Video: (definitely worth checking) test drive of Aptera @ Popular Mechanics

[MetroMPG]

They tease, and tease....

VERY cool video of the Aptera Typ-1e electric vehicle in action. Plenty of detail you haven't seen in other vids or articles.

Each successive version of the prototype has been better looking than the
last - while giving up none of the car's outstanding aero efficiency. Way to go
Aptera for short-circuiting the typical design progression of "wow" to "mundane".

For those who haven't yet heard, the Aptera is an ultra-aerodynamic (claimed Cd of 0.11) 3-wheel vehicle being built in California. It will be sold initially as an all electric version with a 120 mile range, and a series hybrid extended range (via internal combustion generator) version is also planned.

Aptera only needs to sell 300 vehicles to make the company profitable. So far the company has over 580 orders for the $27,000 Typ-1 e and the $30,000 Typ-1 h. Pilot production is set to begin with 30 Typ-1 e vehicles next year

Video & article @ PM : Aptera's Super-MPG Electric Typ-1 e: Exclusive Video Test Drive

[MetroMPG]

FYI, official Aptera promotional (fluffy) vid, from YouTube:

And here's a handy search of "Aptera" at YT:
http://www.youtube.com/results?searc...&search=Search

[igo]

Thats so cool! They really went into detail about it (I might have to watch that again). It has a heat pump that spits air out the back to futher reduce drag! Even the wiper is super low profile!

Truly a super eco machine.

[MetroMPG]

Yup. I really like that car (well... motorcycle, technically) for so many reasons.

[igo]

The interior is awesome looking too. Sort of imac/ nintendo wii inspired. I don't understand the rear wheel suspension. I notice that the driver sits kind of high so it might be hard for a 85 year old to climb into the car (but not much harder then a large suv).

Also, How would driving with 3 wheels affect the handing?

[MetroMPG]

They also mention that some of the interior materials are pretty green too - in terms of natural and/or recycled materials.

Handling is probably fine in terms of slalom type manoeuvers - tadpole config is pretty stable. The red flag goes up though because oversteer is a lot more likely if the rear tire slides when cornering (from either braking or accelerating). They could minimize that danger somewhat with ABS & traction control.

Another potential issue with the center 3rd wheel is it will tend to be riding in the oily patch on the roads. And driving in snow might be a problem, since it doesn't track in the normal "ruts" made by traffic.

Then again, they're not planning to sell these things in the snow belt.

[igo]

The only rear shot I could find. Anyways, there is an article attached to the video everyone make sure to read it because it is filled with useful info. So, they will make the windows able to roll down (I was concerned that they wouldn't be able to go down. I still think they won't be able to go down all the way).

Another concern is that the front wheel skirts would get all chewed up form curbs and low speed contact.

[MetroMPG]

Maybe they'll do the "window within a window" approach like the Subaru SVX:

Or the AMC Pacer approach, where it just doesn't roll down all the way!

[newtonsfirstlaw]

I was just thinking about velomobiles this morning, thinking to myself why even the best velomobiles like the Quest have relatively poor drag coefficients? The solution would be to raise the body of the vehicle so that the ground effect was minimal (this is the reason that cars used to be thought of as having a 0.11 theoretical minimum drag coefficient), and have two airfoil shaped spars with cowled front wheels. That way, stability would also be the same as a ground-hugging velomobiles. You might also increase driveline efficiency, because you might be able to have one long chain going from the front to the back (not sure how many chains there are in something like the quest, but looking at the front page it looks like there are several.

Everything close to the ground (only the wheels) is very narrow and cowled as a teardrop. And the "fuselage" is also an airfoil shape. Velos like the Quest are shaped like an airfoil, but being a groundhugger they'd be better off being shaped more like the Vector.

This page is darn cool, it lists most of the velomobile drag coefficients.

Quest:


Vector:


Doing all those things makes a vehicle surprisingly like the Aptera. Note also the relatively good crosswind performance, because the shape is streamlined from partly side on as well.

