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The price isn't ridiculously out of reach for the average person as well.
300 miles per gallon!!!!
Most cars drive like what? 40 miles per gallon?
You could probably get it licensed as a motorcycle, but I'd demand proof before putting down one penny....
so what does it hurt if we all plop down 5 benjamins to make the world a better place for everyone?
Safety - The body is constructed similar to an Indy race car with survival capsule constructed of walls of composite exterior and foam core integrated with aluminum and steel reinforcements and intrusion guards, air bags and construction designed to distribute collision forces under the passenger survival shell.
Colors - My reservation confirmation indicated that exterior and interior colors are selectable as well as other options yet to be mentioned.
Reservation - The $500 reservation deposit is refundable at any time including the moment that the factory announces your car is up for production. Refunds are for the original amount, not including any interest. All of this is spelled out clearly if you click on the reservation button and read the contract.
Roads - The car only weights 850 pounds. What it saves in gas tax it also saves in road wear and taxes. A VERY GOOD POINT! What would be more appropriate is to levy a tax on a car relative to the impact it has on the environment and resource consumption. Lightweight, efficient cars would have a very small registration tax. A Hummer would have a tax that could rent an apartment. Those that choose to use cars that cast an excessive CO2 trail, damage the infrastructure, and consume large quantities of resource should be required to pay for the resources just as we now pay for gas (a resource). We need to rethink exactly what is being consumed beyond the gas pump.
Licencing - A controversy. Motorcycles cannot have seat belts in some states. This car has seatbelts. Is it a motorcycle because it has three wheels or a car because its interior resembles a car? I'm confident Aptera is pushing for recognition as a car as being a motorcycle would seriously damage their market (would require a motorcycle license....). I say it's a car. Buckminster Fuller made the Dymaxion Car in the shape of a tear drop over half a century ago. It definitely was not a motorcycle....
Looks - I think it is one of the sexiest cars I have ever seen especially if you are scientifically oriented. Its shape is similar to the most aerodynamic private aircraft. It is designed to 'fly' downhill as the speed rises to increase traction without mass. It has a drag factor only slightly higher than an F16 fighter (0.1+). It's instruments are unparalleled in the automotive world (panoramic rear camera in 'eyes-forward' display, GPS, diagnostic display, zone airconditioning including forced air seat infiltration, high-tech materials construction with F1 technology safety capsule design, electric motor with optional charge-only fueled engine, super high gas mileage and, according to the answer to a question I posed to Aptera, excellent handling that pleased one of their investors who owns a McLaren supercar.
CRIMSONMEL - ALRIGHT! We can form a reservation user group! Seriously! I'm number 31. What is your number?
Larry
if the sell in in london they could not build them fast enough, it costs 10$ a day to drive a car in the centre of london but electric cars are free, and the cost of petrol is twice the price compared to the US
ZAP did a lot of handwaving about selling the Smartcar. Where is the SMARTs now? It's not at ZAP.
Then, ZAP started make a big to-do about the Obvio "oooh..look at us, we're ZAP and we're gonna' sell the Obvio"
Where is it now? Ahhhhhh it's been moved to the back of the website.
Oh yes, and the lovely renderings of the ZapX.
He'res what I don't get, why would any executive from ZAP pushing third-world engineering clap-traps and cut-rate products dare go toe-to-toe with Aptera when he has no idea who they are or how well capitalized they may be! Maybe he doesn't even know that they are setting up a manufacturing facility in his backyard?...I'm just sayin...
Here's a treat. Go sit in a ZAP Xebra. Now, close the door and try and roll the window up or down. YOU CAN'T!!!! The roll handle hits the dash! Shoddy third world engineering.
It's funny but this hybrid reminds me of the cartoon show "The Jetsons"
I love this car...I fell in love with it almost at first sight.
This car is the future transportation that most people 30-40 years ago thought everyone would be driving by now...sleek, hyper-efficient, and looking as if it rolled off a set from 2001:A Space Odyssey.
I admit, I would be a bit concerned about a side impact at any speed...but other than that, I will seriously consider reserving an Aptera when I have the funds available.
