Aptera solar car ready to shine on the road for £32k
US firm Aptera’s three-wheeler already has 50,000 potential buyers
Aptera Motors used CES in Las Vegas to reveal its production-ready solar electric vehicle, and claimed to have already received 50,000 refundable $100 deposits from across the world for its three-wheeler.
The front-wheel-drive two-seat Aptera has a claimed sub-six second 0-62mph time and top speed of 101mph. The solar charging can contribute up to 40 miles per day to the range, enough to cover many daily commutes, via four solar panels across the hood, dash, roof and rear hatch.
Beyond the solar capacity, a regular EV powertrain provides around 400 miles of range from its 44kWh battery located under the seats. In due course, the company is planning different battery sizes that will offer 250, 600 and 1,000 miles of range.
First deliveries will take place late this year on the $40,000 (£32,350) car, ahead of a 2026 ramp-up in production aimed to reach 20,000 vehicles per year by the end of 2027.
“We have orders from all over the world, with Germany and Spain the largest outside North America,” Aptera co-founder and CEO Steve Fambro told Auto Express. “We believe in solar mobility and would like to expand to as many places as can take advantage of it.”
Fambro said in time he would like to see “every journey powered by the sun”, from delivery vehicles to 18-wheel trucks, and the firm is also working on a pilot scheme to deploy the tech on airport vehicles.
“As the technology improves and weight lowers, I would expect the 40 miles of solar to increase to 60 and 100,” added Fambro.
“A daily commute powered by the sun would make us think differently about the grid,” he continued, pointing to the reduced requirement on both public and home EV recharging if the sun is providing cars with up to 40 miles of recharged range per day.
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