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

  1. No, not in most states, and where that is still the case, there are legislative proposals to change it. Check where you live, but probably not.
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  2. I live in Iowa and will be testing this out with an early production model. They had a prototype on a ski slope in Switzerland that had no particular issues at slow speed.
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  3. No. Crank Software of Canada developed the software.
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  4. You would lose some of the efficiency and the traction control. Safety would be affected. Not a good tradeoff.
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  5.  @M20B25-User  there are engineering trade offs to be sure. There are white papers that indicate acceptable performance is a matter of tuning spring and damping rates - which is part of the role of this vehicle.
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  6.  @edc1569  About 1000 lbs of batteries.
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  7. I bet they both use some of the same suppliers.
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  8. The prototype in the video has a 40 kWh battery pack. You aren't even close in your "estimate". You clearly have some false ideas about the weight and energy density of modern EV batteries.
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  9. From the FAQ: The cell tech we are testing adds about 10 lbs per kWh of energy. This means the 100 kWh pack is about 1,000lbs and the 60kWh pack is roughly 600lbs. The 100 kWh car weighs about 2200 lbs.
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  10.  @DaveDuzzit  First, I don't work for Aptera. I am in their volunteer Brand Ambassador program and have a small investment. I also have an early preorder. In the mid 2000s I worked for a company building electric motors that hired many of the Tesla engineers when they were laid off during a rough patch, so I have seen the Tesla beginings from close up. To your point about battery pack weight - the Tesla model 3 pack weighs 1054 lbs. There is no discrepancy here. If you look, there are drawings that show how it fits in the chassis. I don't know why you think the current normal is that extraordinary, but you have some false ideas in your head about current battery tech.
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  11.  @DaveDuzzit  Unless I made a typo, which I don't see in this thread, I never said the battery pack would be 1000% lighter. If I did, It is not what I meant. You are going to have to do better than building straw men in order to pick a fight with me.
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  12.  @DaveDuzzit  I am not looking at the comments, but what I remember was you saying that your battery weighed 100 lbs for one kWr of power. A 25 kWr Aptera battery will weigh 250 lbs. Thats it.
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  13. Both A/C and heat are standard.
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  14. They will be conducted by a third party once deltas are available to test.
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  15. Not yet, although Chris Anthony has Flow Technology, lithium battery public company. You will be able to invest in a pre IPO SAFE through Wefunder when the next round goes public in February at Wefunder/Aptera, The last round was over 6 times oversubscribed so when they announce you may need to act fast.
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  16.  @aussieideasman8498  Are you time challenged? I am talking about the comparable periods in Tesla's and Aptera Corps' history. You can't make that claim and know anything about the history of the two companies.
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  17.  @aussieideasman8498  After the same relative time frame, Tesla was out of money and the product they were shipping had defective transmissions. Aptera is in much better shape than Tesla was.
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  18.  @aussieideasman8498  You apparently live in Australia, which might give you an excuse not to understand that under American law Aptera Corp and Aptera Inc. were completely different companies. Corporations buy and sell IP all the time but it doesn't turn the company that purchases the IP into the old company.. Just look at the design of the Aptera Corp. vehicle! There is practically nothing in the present vehicle carried over from the ones built by Aptera, Inc.
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  19. It is good to beware of companies such as Elio. A little due diligence back in the day uncovered Elio lies. The same process gave me faith in Aptera.
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  20. Likely after, but could be sooner if they get investment for a factory there.
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  21. They might. The factory lease has been signed.
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  22. It has been tested stable in 110 mph cross winds - far better than any SUV which tends to lift the inside rear wheel in a sharp turn. The 77" track, coupled with the battery weight, wheel motors, and superior traction control combine to provide extraordinary stability.
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  23. Elio never had a real prototype - just a rough mock up of one, and Paul Elio never had a productive business, unlike both Aptera founders.
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  24. There will be no paint, and the tires will be mostly under cover. The battery pack is temperature controlled.
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  25. Probably not for a couple of years yet. You can invest in SAFEs pre IPO at Wefunder/Aptera
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  26. ​​​ @TheLateSkeptic Aptera is a continuous improvement company which means no model years and that changes will continue even after production starts.
