Will the battery be reached threw the interior or under the vehicle?
looking at the exterior the whole body is seamless like there is no bottom panel to drop to access the battery however from renderings of the cars body components it appears that the battery is separate from the passenger compartment. Makes a lot more sense to me to be able to drop batteries from bottom rather than removing whole interior.
My EV's 24kW battery can be dropped from below, when it wears out in about 560,000 miles.
@kiteboarder ...at which time you'll repurpose them for home electricity storage!
@Riley
Who is making the batteries for this vehicle? Does the vehicle architecture allow for battery pack upgrades as battery technology advances?
@deanavey@apexfilms.ca At present there doesn't seem to be an EV on the planet that's designed to be updated to a different battery form-factor or chemistry - probably because the power electronics are designed and tuned to the original equipment. No one is currently making "Plug & Play" batteries although GM's Ultium pack architecture seems to be headed in that direction. Aptera has stated that their pack design is modular so that a failed, faulty or otherwise damaged module can be replaced without replacing the entire pack. Here's a rendered image of the four modules in a 100 kWh pack mounted under the floor of the passenger area.
@Kerbe #12705 The BMW i3 is designed for battery upgrades and they offer upgrades in Europe, alas not in the US. I would expect some 3rd parties may offer upgrade especially when battery warranties run out in 2022 for early i3s.
@deanavey@apexfilms.ca Aptera is not releasing the names of all its vendors at this time but here's a link to a video of the pack for the prototype being assembled: https://www.facebook.com/2136614519931666/videos/547955092718061
There is an even longer video of the battery pack at this link - sure looks a lot like the new concept Tesla is moving to as presented at their "Battery Day" last fall.
(4) Facebook
Also a photo on the Facebook page clearly shows Tesla battery monitor control boards.
Facebook
Thank you for the response. Does the added weight of the extra battery packs affect the performance of the vehicle? It would seem that the lighter the load the better the performance?
@deanavey@apexfilms.ca The Founders told us that all the simulations are based on the 100 kWh model - so all the "numbers" they've published about range, acceleration, etc. come from that particular package and the handling is tuned to it.
It's difficult to say about weight and performance with EVs of any kind: Those with batteries in their bellies tend to hold the road as if they're on rails and speed and handling are a function of software as much as they are of engineering. One can assume, though, that a lighter vehicle - having less of itself to move - would achieve a higher Wh/mi figure, having greater range for the given battery size as a result.
A vehicle with a smaller pack, though, will also have less power available for high-G launches: You'll still be able to push your teeth out through the back of your neck, but you won't be able to do it so frequently on a given charge as you would with a larger capacity pack. If you spec your Aptera with FWD you get two 50 kW motors, or 134 HP. If you add AWD you get a third 50 kW motor, or 201 HP - so acceleration improves but range drops because three motors require more electricity than do two. But, then, you also get more power from regenerative braking... SO MANY VARIABLES! 😫
Ya, & apparently another factor is that even for a one-time drag-race launch, IF the rest of the system is designed to handle it, a bigger battery can put out more current for quicker acceleration, although probably not enough extra to fully compensate for its extra weight. & adding rotational mass such as a 3rd hub motor takes more energy to accelerate, but of course it's extra torque more than compensates.
For range however, besides the 3rd motor's extra 21Lb(?*) of rotational mass, it shouldn't make much difference. The nearly-identical total power required is just spread over 3 motors instead of 2. In fact it might even use less total battery power with 3 motors drawing less current each, with less heat loss & therefore increased range. If so, the same lower current might also improve regen efficiency, which would extend range.
*I think I read somewhere that 21Lb is the "added weight" of the hub motor, over a plain hub.
For sure the best cornering, & maybe the best efficiency will be with the smaller lighter battery & lighter 2-motor setup. Almost certainly the best acceleration will be with 3 motors. Depending on several of the many other variables, best acceleration may or may not be with the smallest lightest battery.
@kiteboarder The Elaphe motors weigh 51 lbs., each.
I wonder if Aptera's AI will be able to switch between FWD/AWD/RWD depending upon which is the most efficient at the given moment.
@Kerbe #12705
probably yes:
http://in-wheel.com/en/solutions-2/powertrain-electronics/
@Bojan Majdandzic I know it has the capability but the Founders have not made any definite comments one way or the other. The "ghost" images show three Elaphe controllers, btw - one near each wheel.
I thought it was 51 Lbs including the hub parts that would supposedly ordinarily weigh 30Lbs. Either way, the 3rd motor adds weight that has to be accelerated & braked both longitudinally AND rotationally, which takes a bit away from its added acceleration capacity.
If my theory above holds true, simply leaving the power divided across all 3 motors might be most efficient, but if not, it would be cool for a computer to optimize it, although it's SO efficient as-is that it doesn't matter as much as in any other EV.
@kiteboarder The Elaphe website lists the weight of the motor as 51 lbs.
Ya, I see there "Added weight 23kg", which seems to imply it's 23kg more than the unpowered hub parts it replaces, but Either way, the 3rd motor adds weight that has to be accelerated longitudinally and rotationally. Also laterally, for cornering.
I suppose that the better handling model would be the one with the most sprung weight...meaning that the in-wheel motors on a very light vehicle (minimal battery pack) would have a higher unsprung to sprung weight ratio and worse handling. Is that how it works?!
@philsfcs This is one of those situations when "common wisdom" doesn't apply because there isn't a lot of data out there on passenger vehicles with in-wheel motors. Take it for granted that the suspension, steering, etc, will be tuned for whatever weight the vehicle happens to be.
@philsfcs The simple answer is yes, IF by "better handling" you mean "smoother ride".
Kerbe is correct that suspension can be tuned for different sprung & unsprung weights. If you optimize the light-battery's suspension for the smoothest ride, then you could just match that ride on the heavier car. But if you also optimize the heavy car's suspension it will be even smoother.