Those wheel pods look like they would snap off hitting a curb, and cost thousands to fix or replace. How delicate are they? How expensive are they to replace? Is this something a typical mechanic can do? Is there really a big gain from this design or is it more of a style signature? maybe make the car a bit wider and enclose them?
The Aptera Forum
They are as strong as any car's front wheels.
I have to believe the wheel covers are a strong part of the low wind resistance. One of the major features of the car. If you widen the body you'd probably blow the efficiency.
BUT, can this wheel covers be height adjustable. Might be important for a show storm.
Its the connection between the wheel pod and the main chassis that worries me. But, there isnt much point discussing it in this forum. They answer questions on the investor page.
The suspension is just as strong as it would be if it was enclosed by body panels.
I hadn't thought about the front wheel covers hitting curbs when parallel parking. For day-to-day use where 250 miles is WAY more than nearly anybody needs, these "hot-rod" fenders look like a good idea if you ever need to parallel park, plus I think they look cool:
I am holding off my ordering it on line currently because of my concerns about the width of the vehicle in the front. The vehicle appears to be a compact car but
will not fit in a compact car parking space because of the front width. Can Aptera
reduce the width of the front? Also, I suspect the vehicles including high seated pick up trucks will run over the low seated front tire covers and just crush them easily by accident in parking. Because the low seated tires of Aptera cannot be seen easily by the the high seated truck driver who underestimate the extension of the front tires & covers of Aptera.
I suspect the front width of Aptera may grow to be a significant issue to address in the coming years.
There's some discussion about that here:
Head-In Parking Discussion