I am curious, tho...would this car fit well with my 6'4" frame? Also, what kind of transmission does it have? The photos presented don't appear to show a column shifter or push-button affair, and certainly not a stick shift.
And how will I receive my Aptera once it's completed? Will it be shipped, or will I have to retrieve it by my own means? Will there be a local service depot if there's a mechanical problem? Will I be able to finance the vehicle? And is the electro-gas hybrid powered directly by the gas generator, or do I have to plug it in at night?
I suppose I will have to wait for the Aptera site to update...
I did say I almost fell in love with this car at first sight...If the Aptera company wanted me to fall for their product at very first sight, they'd have designed it with tailfins :)
The Aptera is the car I will go back in debt for. Where can I SEE one?
i am production slot #441 (electric-only)
However, the way things are going with the likes of London's congestion charge, it looks like hybrids ARE the future
http://www.carleasingblog.co.uk/2007/11/24/47/
The folks over at Popular Mechanics were able to finagle an exclusive test drive and interview of the upcoming Aptera Typ-1. For those uninitiated, the Aptera Typ-1 is an all-electric plug in vehicle coming to market in 2009 for under $30,000. Sometime thereafter, Aptera plans to market the Typ-2, a 300 MPG gasoline hybrid which shares the Typ-1’s body and features. The more I keep up with this car, the more I believe this is the first real re-thinking of the automobile since its inception. I know this sounds a little over the top, but ...
Crosstalk: http://dataland.wordpress.com/2007/12/23/aptera...
Jerry: Three-wheeled vehicles in California are listed as motorcycles. Vehicles like the Aptera and VentureOne are enclosed motorcycles so you don't have to wear a helmet. You can also use your plain-old car driver's license as well.
james: Yes, it's unfortunate what may be happening around the world, but it starts with you. Only you can prevent forest fires ;)
Admiral: Compare to a Corolla priced at 18k, gets 35mpg. At 12,000mi/yr and $4.00/gal of gas over the next 5 years, plus $50/mo of maintenance (oil change, tire, etc), and it will cost you 28k. Take the same period of time and $0.02/mi for the Typ-1e sold at 27k, and I wildly estimate $10/mo of maintenance (wiper fluid, paraffin maybe, tires) and it comes out to 29k. And I hope your car lasts longer than 5 years.
blackmilk: Aptera is selling in SoCal first, then NorCal, the rest of the US, and finally the rest of the world, in that order. They want to have the appropriate support infrastructure in place alongside the sales geography expansion.
NYC: Can we just skip ebay and I'll sell you a Typ-1h at 2x the price? ;)
Robert McC: You can always get your vehicle purchase financed. You might have to go through a bank, though. I talked with my credit union because the motorcycle loan is at a greater rate than a car loan, and they said to mention that it's enclosed and how it's structured, its safety characteristics, and your account manager can help make the call.
Bill: You should be able to test drive one once your place in line is up.
Wilson S Yerger III: https://aptera.com/reserve.php
okie918: Good point :)
PS - I'm waiting on the Typ-1e, am number 1014 and live in Norcal :( dang that's a wait
look like you can easily get a ticket from the heat if you drive it on the street(it rhymes!). I have to say, this car is a looker!
But maybe if they start making trucks this small I will consider it.
( and that's if big oil doesn't shut them down like it did the GM EV-1 ) ... that's a real downer when you want and or need this vehicle now ... they truly want to do this car right but as in all great ideas, reality bites ... it can't and won't happen as fast as we'd like ... this car is a no-brainer for those who want a great personal transportation vehicle that gets unheard of mileage even at 1/2 of the 330 mpg they claim of the PEHV ... and it's the exterior styling that makes it possible ... this re-think of how we transport ourselves around our highways and byways is way-over-do, we're only thirty + years late as we ( the U.S. ) should have begun moving economically in this direction following the oil embargo of the mid 70's ... I'd go to so. cal. and purchase one today for $30k if they would sell it to me ... but it appears that that won't be a possibility for me til 2010 or beyond ... I hate reality ... thanks for reading and for being open-minded enough to consider vehicles like this ... the future is coming, be ready to when it arrives no matter what shape it may take ...
THANKS
Peggy
It's beautiful & environmentally great.
Electric!
i want it.