Apetra: Will the third solar-powered car also fail?

Purely rationally, solar cars should be selling like hotcakes – but they don't: After Sono Motors gave up on the Sion and Lightyear is trying to get at least the 2 on the street after the 0, the third solar car project is also struggling with a lack of demand just before the start of the series.

Aptera approaches the topic of electromobility with solar panels supported by aircraft construction, meaning: An aerodynamically optimized passenger cabin is placed between fully enclosed wheels, but the wings are omitted. This benefits consumption but makes the look very specific. Too specific perhaps?

Up to 643 km range, 64 of which can be contributed by the sun

The Aptera is supposed to offer a range of up to 643 km, with the solar cells contributing up to 64 kilometers of range daily. DC charging is possible with up to 100 kW, making the Aptera suitable as a "long-distance mobile" for the deserts of Nevada or Arizona.

In the meantime, the company has reached the "Gamma Series," meaning: Pre-series production-ready – this is what the series model will look like. But to turn the pre-series into the actual series, a huge leap is needed. Currently, Solterra also extended its deadline for investors to deposit $10,000 to secure one of the first 2,000 models. Originally, this was supposed to end on March 26, 2023. On March 22, 2023, we visited the website, and at 8:00 AM, 672 investors had booked, leaving over 1,300 build slots open, which means the money for these build slots is missing.

Already in January, Aptera announced that an additional 50 million dollars were needed to begin assembling the three-wheeled vehicle equipped with photovoltaic panels. Although the California Energy Commission recently granted a subsidy of 21 million US dollars, this amount had to be invested first. If the missing investors can be found, the total amount raised would just be enough to cover these investments, according to InsideEVs.

Aptera is also taking more than the $10,000 down payment and moving up the delivery - and receiving a lower serial number, which is recorded in a book hand-signed by the founders. According to InsideEVs, an investor has already paid one million dollars and would thus be the first to receive his solar vehicle - provided it makes it into production and no one else pays more.

The Aptera is expected to cost a reasonable $33,200, which is about 30,800 euros. Instead of a $10,000 down payment, one can also pay just $100. However, this places you at the back of the list – and there's no handsigned book included. But Aptera is targeting not only private customers but also fleets that need a lightweight and compact vehicle for daily services, such as those from Sustainability Sooner.

What does this mean?

The Aptera also scores with maximum efficiency, supported by solar energy – but it already looks very unconventional from the outside, which is why the company has modestly planned for only 2,000 units. However, the sun doesn't seem to be shining on solar cars. It's a pity, really.