Forget Lightyear, here’s Aptera’s affordable solar car

Lightyear is in dire straits. Luckily, more manufacturers are getting involved in developing solar cars. For example the Beginning Aptera.

A few weeks ago, Lightyear received an inquiry from the leasing company Arval for the delivery of 10,000 Lightyear 2. Arval seems to be able to give a damn about that now. Atlas Technologies, a key Lightyear subsidiary, went bankrupt. This means that the dream of a production car with solar energy also seems bankrupt.

What is Aptera?

Although a solar car from Dutch soil now seems a little further away, there is still a glimmer of hope for enthusiasts of the concept. Meet Aptera, a young American company that also aims to produce a solar car.

If you have a little imagination, you’ll see some similarities to Lightyear in the nose of Aptera’s new creation. In addition, the two cars are not to be confused. Aptera, for example, thinks three wheels are enough. This makes the well-known teardrop shape possible, in which Aptera relies on an aerodynamic design.

The extremely low drag coefficient of the Aptera solar car

Aptera itself prefers to compare it with ‘dolphin belly’ and a “small, fast plane”. Whatever you want to call it, it works. This is reflected in the extremely low drag coefficient of 0.13.

The drag coefficient of Aptera’s Launch Edition is well below the 0.175 of the Lightyear 0, formerly the most aerodynamic production car. For comparison: A Volkswagen Golf suitable for everyday use has a drag coefficient of 0.27.

In addition to low air resistance, the brand also reduces rolling resistance. One wheel less helps, but good nutrition works wonders. The solar car, for example, weighs less than 820 kilograms. This enables sprints from 0 to 100 in 3.5 seconds.

Range of 1,600 kilometers

Unfortunately, traffic light sprints eat up the specified 1,600 kilometers of range. In practice, it remains to be seen whether you can actually drive from Amsterdam to Rome with a fully charged battery. However, this seems to be an empty promise. The size of the battery packs in the Aptera is not mentioned.

Although we keep calling the Aptera a solar car, the solar panels are only responsible for a range of just under 65 kilometers per day. That must have been measured during a drive through Death Valley. In practice, this can be slightly less. Compared to the stated range of 1,600 kilometers, that doesn’t really add up. But hey, the idea is nice.

How much does an Aptera Launch Edition cost?

Aptera’s entry-level model will have you pulling a small $26,000 out of your wallet. That’s the equivalent of around 23,500 euros. Unfortunately, you get a smaller battery pack and have to be content with a range of just 400 kilometers.

Also, on this base model, you will only find the solar panels on the roof and in the dashboard. Would you like all the panels of the car to generate solar energy? Then you have to pay 900$ extra. In addition, this basic version is front-wheel drive. The 0-100 time is thus stretched to 5.5 seconds. Power for all three wheels will cost you an additional $2,500.

Don’t buy the solar car (yet).

Of all the big promises that Aptera makes, little has come true so far. After all, not a single solar car with three wheels has been delivered. You can already order your own Aptera, but a $100 deposit is required. While that’s not a lot of money, it might be wiser to keep that money in your pocket for a while.

Let’s see if Aptera’s solar car will ever see the light of day. Aptera went bankrupt in 2011 and the question is whether the car manufacturer will not meet the same fate again with this ambitious project. And if Aptera solar cars ever roll off the assembly line, it remains to be seen how many of Aptera’s big promises will be kept.