Comments by "N. Bruce Nelson" (@n.brucenelson5920) on "Donut" channel.

  1.  @hhc1948  The 40 mile average range is only for solar areas further South than Michigan or Iowa, and that is the solar only full range., including the hood, dash, roof, and rear deck. The first models to be released will likely have a 400 mile plus range on full batteries. the second model will be around 250 miles with full batteries, and then will come 600, and then finally 1000 miles. (All these range numbers await validation testing, which will be done next year).
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  2. I live in Iowa, and expect to still get around 20 or so miles from sunlight on the average day. It is still worth having. It will be especially welcome on camping trips in remote areas.
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  3. Yes. Aptera used this on their very first prototype. They petitioned the government to make it a standard, and were the first 3rd party company to get Tesla's permission to use it. Their role in causing NACS to happen has been way under reported.
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  4. Unlike the Robin (which sold 1/2 million examples, btw) Aptera has the two wheels in front and a prototype has passed the moose test. The geometry and center of gravity is much different. And James had to rig the cars he used to make them flip.
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  5.  @jayyvn3339  A three wheeler sold 1/2 million vehicles in Europe and took Reliant, the maker ,to the # 2 manufacturing position in England. The 3 wheel design cuts weight, cost, and rolling resistance - critical for the efficiency goals of the vehicle.
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  6.  @cheesefries7436  Production body panels are already being produced. Early next year the validation intent vehicles will be undergoing testing. Perhaps you didn't watch this video of the gamma prototype?
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  7. Although the name is the same, the vehicle and company now (Aptera Corp., rather than Aptera, Inc.) are completely different from what you saw then. Although the original founders of both companies were the same people, by the time of the X prize, they had been kicked out of the company and gone on to other successful projects. In 2019, Chris Anthony was offered the rights to the original company that had been sold at auction, regathered his key original people, and started a new company with a completely new design. If the current vehicle is successful and the company goes public, the second vehicle is likely to be a 5 passenger, 4 wheel sedan.
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  8. Aptera has a very fast acting traction control system. It can sense wheel slip and adjust torque about every 2.5" of tread travel. I think the AWD versions will be very good on slick surfaces. I plan to use studded snow tires during Iowa winters, where I live, and will report on my experience.
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  9.  @appa609  There is actually around 25 lbs of (intentional) down force at 65 mph.
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  10. ...How to tell when a person has done zero research regarding what they write about.
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  11. The ceiling could be an issue, too. Quite a few people will want to leave it outside for maximum sun exposure. Each situation is different.
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  12. I plan to report on the performance of an early vehicle in Iowa.
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  13. My wife and I have ridden in a prototype. There is no problem with the doors . you just back up to the seat, sit straight down, and rotate on your butt to swing your legs in. Surprisingly, you hardly notice the window divider when you are driving. My mind is still open on this, since the size and location may be relatively different on production models, but I am no longer worried. As far as width goes, it is less wide than my step van was, and I could still park that in a compact parking space.
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  14. It has been designed to exceed safety standards for cars - and will be tested to FMVSS part 200 standards by a third party and the results will be published. It doesn't need to have air bags, either, but it does.
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  15. "This company" was only founded in 2019. Way to do your due diligence.
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  16. You have not been paying attention. The "Tesla Plug" is now the standard that will also be known as the SAE NACS Electric Vehicle Coupler J3400_202312 Soon all manufacturers delivering vehicles in the US will use it as will all public charging stations - not just Tesla.
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  17. I live in Iowa and will be reporting on the performance with an early model. Due to the excellent traction control with AWD and snow tires, I expect it will do well. The wheels can adjust torque with tire slip every 2.5" of tread travel. They already tested a prototype on a ski slope in Switzerland with snow depth above the bottom of the wheel pants and it did OK.
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  18. The 1000 mile range version is still probably several years out. The pack itself will use new batteries with the same form factor as the present ones, except taller. This is also true of the 600 mile range versions. There is still a lot of development work to do to complete these models. Aptera is a continuous improvement company, and there is a possibility that completely new battery tech will be available to them with higher energy density than the present cells, and if so, they could switch.
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  19. I invested early on in Aptera Corp, knowing that there was an extremely small chance of any return. That however has changed and the odds are much better. I invested for the same reason I contribute to charities - to give the World a small push in the direction I want to see.
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  20. Motorcycles still need insurance in every state I have ridden in. The original Aptera Inc. was a joint venture with Idealab. Idealab hired a CEO from Detroit who didn't want to build the original design, and had the founders removed from the board in 2009, and started claiming he was the founder. He couldn't raise funding for his new ideas, and liquidated the company in 2011. - it never went bankrupt. Both Steve and Chris founded new successful companies. Chris took his public as co-founder and CEO and it is still a strong buy. In 2019 he was offered the rights to the original company from the widow of the man who purchased them at the auction, and regathered the original key people. They started over with a different corporate structure and a fresh design.
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  21.  @garrettlowell7637  Most of the people I know who plan to make Aptera their sole vehicle are probably what you would call "old people", including me. Perhaps you don't know that there is a specific provision for pets, including a "pet mode" and safety restraints designed to keep pets and their owners safe. You haven't done any of your homework on the vehicle and who has already ordered it at all.
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  22. The big difference is the design of the Aptera was not a temporary fashion statement, but comes directly from the mission of the vehicle - to be as efficient as possible.
