors will be the easiest to keep clean?

Okay, so slight additional cost. The 2-tone I meant is the lower nose on the white & silver cars, & the skirt on the silver.

I have a plug in my garage & many local free public chargers, so I don't need solar. I'd hope to be able to cover it in wrap, or another option might be a "window" wrap as used for some vehicle signs/ads.

Cool! I really don't care for black, or Aptera's multi-color look of their other options, so I just checked & you can get wraps in gold chrome, brushed stainless, & carbon fiber cloth print (also available in white "fiberglass-look" & yellow "Kevlar-look").

If the car comes wrapped from the factory, why not just offer any color you want, for no extra charge, since it wouldn't cost any more to wrap it in red or blue than in white or black.

@Ozman Vinyl wraps have been a good alternative to paint in some custom instances. To me it is easier than painting a car, but requires a different set of skills, especially on cars such as the Aptera with compound curves. The flatter the surface, the easier the wrap. Curved surfaces such as motorcycle fenders and gas tanks require heat stretching and manipulation. There are several cars in our car club that have wraps including a matte black Bugatti Veyron and a chrome McLaren. Besides custom car wrapping shops, most sign shops now do vinyl wrapping and lettering. Our public city buses have wrap on the bodies and windows. The Apteras wheel spats look no more difficult than a motorcycle gas tank. If all fails, one can always color match and paint the part. You are correct in pointing out that vinyl could be just peeled off and re-covered. I am current customizing the side rockers and fender protectors on my Bimmer with vinyl wrap. It is easy enough to do by yourself. I had a choice to also spray on Plasti Dip which is also removeable. Both have ample YouTube videos for info and application. Another product which is similar to the vinyl wrap is the clear bra which many of us use in the front of their cars to protect from rock chips. It is applied in a similar fashion, but uses a thicker material. Hope this helps.

Also, never having had any experience with a wrap, I can only go with what I can look up. I've seen it said that wraps have a fairly limited lifespan, and that applied properly they can be removed, what would the state of the finish underneath be? For that matter, if you got a wrap, what would the finish underneath be? (Color wise.) If you do a wrap and need to replace a wheel shroud (Supposedly fairly cheap according to the videos.) Is it now a fairly expensive item since it needs a bit more than standard? Anyone here have any experience with wraps for some input?

I had the impression that the color coming out of the mold would be black, and any silver or white would be achieved with a wrap applied over the black. The images of the silver body show a two-tone finish, and I just noticed that the solar cells on the tail section are surrounded by silver. That would indicate that the silver color is applied in the mold. Is there any clarification on that?

I was told vinyl wrap will be used but no confirmation eg of 3M’s 1080 wrap

I hear gel coat would not be good

and actual the vinyl wrap helps slightly with the total weigh ( gel vs wrap )

But what do I know...

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I hear voices😉

Can/will the body itself be colored? Is there an advantage to picking one of the three standard colors? I guess I assumed that if the body was a molded resin the would put the dye into the body itself.

In a molded body structure it is an advantage to use gel coat for the exterior color. It aids in the release from the mold.