New interview - lots of clarification!

in General Discussions

Chris and Steve just gave an interview to InsideEVs that answers quite a few questions:

There will be 3 alpha prototypes, the third will be in the Luna color scheme
The first Apterae built will be the 400-mile variant, followed by the 250 and then the 600
The chassis will need to be changed to carry/fit the 1000-mile-range traction pack
The beta prototypes will be physically larger, have greater cargo space and be more aerodynamic than the alpha prototypes.

The interview begins at 37:00

https://youtu.be/h970HQdFYEc

4 comments

4 Comments

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Len

May 29, 2021

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Yeah I heard that too

No ...it is just that is the first time I heard the Beta will be more like the production vehicles ( The Alpha look pretty impressive!)

They had talked about Alpha through Gamma vehicle transition for some

time...

I guess you can crash as many vehicles as you like to assess “ where you are” but the ultimate production intended one is the meaning crash test. Right?!

I hate saying crash test😔

Kerbe #12705

May 30, 2021

Replying to

@Len Yup - each of the four levels of prototyping gets closer to the finished product. I liked how they hemmed and hawed about Noir - without saying that it was mostly cobbled-together from a wrecked Model 3 - but made it clear that Sol was a vast improvement!

Considering the number of vehicles that need to be damaged during NHTSA crash testing, it only makes sense to wait until you have the penultimate version ready - so that you can make any changes those tests show to be necessary before production begins. Although most manufacturers wait to test until after production begins - because the results are used for marketing and really only impact insurance rates...