Anyway, back to the velomobile, if you did the things I was suggesting, you could reduce frontal area of the fuselage so it could be narrower than the Quest. And the cowled wheels would be fairly narrow and add little to the overall CdA.

Who knows, you might even end up with something that wouldn't slow up 60kph city traffic. With electric assist, it could be the ultimate commuting vehicle.

[trebuchet03]

Holy crap - it's actually a tangible prototype! Very Cool

Newton, keep in mind that the quest and vector serve two different purposes Vector is for speed, quest is for commuting/recreation/touring efficiently If I recall, the vector is a frame/fairing - and the quest (and mango counterpart) is a frame/fairing composite monoqoque with sub frame (very cool ). The quest also has some large holes in the front for ventilation...

Quest Interior:

You might also increase drive line efficiency, because you might be able to have one long chain going from the front to the back (not sure how many chains there are in something like the quest, but looking at the front page it looks like there are several.

Multiple chains with good reason Long chains are more susceptible to wobble - not so great for reliability. Adding guides and tensioners just creates more (if not the same) friction as a jack shaft. Plus, a jack shaft gives you the opportunity to up your gearing Long chains can also be problematic with dérailleurs and such (at least, it makes tuning much more important and finicky) I'm not saying either one is better or worse - but I've seen first hand why those decisions were made My last point - the drive line losses are insignificant compared to the aero losses and any weight penalty. It's not that they're not important - but given that, it's cost effective to improve where you can get higher gains

[newtonsfirstlaw]

Originally Posted by trebuchet03

Holy crap - it's actually a tangible prototype! Very Cool

Newton, keep in mind that the quest and vector serve two different purposes Vector is for speed, quest is for commuting/recreation/touring efficiently If I recall, the vector is a frame/fairing - and the quest (and mango counterpart) is a frame/fairing composite monoqoque with sub frame (very cool ). The quest also has some large holes in the front for ventilation...

Thanks for the info on the chains, didn't realize that.

As for the quest and the vector, I've done a reasonable amount of googling with each. The vector's main problem was that it cornered poorly, which is why they sold only one and kept the molds in someone's attic (from memory).

I was comparing the two because of their different handling of the shape of the bottom of the vehicle. The quest could have kept the same frontal area with increased interior volume and the exact same touring/commuting/recreation efficiency with the bottom parallel to the surface for most of it, especially at the front. Doing so would have lowered the drag coefficient in my estimation.

[Thalass]

I like this Aptera thing, but I'm not a fan of 3-wheels personally. I'd like to see this future four-wheel version, though. Series hybrid 4tw! 126.8km/L!

[newtonsfirstlaw]

I found this very interesting link on bicycle chain efficiency.

A study found that the first factor in efficiency was cog size (larger is better), and the second factor was tension (tighter is better). My thought is - maybe you don't need to worry about chain slipping issues if the tension is tight enough? (Not on the dérailleurs though.)

Every little bit helps with lowering the wattage required for a given speed. The idea is if you can minimize the wattage it takes to cycle at 60kph (compatible with most city areas), and if you can take care of acceleration issues with electric assist/regen etc, then you have a commuting vehicle that will keep pace with city traffic and hence be more convenient and less dangerous.

[Silveredwings]

The aptera looks like an aircraft to me. I also see other parallels.

Like 4-wheel cars, it's very expensive to get a fully FAA-certified aircraft to market. During general aviation's darkest time, many companies like Beech, Piper, and Cessna struggled (who knows how many failed altogether). At that same time, some new companies put themselves on the map by producing kit-aircraft, thereby flying under the certification radar. The more successful of those kit aircraft companies went on to make fully certified part-91 normal, utility and aerobatic category planes.

In a similar way as kits, 3-wheel 'car' designs enable a company to avoid a whole pile of regulations and testing.

[MetroMPG]

Aptera is talking about taking a similar path - into "normal" 4 wheeled vehicle production:

A more conventional third model, called “Project X” or perhaps Typ-2, is now in the design phase, with plans for a four-wheeled chassis and seating up for to five passengers.