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  23. The vehicle and company that they were taking preorders on in 2010 was a different one. The original company, Aptera Inc. was a joint venture with Idealab. They hired a CEO from Detroit who never wanted to build the 3 wheeler, and he ousted the founders in a board coup in 2009. He was unable to raise funds for his new idea, and closed and liquidated the company in 2011. After taking a lithium battery company public as CEO, Chris Anthony was offered the IP rights to the original company from the widow of the man who bought them in the 2011 auction. He bought them, regathered the key members of the original team, including Steve Fambro, and others and restarted a new company - Aptera Corp in 2019, with completely different corporate structure and an almost completely different vehicle with no parts or even drive train concept in common with the original.
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  24. I got my order in the first hour they were available in Dec, 2020. The vehicle they will end up delivering is far more advanced than what I was expecting at that time.- it is now more like a super car.
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  25. Every object on the vehicle - including the body shape, has solid engineering reasons and aren't there as a fashion statement. I advise you to actually look into it. Even an early prototype I rode in greatly exceeded regular EVs in many ways. Production vehicles are going to be surprisingly awesome.
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  26. Luck is not needed - they are engineered to be safe and will be publicly crash tested with the ratings released.
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  27. The highest rate for the first models will be between 40-60 kW per hour, or about an hour to fully charge a 400 mile range battery pack (45 kW/huur pack - 40 kwh useable capacity)
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  28. No. 4 wheels would add weight, rolling resistance, air resistance, and cost, and an additional friction robbing bearing.
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  29. No. Completely different company and vehicle. The design you were thinking of was also called Aptera and had a similar shape, but that company was an Idealab project that kicked out the founders in 2009 and then couldn't raise further funding when they abandoned the original idea. They liquidated in 2011, while the original Aptera founders established new successful companies, and then started Aptera Corp in 2019.
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  30. My thanks to you! It is always great to be able to look at your contributions when you eventually retire. I hope to experience your work first hand before long.
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  31. My hope is that we start to see some competitors. Aptera has already pushed the industry into adoption of the Tesla charging connector - now known as NACS. They put it on their first prototypes, got 10s of thousands of signatures on a petition to have it adopted as a US standard, and were the very first 3rd party company to get Tesla's permission to use it. They have already had a major influence on the industry.
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  32.  @yourhandlehere1  Yes, in person. I hope you have your chance, soon. You will find out that they are also "silly fast".
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  33.  @SevenDeMagnus  That is mere FUD. Aptera passes handling tests that many cars on sale in the US market can't now.- including many that don't release their safety data either - look it up! There will be further information on this when the validation data from the production intent vehicles is released - which will be even safer and better handling than the already very good prototypes. Top Gear even admitted that they had to rig the Reliant Robin to make it topple, and it isn't even close to the same class as Aptera in stability.
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  34. Exactly. And your estimates don't even mention the likely saving that will accrue to all of us from the lower environmental damage that these vehicles will cause.
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  35. Why ignore the genius of the vehicle? That is the only reason I have ordered one- not because of the marketing, however good it is.
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  36. The Cybertruck is largely a fashion statement. Aptera is pure form follows function and will never go out of style until the physics it is based on changes.
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  37. The first production vehicles will deliver around 400 miles of range at EPA highway speeds. They will eventually have models with about 250, 400, 600, and 1,000 mile range.
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  38. You would be surprised. First of all they aren't AAA batteries. Secondly, the 4 second zero to 60 times will be likely be humiliating to your Ramcharger -and your pocketbook when you compare the initial and and operational costs.
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  39. Much of the heat produced by the vehicle is from the wheel motors located in the wheel pants. It may not need any extra help for this function.
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  40. California does not require a front plate for motorcycles or autocycles - which Aptera is classed as.
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  41. The first models produced will be the 400 mile range ones. The 250 mile range versions, starting at around $25,900 will come later.
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  42. This is a very different vehicle and company than that one was, but there is some similar thinking behind it.
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  43. Yes. And it isn't only saving money, but the lower carbon contribution is likely to save lives. In addition this is accomplished without compromising performance. The 4 second 0-60 times of the AWD version is going to put big grins on lots of faces.
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  44. That last claim is no longer true. Silicon solar modules are primarily composed of glass, plastic, and aluminum: three materials that are recycled in mass quantities.
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  45. The solar capacity can cover the average driving needs of the average driver in the US SW. However, the Aptera can be plugged into grid power, and is compatible with Tesla power plugs.
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  46. Aptera's shape is almost pure form follows function - not some arbitrary fashion statement. The first vehicles will come with a 400 mile range battery, and will charge to full in an hour at a Tesla Supercharger.
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  47. There is a "pet mode" to leave the AC on while parked. Whether solar can keep up with the battery discharge in Phoenix at 120 F or higher remains to be seen, but it will help. A fan will blow the hot air past the AC condenser and out the tail of the vehicle.
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  48. Future 250 mile range vehicles may be able to add back the 3rd seat. If not, the next Aptera Corp vehicle is likely to be a 5 seater.
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  49. I live in rural Iowa, surrounded by gravel roads. I don't think the roads would be any worse in Canada. I do wonder about extended -40 weather in some areas. I will report on my experience with an early model.
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  50. Yes, Aptera can sleep two people for camping.
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