Aptera Motors has a very different strategy from that of most EV startups. Rather than a luxury sedan or a crowd-pleasing pickup truck, the San Diego-based company is building what it says will be the world’s most efficient vehicle—an EV with a solar panel on the roof, and as much as 1,000 miles of range…. Read more »
Most EV startups are either following the Tesla template—aiming to produce a high-performance luxury vehicle—or targeting the money-spinning pickup truck segment. Aptera Motors is taking a very different path. The reincarnated automaker’s goal is to create the world’s most efficient vehicle—an EV with as much as 1,000 miles of range. Now the San Diego-based company… Read more »
Aptera Motors, a start-up building an ultra-efficient EV, has teamed up with Elaphe Propulsion Technologies, a manufacturer of in-wheel motors. Aptera says in-wheel motors offer it advantages that would be impossible to achieve with other propulsion systems, including enhanced aerodynamics, lighter overall vehicle weight and improved handling, all of which result in better mileage and… Read more »
Long-time followers of the EV scene may remember Aptera, a startup that was founded in 2006, designed a unique three-wheeled two-seater EV, then went into liquidation in 2011. Now, Aptera is back. Three of the founders have bought back the intellectual property, and have spent many months working on an improved version of Aptera’s vehicle… Read more »
California-based car maker Aptera Motors, builders of the super-aerodynamic 2e EV, is pulling the plug, handing over the keys, gliding off into the sunset…and draining the battery (an important safety measure). CEO Paul Wilbur made the sad announcement on Friday. “After years of focused effort to bring our products to the market, Aptera Motors is… Read more »
Solar-powered cars, like flying cars, have long been a sci-fi staple, but thanks to ever-more-efficient PV panels, they could soon enter the realm of reality. Aptera says its upcoming EV will be able to incrementally charge from solar panels, and Hyundai/Kia has announced plans to add panels to certain models. Now the Dutch startup Lightyear,… Read more »
Lordstown Motors, the startup headed by Workhorse CEO Steve Burns, is building an electric pickup called the Endurance at a former GM factory in Lordstown, Ohio. The Endurance is expected to be available in the fourth quarter of 2020 at a base price of $52,500. The new e-pickup will feature in-wheel hub electric motors, according… Read more »
Few have been working on human-machine interface (HMI) design for EV drivetrains as long as Brian Gallagher and Kevin Coelho. In 2007, Gallagher joined the startup Aptera Motors as employee number three. Shortly after, Coelho joined him as the seventh addition to the California company, which was building ultra-efficient three-wheeled electric vehicles. Five years later,… Read more »
This is my 1,000th blog post for Charged and, since I don’t care for Champagne, I’ll celebrate the occasion by writing myself a little pat on the back and a fond recap. Since I began in October 2011, I’ve written a couple of these every day, and I’ve covered a huge variety of topics, including:… Read more »
Indiana-based EV start-up Bright Automotive will cease operations this week after failing to secure a federal loan to finance the production costs of its Idea plug-in hybrid delivery van. The Idea, which Bright unveiled back in 2009, is a purpose-built PHEV aimed at commercial and government fleets. GM had invested $5 million in Bright. Bright’s… Read more »