Aptera shows off a new solar-powered car that it swears will go into production

Aptera is aiming to get a small much clip successful the sun.

The once-dead and now-resurrected startup unveiled a caller “production-intent” solar-powered electrical conveyance that it made with a small assistance from legendary Italian automotive designers Pininfarina. And overmuch similar the past go-around, the caller prototype is an ultra-efficient three-wheeled electrical conveyance powered, successful part, by embedded star panels. 

Aptera insists the concern with Pininfarina is providing indispensable resources, similar entree the company’s upwind passageway located successful Turin, Italy, to refine its plan “to execute 1 of the lowest resistance coefficients of immoderate accumulation rider vehicle, mounting a caller modular for vigor ratio successful the automotive industry.” But the biggest hurdles volition apt uncovering capable backing to spell into production.

Aptera didn’t see the nonstop resistance coefficient for the caller vehicle, but has claimed that past prototypes were capable to execute 1 of 0.13, arsenic compared to 0.23 for Tesla’s Model 3.

The conveyance is equipped with 700W of integrated star cells, allowing astir drivers to thrust each time without ever needing to plug successful to charge. The cells tin supply up to 40 miles of solar-powered scope each day, and the quality to question up to 400 miles connected a azygous charge.

Aptera’s erstwhile attempts to beryllium 1 of the archetypal companies successful the satellite to wide nutrient a solar-powered car were derailed erstwhile it failed to suffice for the US Department of Energy’s precocious exertion indebtedness program. The institution unopen down successful 2011, but reopened successful 2020 aft successfully raising capable wealth done crowdfunding and different means.

It’s unclear if the enactment is capable to get its weird, three-wheeled star powered conveyance disconnected the ground. Aptera isn’t the lone institution squinting astatine the prima for inspiration. German startup Sono Motors was moving on a solar-powered electrical car, but present its betting connected solar buses. Mercedes-Benz’s Vision EQXX concept includes a star extortion array of 117 cells. And Toyota has promised an optional star extortion for its recently released BZ4X electrical SUV.