The #APTERA will be able to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h very fast due to its overall light weight and in-wheel motors. The opposite would also be true: The #APTERA will be able to decellerate from 100 to 0 km/h very fast or have a extremely small stopping distance due to its overall light weight and in-wheel motors regenerative braking. I think much faster than what the driver behind it in a heavy weight vehicle would be able to anticipate.
This is also the reason why you should never pass a 16 wheeler truck with a full load unless the road in front is clear - if you cut into the front and then have to stop or decelerate due to traffic you WILL get rear-ended! While your car will be able to stop within 25 meters that heavy load behind you will need at least 50 to 75 meters even if they are driving slower than you.
For this reason #APTERA should consider installing an early brake/decelerate warning system that is activated every time the #APTERA decelerate. Such a system already exist for motorbikes but in my opinion a bit costly at $90.
Smart Brake Module uses accelerometer and motion detection sensors combined with a proprietary algorithm to detect engine-braking or down-shifting.
It’s an intelligent system that doesn’t interfere with the actual brake light operation.
It simply senses when the bike is slowing down and operates the brake light in the situations when you’re not actually applying the brake.
BMW has been using that system for the past 8 years in both the i8 and i3 series cars. It works very well and is needed because one usually doesn't need to use the brake pedal. The inertia sensor is driver adjustable in 3 levels. To me it is a requirement, not an option.
In addition: Looking at your speedometer or the rev counter does not give you the true sense of the speed you are actually doing - I am driving 120 km/h - yes it is fast but so what? All that gauge is telling is that you might reach a distance of 120 km in the next hour.
If #APTERA would add a velocity meter that shows speed in meters or feet per second you will have a much better sense of the speed or velocity of the #APTERA - Showing the speed per second is real time speed as you can easily imagine or guess the distance displayed on the gauge in real time.
Did you know that if you travel at a speed of 180 km/h your velocity is actually 50 meter per second? Most humans needs at least 2 seconds to react if they see something happening in front of them. Driving as slow as 90 km/h you will still need 50 meters distance (2 seconds x 25 m/s) to safely avoid whatever is happening in front of you.
It is law that deceleration at faster than 1/10 G requires the break lights to be activated.
One peddle driving does result in faster reaction times than having to switch peddles to stop. My 2011 Volt was rear ended by a driver who was slightly impaired by sickness, in a sudden stopping situation.
The accelerate, coast, decelerate indicator lights would be a good thing.
This technology was actually a thing 40 years or more ago, but was superceded by the development and mandating of high-mounted third brake lights.
The early '02 MINIs had a few rear-ending problems in the early days but a clever guy came up with a small circuit board that could be plugged in between the 3rd brake light and the positive wire feeding it. You could set it to flash the light 3 to 5 times slowly or rapidly each time you braked. It was brilliant (pun intended). If I recall correctly, it was around $25. If someone was tailgating, you could brush the brake and watch the front of the following car's hood suddenly drop under heavy braking. Sometimes you could even see smoke billowing from the tires as they locked up. After that, they would stay well back!
Someone questioned whether the mod was legal but we've not gotten ticketed for that in the 19 years we've had the car. The cars were a novelty back then. We heard several stories from friends that they got pulled over only to have the cops asking what kind of car it was!
I suspect that the Aptera might need something similar or a series of LEDs across the back that sequentially light up from the center to the outside of the car. I think some Fords had something similar some years back.
Rapid flash on braking: NO, thanks!
Decelerometer based flash: YES, PLEASE!.....:
I was in stop&go traffic behind an SUV with a very bright eye-level LED brakelight repeatedly flashing rapidly EVERY time they had to start braking again, which was VERY frequently in that pretty common traffic situation. It was SO irritating that I went out of my way to get out from behind them.
HOWEVER, several times I've been behind motorbikes with the variable-speed decelerometer-based flashing, & it was actually very nice to be able to tell how hard they were braking.
I like your preferred solution better, kiteboarder. I'm glad you brought it up!