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Forum » Prototype Forums (EV's, Hybrid, Hydrogen, Fuel Cell, Petrol, Diesel) » Aptera

Too futuristic for the people on the street?

Author	Message
Written on: 02. 03. 08 [12:28]
ecoadmin Administrator Topic creator registered since: 20.07.2007 Posts: 301	The Aptera has a very unique look. I think all of us agree on this one. Does it look like a motorcycle or more like a car? Or even like an airplane? To me it looks like a bit of everything! Will the daring design be accepted by the public?
Written on: 06. 06. 08 [21:08]
Cap'nRon registered since: 06.06.2008 Posts: 1	The car will definitely make a statement and will be a media darling with Hollywood. That, along with $5.00/gallon fuel prices and I think it'll be accepted just fine. I also think there are enough people now thinking along these lines to accept an aerodynamic look which may have seemed crazy just a year or two ago. That being said... When I picked up my 2006 Honda Insight two years ago, they had it sitting out front waiting for me. As I was walking around it, a couple walked by and the woman said, "Wow, that's an ugly car!" Undaunted, I completed my purchase. I've always admired the look of the Insight because it's form is a direct result of what Honda was trying to accomplish. I get a lot of people stopping me to ask questions...How they can get one...mileage numbers (72MPG) and the like. That being said... I put a deposit on a plug-in hybrid Aptera a couple of months ago and have a chassis reserved with my name on it! I can't wait! Cap'n Ron. . .
Written on: 06. 06. 08 [22:49]
ecoadmin Administrator Topic creator registered since: 20.07.2007 Posts: 301	Hello Cap'nRon and welcome to the forums! Congrats to your deposit on the Aptera. I really hope you will get it soon and you will be happy with it. I follow the project with great interest and I do believe that the Aptera has a good chance on the market. It might not sell as well as a regular 4-wheeler, but I believe enough people are willing to switch to such an efficient vehicle. Even if it only has three wheels. Cheers
Written on: 06. 06. 08 [23:55]
Lensman registered since: 31.05.2008 Posts: 55	I think the Aptera will do just fine as a "niche market" car. There has been a lot of buzz about it on the Tesla Motors Club forum, and it's even been mentioned on the Larry Niven discussion list (for the science fiction author). But as far as the USA goes, let's be realistic: No lightweight three-wheeled car is ever going to win wide acceptance. There will be a perception it's unsafe, regardless of how true or false that is. Three-wheeled cars are legally classified as motorcycles, and have far lower federal safety standards to be "street legal". Now I've read the Aptera is actually going the "extra mile" to comply with at least *some* of the American car safety standards, but still there is going to be a perception that it's just not safe. And realistically, in a country where a shocking number of "cars" on the road are actually light trucks (SUVs, pickups), a light vehicle like the Aptera is likely to be somewhat less safe than the average vehicle on the road in any situation where it's involved in a head-on collision. Fortunately, the current ongoing sudden rise in the price of gasoline has made SUVs and oversized pickups suddenly unpopular here in this country. "Every cloud has a silver lining." But the average weight of cars in this country isn't going to drop overnight.
Written on: 15. 06. 08 [14:04]
Franko30 Moderator registered since: 08.09.2007 Posts: 53	Lensman wrote: (...) but still there is going to be a perception that it's just not safe. Hi, for me the problem is always the question: for whom should the vehicle be safe? ATM people think of car safety in some kind of nuclear-arms-race fashion: This car weighs 1,5 tons, therefore my car has to weigh 2 tons to be safe... Nobody ever thinks of pedestrians, bicyclists odr motorcyclists... I gues it's time for some car-weight-disarmament! This being said, back to the topic: I'd buy an Aptera right away (once it is available in Germany) - but "Yes" it might be too futuristic for the "average" person. Cheers Franko30 TW 808 / 20 AH LiIon-Akkus seit 03/2008 / Fahrweise: Tempomat 55 km/h innerorts, 70 km/h ausserorts, dabei: Beschleunigung 1 (B1) 10 A, B2 19 A, Tempomat 16 A / Höchste Reichweite bisher: 140 km. Verbrauch 6,3 kWh/100 km (372 US-miles per Gallon)
Written on: 17. 06. 08 [05:58]
childress registered since: 14.08.2007 Posts: 55	I would advise caution to anyone from putting non-refundable $$$ down on a waiting list. Corbin Motors of the Sparrow fame (now Myers NmG) had some very unhappy people who lost their deposits. Further, in the US if you have a chance to buy an EV that will suit your needs, I would recommend against waiting for 'the perfect EV' -- I'm on the waiting list for a new Twike, and have been for three years. Last year I had a chance to buy 433 used (I knew her history intimately, and trust the previous owner) and went back and forth -- should I spend my $$$ on a used one, or wait for a new one. I took the plunge and haven't been sorry. Will I find the $$$ for a new one? Definitely, but 433 has been well worth it already, and I'll be able to sell her for close-to if not more than what I paid for her once gas hits the projected US$6-7 a gallon, predicted by end of summer. Being on a non-moving waiting list is not a waiting list -- it's a hold list :-| I've seen more than one EV 'hold list' never become a waiting list... You need to be extra careful with any EV regarding the condition of the batteries -- they're the major expense of your vehicle. Commute suck? Twike it; You'll like it! http://www.uiuc.edu/goto/twike
Written on: 17. 06. 08 [06:31]
childress registered since: 14.08.2007 Posts: 55	Ok, I like EV's, and I like cool cars (Mustangs, SUVs 4x4ing -- yeee haw!) And I wouldn't turn down a ride in your Aptera at all... but... For me, it's not the right tool for the job. Examining the Aptera, you find that it plates as a Motorcycle, but with an estimated 8' wide front end, would never fit in motorcycle parking (this is a huge advantage in the city, or on a college campus -- I get over a $350 discount per year on my parking in the Twike because it fits in motorcycle parking). True the Aptera has a higher top-end and most likely will have a more sustainable top speed than the Twike, as well as a longer range. However is this what most American's need? As per pluginamerica.org's graphic: http://www.pluginamerica.org/images/driving_habits_graph.jpg Most Americans drive less than 50 a day. Half drive less-than 25 miles a day. Most of those are probably through city rush hour/congestion areas where low occupancy vehicles take up a huge amount of space going between 0 and 50 miles per hour with lots of stop and start and creeping. I like the size of the CommuterCars Tango, but due to it being 4 wheels I don't expect that it will ever meet the legal requirements to be massed produced. Very sad. It's a very cool inline two seater about the size of a motorcycle that could really reduce city congestion. www.commutercars.com However, oddly enough, the Buckminster Fuller dymaxion, a three wheeled car that could seat 11 would plate today as... a motorcycle! It went 120mph and got 30mph, way back in 1934... more passengers, higher top end and better MPG than a mini van. Commute suck? Twike it; You'll like it! http://www.uiuc.edu/goto/twike

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