Call me pessimistic, but I wonder if (when) regulators will move to close the 3-wheeled vehicle loophole, under pressure from established players, using the safety argument.

I have also read that low volume importers/manufacturers of "normal" 4-wheel road vehicles in the US can apply for an exemption from meeting some of the safety requirements.

[trebuchet03]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

I have also read that low volume importers/manufacturers of "normal" 4-wheel road vehicles in the US can apply for an exemption from meeting some of the safety requirements.

I wonder if those same importers are exempt from the safety standards from their country of origin too... I say that because a car from the EU, AUS, etc. won't meet US standards - but that doesn't mean our standards are any better... Just different...

That said, I'm sure there's a few countries with standards that aren't so hot

-----
As for three wheelers -- if they do close down, it might just switch over the a motorcycle endorsement. Probably not a great idea to meet your full audience though... Doh! It already is..

[MetroMPG]

FYI, there's a Wikipedia entry about the car with lots of info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aptera_hybrid_car

[Curly1]

I want one and hope other manufacturors build something similar and competitive.
I like the looks, projected performance and the the mileage. That looks like something I could drive most everyday. My gas bill would be ike $5 per month? Wow! Curly like!

[elhigh]

They've neglected an awful lot of acreage on the rear - more solar panels should be added. Yes, it would take forever and a day to recharge the electric from zero using a few solar panels. So what? Any charge you get without plugging in is mileage for free - fusion powered by a fusion reactor removed to the nearest safe distance of 92 million miles.

It's roomy because it only seats two people. $30,000 is an awful lot of scratch for a vehicle that carries only half my family.

He has to have the super-efficient windshield wiper pocket design because he's actually managed to design a vehicle that doesn't have a stagnant zone at the base of the windshield.

Has anybody besides me noticed how much this thing looks like an airplane fuselage? Somebody give me the number for Cessna, I have a business model for them...

[Curly1]

I agree $30,000 is a little steep, my hope is that GM , Chrysler and Ford will try to compete with this and the prices will come way down. What about the motorcyle manufacturors such as Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Honda? If they jump into this market it will rapidly improve for the better. Motorcycles are lightweight but not aerodynamic.
From what I understand there is no solar panels powerful enough to make it completly independant but more panels could reduce the grid load a little more. I understand someone is working on solar panels that can be "printed" on thin plastic sheets and you will be able to cover your house and car with it. Supposedly the performance of the solar panels is much more effecient, powerful and cheaper to make. They also said full scale production is still probably 10 years away...... As better solar panels solutions come up they will be added to cars such as this.
It appears they have a good storage area behind the front seats and I think they said something about a four seater model. For me the 2 seater would cover 97% of my needs.
Still as they say "Different horses for different courses" That will never replace my one ton four door dually for towing 14,000 Lbs to the trade shows. But it could save me a bunch of money on my daily trip to work. If I was in a bad crash of course I would rather be in my big truck. The Aptera probably weighs 1000 Lbs or less. That and aerodynamics is what gives it the good mileage (and performance)
To get such good mileage you have to cut all the size and weight you can. I think in the future more cars will be much more aerodynamic as we are leaving soo much on the table right now and it is costing us soo much.
The factories are cutting weight where ever possible but they are building for the main stream. I think this type vehicle needs to become more mainstream.
I like the Aptera and think more manufacturors should be building something along this line. I believe the Aptera will sell all they can build and everyone will have to take notice.
The only thing that concerns me about this electric car (or any other) is they say they do not use much energy or that they are cheaper on gas.
I live in Texas so in the hot summer my electric bill to keep my house at a liveable temperature is sometimes $300 or more per month. If I get one of these cars will I save $200 a month on my gasoline bill but ADD $150 to my home electric bill?
If so this vehicle may be better with like a 14 Hp Kubata diesel power or some of the motorcycle type powerplants. The benifits of aerodynamics and lightweight work with any power system. This type vehicle has a lot of potential. Curly