I suspect the panel on the car is not ideal, and the calculation is based on the ideal angle for the cells they are putting on the vehicle. But the concept of the car being so efficient that the solar cells on the body can provide a large portion of the "fuel" is awesome, and why I've been excited about this vehicle since I first caught wind of it back in Late 2007.
I agree. Sunny locations will like this very much. Even though charging it at home really doesn't cost very much, something really cool about it building up its own charge. If every car was doing that it would make a huge difference. Great for parking at the airport! You come back from your trip and the car is topped off!
Remember the day when we would👀 look for a shady spot to park our vehicle to keep it cool on a sunny day?..
Now the Aptera will 1) partially charge (fuel itself) while 2) the solar panels also vent the vehicle to keep the interior temperature at the outside temperature! And 3) the vehicle’s solar reflective glass will help to protect the rider/interior from the sun!👍
Yes, that's where the Aptera shines. It's so efficient even it's on board solar panels make a difference! It's a very exciting option to bring to market. Even just driving 750 miles and still having charge left. That's a straight shot for a lot of vacation road trips. Park it and charge it, ready to go again in the morning. Tesla has to stop after 400 or so.
Yes these many solar cells, which I think I read.... last about ten years and can be replaced easily.... are impressive not only to supply power for vehicle venting but most interesting for charging..
Since the Aptera is only 57 inches high...Wouldn’t it be nicer to have a plain matte black panel, similar to the Tesla PV panel now available for home installation. I.e.,
No Pattern
No grid lines
Perhaps the small square cells are best (cost effective and more manageable) to fit within the curves of the body
They are almost certainly high efficiency cells - probably Sunpower - and they will last at least 25 years - maybe 35+.
This is an OPTION. And it is not a matter of either / or - it can be both.
I have 10kW of Sunpower panels on my roof, and they provide 56% of our electricity - we have 3 electric cars, and heat pump mini split, and heat pump water heater, for a family of four.
I found the graphic with statement(attached) on ten year solar cell life (which I hope is conservative) from Aptera under the Updates on the Wefunder site.
Yes I would be surprised if it wouldn’t be at least twenty five years like the PV panels on our homes...
I found, in this article my answer on the reason for these 180 solar cells(!) was to help conform to the vehicle’s contours. Larger panels would crack.
We are blessed with over 300 sunny days a year here and over 200 crystal clear days so... our small 7kW PV electric array provides a power excess annually for our all electric home. Net Zero is nice.
And YES the panel efficiency continues to improve, so less panels needed. I only have twenty panels now, which allowed me to have them placed on the veranda roof rather than over the living area of the home
The home system has the capacity to allow more panels plugged in for EV vehicles, “e” add ons... and battery storage. I believe my power supply company still only allows my engineered PV system “on the roof” to produce 125% of my household needs. If the Aptera batteries can double/can offer additional reserve kW power... I’d like to reserve for emergency power.
Lots of good articles surfacing on the web, now that folks are picking up on the relaunch efforts of Aptera.
And informative answers “direct from Aptera” continue to grown on the Wefunder link, on their website. Under Ask a Question!
Greatest period of accelerated 'change' in human technology ...and now we need this tech growth to keep from pushing ourselves over the tipping point to climate instability. SiC FETs, cast aluminum alloy motor windings, greater UV stability in resins, and batteries that will have much high cycle life at 1000 Wh/kg! This is just the tip of the tech iceberg. AI is a promise, not some silly future flick. What we are saying, passionately, is that we want the flexibility in design and build that is future tech adoption ready. Too much design consolidation or component compaction makes the best device for today, but greatly limits the ability to cost effectively adapt to tomorrow's building blocks. I'd much rather buy a vehicle today knowing that the chassis was able to handle 1/3 more wheel motor torque, a DIY exchange for the latest battery cells, or the next generation of motor controller or roof PV cells or autopilot board, and so forth ...all at a minor efficiency penalty. ...or there is the William McDonough model of the four year car, or Mercedes' model of design-for-recycle. Even if the wealth is available for our disposable habits, we need to direct design for better behavior. Cheers.
Can you share the link?
https://www.aptera.us/?commentId=5d9cb1663619cc001750732a&origin=notification&postId=5d9bc36518ea8c0018b19966&replyId=5d9d39797357c00017f95f95
I suspect the panel on the car is not ideal, and the calculation is based on the ideal angle for the cells they are putting on the vehicle. But the concept of the car being so efficient that the solar cells on the body can provide a large portion of the "fuel" is awesome, and why I've been excited about this vehicle since I first caught wind of it back in Late 2007.
