Another EV startup near me, Bollinger is going pretty much the opposite direction from Aptera: A class-3 heavy truck (18,001lbs GVWR), pure EV with kilowatt-plus power-export for jobsite and field use. No solar roof, which is a shame, because they could probably add 1 or 2 whole miles of range per day! ;)
There's an SUV and a pickup in the works, plus stripped chassis options for body-builders: https://bollingermotors.com/
I love that both the B1 and the Aptera exist, because the duality speaks to everything I love about EVs. The technology is so versatile you can make it fit any need, and the tooling costs can be low enough that upstarts can enter the market and disrupt things. That's the hope, anyway.
(Really though, I love the no-frills aesthetic with conventional controls and knobs for everything. I'd kill for a screen-delete option in the Aptera, just give me a double-DIN hole to mount a stereo and I'll cook up my own HVAC controls that spit out CAN messages. I work in infotainment/ADAS testing, and the more I've had to interact with touchscreens in cars, the more I've come to utterly loathe them.)
So given that the Aptera is slated to have a power-export inverter as well, it's possible that either of these vehicles could L1-charge the other. Which would look pretty absurd, if you passed such a scene at the side of the road.
The requirement for safety certification is definitely avoided by going with a three wheel design. Nevertheless, Aptera has said they intent design it to meet safety standards, results pending, of course. In an early interview, Bollinger said he didn't want his truck to have airbags, rollover protection etc, which it clearly doesn't.
Yeah that delivery target is ambitious, to be polite.
So no safety standards shall be avoided by a three wheel vehicle? Actually I have no idea but it's going to be fun watching the testing. Yippee Ki Yay!
Delivery minus eight months. Yippee Ki Yay too!
It's ironic given all the anxiety expressed about safety vis-a-vis Aptera, Bollinger built a class III truck with the specific intent of avoiding safety regs. Of the two, it's the Bollinger that I'd worry about riding in.
Takes all kinds. I want "Hey Aptera; Left Turn!" "Hey Aptera; Set Speed to 65 MPH!" "Hey Aptera; Play Science Friday!" "Hey Aptera; What's the power balance?" "Hey Aptera; Are we there yet?"
Yeah... the Bollinger was my dream vehicle (still is), mostly because of the "no plastic, no screens" simplicity you mention. In fact, I had pre-ordered a Bollinger about 4 years ago... before there was any indication of final price. Once the price was announced, I pulled my name and deposit from the list, (I was gutted). Just can't afford that.
But I'm totally with ya... WHY doesn't anyone (besides Bollinger), offer a simple, analogue vehicle! I would actually pay extra to NOT have a computer/screen driven interface. Give me crank windows and toggle switch controls all day. Now if Aptera offered that as an option, I'd buy two!