My Fiat 500e daily driver is 64" wide, it's awesome in dense traffic on my daily commute. A 2020 F350 pickup is 80" wide, the dually version is 94" wide. The Aptera falls in the middle at 88" wide, a full 8" wider than a full sized pickup truck.
This concerns me 2 ways, in traffic it will be on you to defend your front wheel spats. Other drivers won't be able to see them when you are on their passenger side. They will see the body and think they are giving you plenty of room when they are inches away from your front wheels. I have a feeling it will be a much more tense morning commute in heavy traffic.
The other concern is other people parking next to your Aptera. If they are pulling in or leaving a space and you are parked on their passenger side they can't see your front wheels. Seems pretty easy for them to get hit in parking lots.
Maybe the solution is fender flags on the wheel spats?
A little Ford Ranger has lost its mirror several times on my street. Almost everyone parks with their mirrors folded. I hope wheel fenders are easily replaced.
My concern is when a bicyclist is on the right side and I am suppose to fit the Aptera into the same lane. On narrow curving roads with oncoming traffic, moving into the other lane may not be an option. Efficiency is great, but I also want the vehicle to be easy to live with.
No. Don't turn a mole hill into a mountain.
https://www.aptera.us/forum/main/comment/60355e47bb11cc0015aad430 https://www.aptera.us/forum/main/comment/602459dedb409900170b5f3b
besides decreasing mass and better aerodynamics of having narrower/shorter car,
car being wide is a problem for some parking spaces especially with the doors open. aptera would also be much more appealing to sport driving market if it wasnt so wide, b/c narrower can means more space to move around including more space to handle a more g force intensive turn, etc. sports car market especially light affordable sports car/comfort grand touring bike market, is something that expands market for aptera by a considerable amount... there arnt many people who want a car that specializes only in being fuel efficient.
LIGHT STRIP STICK/WHIP:the flag idea for wheels being too small for other drivers to see(especially for so called "SUV"s, minivans, etc which are the common car nowdays), can be a "stiff light whip" b/c more aerodynamic friendly like used in off roading events, it can also work as turn signals. https://www.buggywhip.com/n-11-racing-dont-get-stuck-in-the-dust.html https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Multi-Color-5FT-LED-Light-Whips_60668502228.html
it should be very stiff so its doesn't bend in too much messing with aerodynamics, it will be just tall enough to be visible up to maybe where a normal rearview mirror would be
No concern. It's narrower than my F150's mirrors.
I'd rather they just simply make the interior smaller, if leaving gaps between the hull and the wheels is necessary for aerodynamic boasting. If it's too snug, move the passenger seat a bit forward and closer. I'm biased, though, as a vertically challenged person, and I'd be happy to just watch from a distance as the vehicle prospers in niche American wide-road markets.
Ya this is something I'm not really liking. I'd really like to see them make it more narrow. 88" is wider than almost all other cars, SUVs, even full-size trucks.
I agree this is something that I'm getting concerned about. Most normal cars and SUVs are much narrower. Most full size pick-ups are much narrower.
Out here in the country an F150 is an economy car, F250s are everywhere, and 300-500 series trucks are in common use.
They call my white and black BMW i3 the “Skunk Car”
Nope - not concerned in the least.
I'm not concerned about its width in traffic, since I live in a small city with wide roads. But it's too wide to park on our driveway and still allow another car to pass by it to get to the garage. I haven't made up my mind whether to cancel my pre-order, but it's likely.
The 88 inch Aptera width is the same as the mirror width on a Ford F250 Super Duty Pickup Truck.
I have a concern about the wheel width. My garage is only 9' wide and I have to make a hard right turn from an alley into my garage. I expect to need some proximity sensors on the fenders (spats?) covering the wheels. Does anyone know the turning radius of the Aptera?
I am not sure how much more of an issue this will be compared to having mirrors that extend this far out on many vehicles. The tradeoff for better handling, stability and lower waste of energy to wind resistance is one that I am willing to make.
I’ve been thinking about this as well and agree that some type of LED lighting would probably be the best solution. There are a lot of portable battery operated LED lights available.
Flags would hurt earo. Super Bright lighting over the coverings may be as good as it gets.