Aptera: The Futuristic Solar-Powered Car Available in Late 2023

Futuristic despite being 15 years old, the Aptera is finally beginning its career as a 100% electric vehicle promising a range of 1,600 kilometers.

This car nearly never saw the light of day. As a long-time journalist, it was actually one of my first topics sent to editorials over 15 years ago! But this project is so futuristic that it looks right at home in 2023. Aptera is indeed an electric car focusing on aerodynamics, with a teardrop shape and lightweight design. Quite different from a Lightyear with a essentially traditional body, the Aptera looks unlike anything else on the roads.

Back to the future for the Aptera

Founders Chris Anthony and Steve Fambro established the company in 2006, revealing the vehicle in 2007. Back then it was a hybrid, promising only 0.8 l/100 km fuel consumption, but it disappeared in 2011. It wasn’t until 2019 that the inventors revived the venture, after exploring other fields, this time with a 100% electric model. It took over 3 years to bring the Aptera back to life, under the name Delta, its production version. The original shape remains largely unchanged. This two-seater boasts a drag coefficient (Cx) of 0.13, far better than 0.18 of a Lightyear or 0.19 of Mercedes EQS.

The interior of the Aptera is modern with digital gauges and a central touchscreen, as well as air conditioning, 2 airbags, cup holders, armrests, and USB-C ports. Only two seats, but the car has an enormous trunk volume of 912 liters for its length of 4.55 meters. Cameras replace side and rearview mirrors, displaying on screens on the inside.

1,600 km of range?

By prioritizing a lightweight composite body, the efficiency of this Aptera with three 16-inch wheels is impressive. With a battery of just 41 kWh, this electric vehicle promises 1,000 miles, or 1,600 km, of range per charge. This includes 643 km from the battery, with the rest from solar energy captured via its photovoltaic panels, providing over 60 km per day (and 17,700 km annually). In theory, with perfect weather and parking outside, daily trips wouldn’t require charging.

The performance of this 128 kW (172 hp) electric car isn’t bad either: 0-100 km/h in 4 seconds and a top speed of 162 km/h. For charging, it uses a 6.6 kW wall box, but fast charging is also available, via Tesla’s NACS standard. The manufacturer indicates 40 to 60 kW maximum power on the initial models, then 100 kW eventually.

How much is a Fiat 500 Electric?

Since the brand’s revival in 2019, the Aptera caused a buzz with over 35,000 pre-orders. To date, the company has secured a significant portion of these and announces 40,000 reservations.

The company aims to produce starting at the end of 2023, with 10,000 units in its first year. The launch series “Launch Edition” will inaugurate production, with its price of $33,200, or about €30,500. That’s comparable to a Fiat 500e, but with a range three times lower. Unfortunately for us Europeans, the Aptera is only available in North America for now…