Aptera, the solar electric vehicle, SEV

Good News Notes:

“Aptera Motors is a Californian based company that has designed and built a solar electric vehicle, an SEV. It requires no charging for most daily use. The vehicle can be ordered now, production and delivery are expected to be in 2022, with a starting price of $25,900 (USD).

Using what is termed ‘Never Charge’ technology it has 700 watts of solar power producing 4 kilowatt hours per day, which can provide up to 40 miles (64 kilometers) driving per day with no charging, depending on which world sun zone you live in. This means you may never need to charge unless going on a long trip.

Aptera’s creators Steve Fambo and Chris Anthony say that the North American average drive is about 31 miles a day, while in Europe it is about 26 miles.

If you were to fully charge the vehicle you would have a range of 1000 miles with the 100kWh battery.

The vehicle has batteries to supply electricity to the electric motors in the wheels, and the batteries are able to be charged directly from solar cells integrated in the body panels. Charging can also be from a household electricity supply or from higher output electric vehicle charging stations.

The Aptera vehicle is able to run on solar power alone because it has a much more energy efficient design than other electric vehicles, which require more electricity than can be generated from solar energy in a short enough time.

This energy efficiency is achieved through an aerodynamic design, a light weight, and an efficient drive train.

The aerodynamic shape results in a low drag coefficient of 0.13. A modern passenger vehicle has a drag coefficient of around 0.25 while a large sports utility vehicle SUV may be 0.35 or more. The Aptera is designed more like an airplane than a car, with a reduced forward cross-sectional area, even the tires are narrow and are wrapped with an aerodynamic shaped cover.

Aptera’s body is lighter as it is made of lightweight composite materials, requiring smaller batteries, making the vehicle lighter again.

It has an efficient drivetrain and advanced motors.

More energy efficiency results in faster charging, lower weight, lower cost, and longer range….”

View the whole story here: https://medium.com/age-of-awareness/aptera-the-solar-electric-vehicle-sev-ee6c86390e1c

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