The width of the car is big. I would like for the body of the car to have slight curves that give space for the wheels to turn (not holes but more like dimples) that may take away a little bit of the aerodynamics but help the wheels be closer into the body and have the wheels be safer. I would leave it to the engineers to identify if is is very stable still, but should be still more stable than the average sedan. I would like for the wheels to not be with a full cover that may get scratched easily for those of us needing to park it on the street. I know the material is dent resistant or dent proof but would like to know if it can handle scratches well or not.
The Aptera Forum
That is a huge change, and I think they have already optimized the design. It has three wheels, so the two front wheels need to be a certain distance apart (track width). And aerodynamically, if the wheels are outboard, then they need an adequate space, to minimize the interaction of the separate "bodies".
even if a idealistic goal cannot be practically done at given time, it should be preserved b/c it could become practical for other people or later time as things change (like is aptera pays its debts and makes enough profit, the next gen aptera can apply these ideas)
See my Leaning Body proposal. If the body leans, the front axle can be significantly shortened.
That's an even bigger ask. With the side-by-side seating, the body could not really lean, and it would actually have to raise up to even do it; which would defeat the purpose.
It sounds like a great idea until you turn the Aptera too fast and roll it down a ditch. If we went with the Leaning Proposal, we should just make Aptera a four wheeler instead of a three wheel adding to the rolling resistance of driving. It kind of defeats the purpose of Aptera being one of the most energy efficient vehicles around.
maybe sharp turning can be prevented by a servo motor lock at the steering wheel column that prevents steering wheel from being at positions that are too sharp steering for the given range of speed ex. a lock for beyond 15mph, a lock for 15-40, anotehr for 40-90. the efficiency penalty of this would probably pay off if the car can get smaller b/c less mass.
at the same time, oversteer can happen in any car, with sufficient mechanical feel of weight shifting to the steering wheel movement, body roll, etc driver should be able to feel when turning too quickly and avoid it. https://www.aptera.us/forum/aptera-design-discussion/owners-manual-guide-folder-in-screen-adding-more-fun-sell-ability-some-efficiency-improvements right under "MAKING CAR MORE FUN (SELL-ABLE) is about how "sportiness" is good for safety by communicating signals of warning before over speeding, loss of control etc happens
The purpose of leaning is that it moves the center of gravity toward the center of the corner, decreasing the chance of a roll-over. Motor cycle riders and skateboarders experience this all the time. If a 4 wheeler is desired, I can make still make it lean.
Leaning the Aptera is not feasible; it is too wide. Leaning the wheels is a lot of effort, and wouldn't really help.
Leaning the wheels can reduce both the unspring and total weight by using lighter motorcycle wheels. Since the wheels will no longer experience as much side pressure, they do not need as much structure. Even spoked wheels could be used. The width has nothing to do with leaning except for the sensation experienced by the passenger. The same sensation occurs in a normal car when you traverse a section of banked curved freeway. Feels pretty normal. Leaning the wheels and body are a natural result of my unique axle assembly design, which I will share with the team as soon as the virus sequester ends.
The Aptera is 15" wider than a Tesla Model 3. That' a lot. I see lots of parking spaces where parking it would be a problem. The seats in the Aptera are closer to the doors than to each other. I suggest getting rid of the center console between the seats and putting the seats just as close to each other as they are to the doors. Do whatever is possible to lessen the width of the center body of the Aptera and thus lessen the width of the entire vehicle while keeping the same distance of the wheels from the body to maintain efficient air flow. This would also increase range.
Yes the Aptera is wider than a Tesla Model 3, but only 1.8 inches wider. That's not so much. https://shoutout.wix.com/so/dbMrqkkaO#/main
(Tesla's side view mirrors add a lot of width.)
@Harry Parker I didn't realize that the 73" width mentioned on the Tesla site did not include the mirrors. My wife and I measured the width including the mirrors. It was 82". So, if the Aptera mentioned width is correct at 88", that is a 6" difference in width. We measured with our 2018 Model 3 mirrors fully extended. With the mirrors folded, the difference would be a little more. When rounding a corner with the Tesla or parking, the mirror could extend over the curb with no problem. If the Aptera's wheel cover went over a curb of normal height? or maybe higher, I think there would be at least a scratch.
We currently park mainly in the garage of our condo building. Unfortunately, our assigned spot has a wall on one side. I could zip right in with our Prius Prime. With our Model 3, I have to drive partway in, backup, and go forward again. A few inches difference in width or turning radius can make it harder or easier. There could be situations where a 6" difference would matter. Of course, if I had an Aptera, I would park outside as long as there wasn't severe weather or I felt that I needed to make the car more secure for some reason.
I have pondered if there would be a problem with solar cells on the hatch. Probably not, when turning my head before/during backing up, I see out mostly through the back side windows not the rear window. That and a backup camera is enough. It would be nice If the backup camera showed in the inner mirror all the time.
I have had cars bottom out going over speed bumps even when driving less than 10 miles/hour. An Aptera with the off-road package might be beneficial.
The distance between the inside of the wheel covers and the main body is there to keep the wind resistance low. If they're too close you get turbulent flow of air in that space and increase drag. I believe the CEOs said this in the Sandy Munro interview.
Leaning is quite easy. A simple controller with pendulum sensor to adjust air shocks on the suspension. As the vehicle corners, the sensor applies more pressure to one air shock and less to the other.
Just making the wheel fairings on left and right quickly and easily removable for narrow towns etc where the current wheel width is excessive in small villages, then put them back on for long journeys where the aerodynamics matter more. This is a really big issue to tackle as in my location the roads are very narrow and sides would definitely take chunks out of the outside of those wheel covers
That is a great idea and can be used along with other ideas.
Sandy Monro said during one of his many interviews that this strategy of lengthening the outside shock during turns will be used in the production model Aptera.
I've heard Sandy Monro's comments about using an air suspension system with a gyro chip to control stability. But the response time of an air shock systems seem too slow for such a task. Sandy is a smart guy so maybe there are other details in this stability system, like braking action used on most stability control systems.