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  27.  @justskot  Tesla was shipping Roadsters that were not yet really functional. The transmissions couldn't handle the torque of the motors. Aptera will deliver well functioning vehicles from the start, that have passed validation testing.
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  28. They have said only Bluetooth for the first models.
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  29.  @robertd9850  Could be, but this was announced months ago.
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  30. We are seeing parts coming off presses using 100 ton machined tool steel. It is clear where the money is going, and you will soon see production intent vehicles undergoing validation testing.
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  31. It is designed to be very safe. It will be tested to automotive crash test standards and we will have the ratings before production begins.
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  32.  @paulmuresan8889  I wish I did have numbers. I do know how many watts it takes to cool a cabin that size, and that the passenger compartment is much better insulated than the average car. My back of the envelope calculation is that it can work. I used to live in the Phoenix area. My feeling is that the full solar is worth it, even if I can't get a big range boost. It would still mean I can leave a pet in the car with the A/C on, or park all day and not come back to a heat soaked car, extending battery life, without killing range. I also know that higher efficiency and cheaper cells are likely around the corner. The Aptera cells are designed to be easily changed out, and the total power available may increase greatly over the life of the car. Here is a picture of the present solar coverage options: https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a27d24_ce289a73ea8a4337bb1c8ce5a8584824~mv2.jpeg/v1/fill/w_1175,h_390,al_c,q_90/a27d24_ce289a73ea8a4337bb1c8ce5a8584824~mv2.webp
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  33. I agree that it is wide. The width of the front wheel track resulted in an over 10% improvement in the cd rating of 0.13, which buys a lot of value in the tradeoff. There are certainly wider vehicles on the road in Europe. The proposed new Rolls Royce will likely be wider. As for snowy roads, there will be full testing on the Elaphe cold weather test track next season, but it is likely to be very good. The traction control senses and reacts 32 times per wheel revolution, far faster than other systems. The Aptera has airbags, front and rear crumple zones, and other automotive safety features not found in other 3 wheelers and will be crash tested to automotive standards. The crash test results of the original vehicle were very good, and this will be better. When the results are published late in the year I think orders will explode.
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  34. Soon the production intent vehicles will be undergoing validation testing and we will have actual numbers. There is close to 4 feet of clearance between each front tire and the middle wheel. A little practice will make most potholes simple to straddle. I was worried about the side windows, too, but an actual ride in a prototype showed both my wife and I that there was little to worry about for us. I still have an open mind, because the relative seat positions have changed for production, but we were surprised to find it was not the issue we thought it would be.
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  35. Results will be published on pre-production versions in a few months. Likely to be excellent.
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  36. They got around 20 times the expected number of paid pre-orders and had to redesign the vehicle for production by CPC. The good news is that the quality has increased from "kit car like" to more like a super-car. I am thrilled with what the delay is buying us.
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  37. Why increase the rolling resistance and weight of the vehicle? There is zero performance benefit to doing so, and it would cost more.
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  38. They covered the A/C question - the bottom skin of the car. They have IP around this.
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  39. I know that with alpha there was about 25 lbs of downforce designed in at 65 mph at the expense of some drag. I don't know how this has changed for production.
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  40. Yes, but coming slower because of Covid. Comfortable height limit is around 6'8"
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  41.  @avada0  You may have seen a number of vehicles based on the 1982 A. Morelli body shape, from different companies. They all had major differences besides the general body shape - including vehicle size and drive train design.
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  42.  @avada0  The development of the present vehicle started in 2019. I don't think that is "forever". This is easy to check on.
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  43. Yes. This will be classed as a motorcycle or autocycle. It will still be tested to Automotive safety standards.
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  44. It is much more stable than almost any SUV.
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  45. Safety is likely to be far better than you imagine. It will be crash tested to automotive standards and the results published before shipping starts.
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  46. Probably NDA' s involved.
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  47. Part of the reason I am getting a white one - I want to be seen in those conditions.
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  48. Full tests in snow will take place next season at the Elaphe cold weather test track.
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  49. Extraordinarily low center of gravity, 77" wide track and traction control, among other things.
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  50. Aptera is designed with a mix of priorities, including safety. It comes with airbags, and will be tested to FMVSS Part 200 crash standards by a 3rd party and the results will be made public.
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