Thanks Palmer and Mark....just got the email (news) from Aptera too
Glad I live in a state with over 300 sunny days a year! ( I.e., > 3800 hrs/yr , plus > 200 clear days/yr)
Net zero home...now a planned unique vehicle, which can supply some of its power from the ☀️ too!
Now if I can use my residential PV Solar panels to power it fully while parked🎉 maybe adding a couple more panels.
Next on my wish list... Have the ability of the Aptera’s batteries to store excess PV solar generated power to tap into in case there is power outage!
I agree. Sunny locations will like this very much. Even though charging it at home really doesn't cost very much, something really cool about it building up its own charge. If every car was doing that it would make a huge difference. Great for parking at the airport! You come back from your trip and the car is topped off!
Remember the day when we would👀 look for a shady spot to park our vehicle to keep it cool on a sunny day?..
Now the Aptera will 1) partially charge (fuel itself) while 2) the solar panels also vent the vehicle to keep the interior temperature at the outside temperature! And 3) the vehicle’s solar reflective glass will help to protect the rider/interior from the sun!👍
I like it. It makes sense on a super efficient vehicle; but on typical cars, it would barely make a dent.
Yes, that's where the Aptera shines. It's so efficient even it's on board solar panels make a difference! It's a very exciting option to bring to market. Even just driving 750 miles and still having charge left. That's a straight shot for a lot of vacation road trips. Park it and charge it, ready to go again in the morning. Tesla has to stop after 400 or so.
Yes these many solar cells, which I think I read.... last about ten years and can be replaced easily.... are impressive not only to supply power for vehicle venting but most interesting for charging..
Since the Aptera is only 57 inches high...Wouldn’t it be nicer to have a plain matte black panel, similar to the Tesla PV panel now available for home installation. I.e.,
No Pattern
No grid lines
Perhaps the small square cells are best (cost effective and more manageable) to fit within the curves of the body
They are almost certainly high efficiency cells - probably Sunpower - and they will last at least 25 years - maybe 35+. This is an OPTION. And it is not a matter of either / or - it can be both. I have 10kW of Sunpower panels on my roof, and they provide 56% of our electricity - we have 3 electric cars, and heat pump mini split, and heat pump water heater, for a family of four.
I found the graphic with statement(attached) on ten year solar cell life (which I hope is conservative) from Aptera under the Updates on the Wefunder site.
Yes I would be surprised if it wouldn’t be at least twenty five years like the PV panels on our homes...
I found, in this article my answer on the reason for these 180 solar cells(!) was to help conform to the vehicle’s contours. Larger panels would crack.
https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a29445577/aptera-three-wheeler-solar-no-charging/
We are blessed with over 300 sunny days a year here and over 200 crystal clear days so... our small 7kW PV electric array provides a power excess annually for our all electric home. Net Zero is nice.
And YES the panel efficiency continues to improve, so less panels needed. I only have twenty panels now, which allowed me to have them placed on the veranda roof rather than over the living area of the home
The home system has the capacity to allow more panels plugged in for EV vehicles, “e” add ons... and battery storage. I believe my power supply company still only allows my engineered PV system “on the roof” to produce 125% of my household needs. If the Aptera batteries can double/can offer additional reserve kW power... I’d like to reserve for emergency power.
Lots of good articles surfacing on the web, now that folks are picking up on the relaunch efforts of Aptera.
And informative answers “direct from Aptera” continue to grown on the Wefunder link, on their website. Under Ask a Question!
Greatest period of accelerated 'change' in human technology ...and now we need this tech growth to keep from pushing ourselves over the tipping point to climate instability. SiC FETs, cast aluminum alloy motor windings, greater UV stability in resins, and batteries that will have much high cycle life at 1000 Wh/kg! This is just the tip of the tech iceberg. AI is a promise, not some silly future flick. What we are saying, passionately, is that we want the flexibility in design and build that is future tech adoption ready. Too much design consolidation or component compaction makes the best device for today, but greatly limits the ability to cost effectively adapt to tomorrow's building blocks. I'd much rather buy a vehicle today knowing that the chassis was able to handle 1/3 more wheel motor torque, a DIY exchange for the latest battery cells, or the next generation of motor controller or roof PV cells or autopilot board, and so forth ...all at a minor efficiency penalty. ...or there is the William McDonough model of the four year car, or Mercedes' model of design-for-recycle. Even if the wealth is available for our disposable habits, we need to direct design for better behavior. Cheers.