Aptera's back...Solar Electric Vehicle

[botsapper]

Track day for Aptera. Just like Tesla's viral 'ludicrous' acceleration, Aptera recording 'marketable' 0-60mph & braking numbers and even taking the infamous 'moose-handling' tests...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgMMpS7uJJo

[oil pan 4]

If those track markers are where I think they are then my leaf with the battery at 38% and 46F, air temperature 42F, wet roads which is rare but realistic, spare tire, jack, Dewalt 1/2 inch impact driver, evse, 100 feet of 12 gauge cord, various adaptors, 50 feet of 3/8 steel cable, tool bag, standard weapons package appears to be significantly faster.
Their handeling test wasn't very confidence inspiring.
So far it's living (which is a surprise) exactly up to expectations (not a surprise).
When they build the thing knowing they don't need an anti sway bar, then are like "we need an anti sway bar" it exposes their hubris. I wonder what else it's lacking.

If gas hits $4 a gallon this might have a chance.

[MetroMPG]

Sure looks to me like the front right wheel might have come off the ground at 1:13 during the moose test.

Maybe with that layout, it's not an issue - like the inside rear wheel lifting on some FWD cars in hard cornering. I don't know much about suspension design.

I'd love to see this thing come to market, but the odds are SO poor, it's not worth hoping for.

[samwichse]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

Sure looks to me like the front right wheel might have come off the ground at 1:13 during the moose test.

Maybe with that layout, it's not an issue - like the inside rear wheel lifting on some FWD cars in hard cornering. I don't know much about suspension design.

I'd love to see this thing come to market, but the odds are SO poor, it's not worth hoping for.

I dunno, I looked pretty carefully but didn't see it? The roll certainly looks more controlled than Paul Wilbur's Fat-tera... when they ran that thing it was swaying like a ship in a storm. But maybe I'm missing it on my phone...

I sure hope it's not, because any wheel leaving the ground is bad on a three wheeler since it's already running the minimum number for stability!

[redpoint5]

I know on my reverse trike in high school that cornering past the limit results in the rear end trying to swap with the front. A bit frightening at 45 MPH, 1" off the ground and headed towards the bleachers. Lots of corners were cut to get the thing on the road on time and on budget (mostly donated parts/materials).

[oil pan 4]

Yeah turning hard and making a wheel come off the ground in a 3 wheeler is very troubling.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQh56geU0X8

[freebeard]

You know you are 'stirring the pot', right?

[oil pan 4]

This pot begs to be stirred.
They were so sure the laws of physics didn't apply to them now they have to go back and add an anti sway bar after the fact from scratch. So they don't really know where they are going to put it, where to attach it, how stiff it needs to be, what to make it out of. I wonder if they are going to attempt to make it out of some exotic material and waste a bunch of time and money there.

[rmay635703]

Originally Posted by oil pan 4

This pot begs to be stirred.
They were so sure the laws of physics didn't apply to them now they have to go back and add an anti sway bar after the fact from scratch. So they don't really know where they are going to put it, where to attach it, how stiff it needs to be, what to make it out of. I wonder if they are going to attempt to make it out of some exotic material and waste a bunch of time and money there.

With an anti sway bar they could get rid of the hub motors and switch back to a traditional geared motor with half shafts, should save $10,000

[freebeard]

This pot begs to be stirred.

I don't disagree that whatever they were thinking (weight savings?) has evolved,

When you put that Reliant in a reverse trike thread, I spent half an hour searching, fruitlessly, for the video of a Messerschmitt going up on two wheels and driving down the track and out of sight. I know I've posted it at least twice but Google and DuckDuckGo were no help. (Can anyone find it? Can I put videos in an album?)