Aptera Reboot - Improved

[oil pan 4]

So it's going to ride around with just the hubs bolted to the body?
No wheels, tires or other suspension?

First you said "hub plus brake disk", now it's "the brakes" which to me implies the whole wheel side of the brake system.
So which is it?

35 to 40lb is a good estimate.
My leaf aluminum wheels weigh about 20lb each. The tires are also right at 20 each.
I have heard the OEM steel leaf wheel weights over 25lb, but haven't attempted to verify.

So it's likely 23kg per hub and disk. Not including the wheel, tire, spindle, caliper, control arm or arms, strut or shock, spring, tie rods, track bar and the wheel covers.
It looks like the wheel covers are connected to the unsprung side of the suspension and not the body, just looking at the picture on the OP.

Now I'm thinking more like 400lb of unspring weight if it's made like a car instead of building it like an expensive race motorcycle sparing no expense for exotic materials.
But these hub motors alone weigh substantially more than a motorcycle wheel, tire, hub, spindle brake assy so it can't be made anything like a bike suspension.

[Matthijs]

I have to say I am very surprised about the reactions on the Aptera from the users of this forum. I was thinking people would understand the concept of this platform and why it is build the way it is. Aptera is the only manufacturer who follows efficiency as a philosophy to build vehicles. It should be one the most amazing vehicles here for people who read ecomodder. To all the people talking about scams should see Steve Fambro's old interview and read up about the history of Aptera. I think Steve would not even be able to run a scam if he wanted. He is to good of a person for that. Just listen to the interview: I can not post link yet. Its a re-uploaded interview.

I believe they will do everything they can to make it a succes. The new Apteraforum is up and running: Aptera dot us / forum

[Xist]

Found the Aptera shill!

[Matthijs]

Originally Posted by Xist

Found the Aptera shill!

an accomplice of a confidence trickster or swindler who poses as a genuine customer to entice or encourage others.

Ok thank you for that. You should change your signature.

[thingstodo]

While it is not practical as your only car, it looks and sounds like a good commuter. The claimed range must be a way to get clicks from blogs and news articles. It seems a bit excessive and I'd rather have the lower weight and lower cost of a pack that does 250 miles for this particular type of vehicle.

I would think that you would get a lot of attention. So if that's one of the things you seek, it should be OK.

+10 on the efficiency. If efficiency is your goal, this vehicle kinda competes with e-bikes .. and you stay out of the weather.

You'd likely need to budget extra time when going anywhere .. like on errands .. to answer questions from the crowd who gathered around it. This is not personal experience - it is mentioned frequently by many who have one-of conversions and other non-standard vehicles.

At low volumes .. assumed .. this model will be priced out of the range of most of us. More of a collector car for Jay Leno's garage?

[oil pan 4]

Its a novelty.
With 2 people in it is there even room for a few bags of groceries or a book bag?

I want to know how long those obseenly big hub motors are going to last and how it's going to handle with that ridiculous unsprung weight ratio?

[thingstodo]

Originally Posted by oil pan 4

I want to know how long those obseenly big hub motors are going to last and how it's going to handle with that ridiculous unsprung weight ratio?

Hub motors are being talked about again. I hope the design issues have been figured out. They may not last as long as normal electric motors ... but for at least 3 sets of tires?

Unsprung weight is a bit above my mechanical understanding. I've read discussions and it appears that unsprung weight should be minimized ... but that's not what the aptera design appears to do

[Xist]

You are welcome.

[freebeard]

Originally Posted by Matthijs EcoModding Lurker

Ok thank you for that. You should change your signature.

Third post from the Netherlands and you deserve better, thank you for pushing back. Lurk in The Lounge and you will understand that Xist has a hard, hard life. We put up with him because he is one of us.

I compare the Aptera to Arcimoto (NASDAQ:FUV) and Edison2, all three are alive and well (apparently). I'd be happy with any of them, moreso if they were amphibian.

[Xist]

Even more so if any of them actually created a car?