- California-based Aptera is asking for the public’s money again.
- The goal is to raise enough money to bring its three-wheeled solar EV to the market next year.
Aptera, the California-based startup working on a solar-powered three-wheeled electric vehicle, has re-opened its crowdfunding campaign to finish development and start assembling production-ready units. The move comes after the previous campaign ended in May with a rather impressive tally: $135 million raised from 19,000 investors.
But as other startups have learned, sometimes the hard way–cue the Fisker story–making a car from scratch is very expensive. In Aptera’s case, it needs an additional $60 million or so to make its two-seater solar EV a finished product that people can actually buy.
As per Aptera, those interested in investing in the startup can do so with a minimum sum of $1,000. This will buy shares in the startup, with each share priced at $14.80, according to the solar EV maker.
The up-and-coming entity is currently testing its first production-intent prototype that uses a different electric motor compared to previous prototypes. The electric three-wheeler was initially supposed to be powered by a hub motor at the rear but the newest iteration of the mule has an inboard drive unit made by Vitesco Technologies. The change was made because the hub motor wouldn’t have been ready in time for the start of production, Aptera said.
But when is the solar EV going into production? The latest estimate from the startup says that will happen sometime next year, with an initial run of around 7,000 units. That all hinges on whether or not Aptera can convince enough people to give it $60 million, though. So far, it has made a handful of prototypes and a lot of promises.
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On paper, the solar-powered three-wheeler sounds like an ideal commuter. With small solar panels covering the entire body, Aptera claims the EV can gain up to 11,000 miles of range per year from harnessing the sun’s energy alone. That’s around 30 miles per day in ideal conditions. If it’s cloudy, raining or snowing, that figure will certainly be lower, but owners can still recharge the batteries as a conventional EV. In total, the Aptera SEV can go up to 400 miles on a full charge, as per the manufacturer.
Estimated pricing is between $25,900 and $48,300 depending on the number of solar panels on the body, battery size and powertrain configuration.