Aptera motors pulls the plug | Hacker News Reader

Aptera motors pulls the plug

wired.com

28 pointspg_bot18 comments

I hope that some of the tech will be sold, opened or some how fall into other peoples hands. They did a lot of neat things with their prototypes and I think there is a chance that it can still help.

It's a shame that a photo sharing iPhone app can raise more money than an EV company...

I don't think it takes millions and federal loans to make an EV. Scratchbuilt or otherwise. Enthusiasts have been converting small ICE cars ("internal combustion engine" cars) into electrics for many years.

Electric cars are simple. For the most part, all they require is:

* batteries,

* a charge controller,

* power controller,

* some gauges, and

* a motor.

Car companies like to make them out to be more technologically advanced so they can charge more and get more government financial assistance. And for that matter preserve their existing ICE-based business. But EV's are fundamentally way simpler than ICE vehicles.

Edit: Yes, I realize that Aptera's 3-wheeled vehicle is amazing and is not something that a couple of guys could probably put together in their garage. I'd love to see Aptera or a company like them be able to employ engineers to work on those sorts of futuristic spaceships. However, I'm saying that you don't need to go all-out top-end to create an EV. Make a simple "VW Beetle-style" economy EV for cheap instead. It won't require astronomical funding and early adopters will go nuts for them.

Remember that there's a big difference between an aftermarket mod and setting up a factory to build purpose built electric cars. You have lots of additional regulatory/cap costs/etc. to bear.

Also keep in mind that they are making entirely (or mostly) new types of vehicles, ie. the tricycle. And design doesn't come cheap.

>I don't think it takes millions and federal loans to make an EV. ... Enthusiasts have been converting small ICE cars ("internal combustion engine" cars) into electrics for many years.

Musk for example converted Lotus. I completely share your opinion that it should be easy and cheap. If i had a large enough garage space, i see how i myself could produce the car under 50K using mostly COTS. On the other side, looking at the real examples - like the Tesla case - it is extremely expensive and complicated.

What a shame. This was, by far, the most efficient and intelligent electric vehicle ever made with its aerodynamic shape.

I seriously doubt the aerodynamics mattered at the slow city speeds the thing runs?

Are there prototypes to be sold off? I thought these were neat little vehicles. I still want one.

IIRC they were technically motorcycles and required a motorcycle license. Probably didn't help.

To offset that though, it probably helped in other ways. For example, if it's a "motorcycle", you don't need big bumpers and crumplezones.

Tragic. I was hoping this would be my next car.

Still waiting for biodiesels.

What are you waiting for? You can run almost any modern diesel on biodiesel, and in most west coast cities (at least), B20, B80 and even B100 are available.

I'd like a ford F-150 sized truck that is diesel. I'd like a Ford Focus that is diesel. I live in California. What are my options?

You have to buy it used out of state with at least 7500 miles.

Are you saying they exist in other states?

I'm with you there. I'd love to go buy a small diesel pickup. They're available all over the world. These days they're clean, incredibly fuel efficient, and have great torque.

But no US manufacturers make one and due to tariffs foreign models can't really be imported.

Move to somewhere without silly regulations.

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