It's Official ~ Aptera in the ash heap of EV history - Page 2 - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum

tjts1 · 12-02-2011, 09:42 PM

The founder was fired years ago. The management team that was put in his place has a long history of running companies into the ground. After the redesign it was only a matter of time.

Cd · 12-02-2011, 10:09 PM

I started seeing their demise the moment that they fumbled in the X-Prize competition with the horrible handling. The media really made a show of that.

I had hoped that they would sell a least a few before going under. That way i could perhaps buy it second hand someday.

Big Dave · 12-03-2011, 05:16 PM

Wow! Anotherdead electric. No doubt betrayed by batteries.

It might have flown with a little diesel.

euromodder · 12-03-2011, 06:58 PM

Can't say I'm surprised or shocked

Quote:

Originally Posted by Old Mechanic

Wish they had started out with a simple IC vehicle, got it in production, then used the income for advancements.

That's no guarantee though.
Loremo did just that, starting with an ICE version, but they never got around to producing it either.

I was about to say Loremo is also on the verge of going belly-up, but at least there's been some activity lately, they've collected some new money and are now showing off to the Turks in Istanbul.
www.loremo.com

Yes, even the "English" version of their press info site is in German

SoobieOut · 12-03-2011, 07:57 PM

I watched the X Prize movie, what amazed me was that CEO kept saying he put millions into this design. The car appears to me as a small airplane without wings. Nothing revolutionary here. The Tango kick it's but, and the Tango was not built for the X Prize competition. The CEO of the Tango just brought one with no crew. He would have won if he had detuned the massive electric motors.

NeilBlanchard · 12-03-2011, 10:43 PM

No, they were betrayed by bad management. The founders built 8 or 10 working prototypes in one year, and then the 'Team B' built the one so-called S0-1 that failed miserably at the X-Prize -- and that is it. Oddly, it is more likely now that we'll see an Aptera sometime in the future, than before they folded.

The BOD were convinced they had to "go big" rather than build the company incrementally. And they failed utterly.

cfg83 · 12-04-2011, 01:30 PM

Neil -

Quote:

Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard

No, they were betrayed by bad management. The founders built 8 or 10 working prototypes in one year, and then the 'Team B' built the one so-called S0-1 that failed miserably at the X-Prize -- and that is it. Oddly, it is more likely now that we'll see an Aptera sometime in the future, than before they folded.

The BOD were convinced they had to "go big" rather than build the company incrementally. And they failed utterly.

I agree with this and Old Mechanic. If Team A had just gotten them "on the road" with normal ICE engines then we would have been able to see the benefit of the aero and worked out the aero/suspension bugs.

CarloSW2