It has 16" lightweight (6kg, 13lb) custom alloy wheel with a standard 195/45R16 tire (currently Continental Pro Contact weighing 17 lbs). They said the tire brand could change before it goers on the market, but there is no spare, so they said they want it to be a common and easily replaceable tire.
Aptera said the gain with LRR tires is only about as much as normal brake pads slightly grazing the discs. They said they can add a spring to eliminate that, & gain just as much as with LRR tires.
My BEV came with LRR tires. At 100 miles range per charge it goes 250% as far as my US average drive, so when the LRRs wore out VERY fast, I replaced them with standard tires, 2 sizes wider, & there was absolutely no range difference.
Where did Aptera say that? I agree LRR (Low Rolling Resistance) is not worth it. Less road grip is a safety issue in the rain and snow. If I get an Aptera i'd probably upgrade the tires to the meaty Continental Extreme Contact DWS06 Plus.
Interesting, my BEV came with LRR tires as well and swapping to other standard tires of the same width results in 5-15% range loss. Handling is greatly improved!
@alexluttrell Mine is a Fiat 500e, & other users have reported similar results to mine. Maybe there's a big difference in LRR tires & your BEV came with better ones. Mine were Firestone Firehawks & they were pure crap: Poor traction, VERY poor longevity, & seemingly about the same RR as the plain Hankook all-seasons I got for less, with much better grip & on track to last 3 times as long.
I find it interesting they aren't looking at a more 'efficiency focused' tire choice. I'm not complaining since I like the Aptera for (hopefully) its' robust performance more than the efficiency, though that's a nice benefit as well.
They said there is a chance they might need to make the rear tire/wheel different if there are any problems with the handling/stability tests. But they say they can get <100Wh/mi just from aero and drivetrain efficiency and not have to play with the tires.
It has 16" lightweight (6kg, 13lb) custom alloy wheel with a standard 195/45R16 tire (currently Continental Pro Contact weighing 17 lbs). They said the tire brand could change before it goers on the market, but there is no spare, so they said they want it to be a common and easily replaceable tire.
Aptera said the gain with LRR tires is only about as much as normal brake pads slightly grazing the discs. They said they can add a spring to eliminate that, & gain just as much as with LRR tires.
My BEV came with LRR tires. At 100 miles range per charge it goes 250% as far as my US average drive, so when the LRRs wore out VERY fast, I replaced them with standard tires, 2 sizes wider, & there was absolutely no range difference.
I find it interesting they aren't looking at a more 'efficiency focused' tire choice. I'm not complaining since I like the Aptera for (hopefully) its' robust performance more than the efficiency, though that's a nice benefit as well.
Biff is right.
At one time they were talking about a slightly larger 205 vs 195 rear tire, which might also help with a pothole hit to the rear wheel
We shall see!
They said there is a chance they might need to make the rear tire/wheel different if there are any problems with the handling/stability tests. But they say they can get <100Wh/mi just from aero and drivetrain efficiency and not have to play with the tires.