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Originally Posted by redpoint5
The Aptera doesn't solve enough yet-unsolved problems to enough people with those problems, at a price that benefits both the business and the consumer, to be viable.
Everything you say about various automotive manufacturers being hardly distinguishable is precisely why the industry is consolidating. We don't need 150 versions of practically the same car, so most of the manufacturers will disappear.
BTW- Aptera failing isn't due to them radically departing from mainstream automotive design. They were absolutely right to depart from that already saturated and brutally competitive market. To start a successful automotive company now, it has to solve a different problem. That's what Tesla did. Tesla retained all the things that appeal to the broader market (5 seats and 4 doors) though while innovating where they saw opportunity for improvement (EV drivetrain with laptop batteries).
In my view, there has never been a more exciting time in the automotive world. When was there so many amazing things being developed? The innovation of leaded gasoline?
Cars getting more powerful, more efficient, reliable, safe... those are all exciting things. I'd love to have a Cybertruck, or practically any of the EV trucks. A 7-seater Model Y might be super convenient. I look forward to an electric motorcycle someday.
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Fair enough. We agree that Tesla and the EV revolution has solved some major problems. Mind you, though, that the first Tesla also only sat 2 people. I'm just saying.
And again, I don't see the small jumps to be all that exciting. You say safety is increasing yet deaths per million miles is actually getting worse statistically. Efficiency is increasing, yet I got 60mpg in a 1985 VW with zero modifications. What efficiency increases are we talking about on EV's, other than Aptera, and what is the actual benefit? So I could get a Nissan Leaf, a Chevy Bolt or a Hyundai Kona with all about the same ranges, charge needs, etc. Where's the benefit between them and any other EV similarly priced?
Does the Cybertruck have more cup holders than the Rivian or the F-150 Lightning? Maybe you have a use case for a pickup. I lost interest in pickups the first day I had all my tools stolen out of the back of mine. I never considered one ever again. True, if I couldn't tow around a little trailer I might be interested again in pickups. Other than that, what's the point in having one other than to show off how big of a loan the bank would give a person? If I couldn't own and tow a little trailer the Ford Maverick, or something along those lines, would be what I'd be interested in.
Cost is another thing. So the Aptera will be a Nissan Leaf with way less room at best. But I was able to afford a Nissan Leaf once. Maybe some day there will be cheap Teslas and EV pickups, but for the forseeable future these vehicles are way out of my price range even if there were some practical reason for me to have one compared to any sedan with X amount of cup holders.
Out of all the non-Aptera EV's the Cybertruck is the only one that seems to have something novel about it. Well, that truck and the handful of PHEV's that offer the best of both worlds.