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Dec 31, 2020
I have only one question about safety. Since it is so light, how well does it hold the road on a high bridge in high winds?
I have only one question about safety. Since it is so light, how well does it hold the road on a high bridge in high winds?
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I bet you can come up with more than "only one question", but Aptera says it's fine even up to the low end of a category 3 hurricane (110mph crosswind).
The 1,000 mile AWD weighs the same as my Toyota MR2, & it was fine when I drove it in 80mph winds. The effect of wind is at least as much a matter of wind-resistance, as weight, & in that regard the Aptera is clearly superior.
From lines 85 & 109 of Aptera's FAQ Spreadsheet:
"Our advanced aerodynamics has some REAL benefits! We have 110 mph crosswind stability when most flat sided cars start moving at 80 to 90mph. And you barely feel semi trucks as you just slip through their turbulence..."
Aptera has lots of real-world experience from their prior version with a test fleet of vehicles actually being driven and tested in a wide variety of conditions & situations, but I wonder if they've pivoted any of them sideways in a wind tunnel. Either way, I'd put my money on it doing better than the average vehicle currently on the road.
@kiteboarder According to Wikipedia there wasn't a "fleet": There were two concept vehicles - the Mk-0 and the Type-1. The Type-1 was then rebuilt into the Type-2. The current prototype - the "Aptera 3" - is a significant refinement of the initial design.
I agree, though: Most vehicles on the road are slab-sided and the Aptera presents a very small, very rounded profile - even the rear-wheel skirt curves away to the front and rear.
@Kerbe #12705 I saw at least 3 driving at once in a video, but it only takes one to test in 110mph winds.
I figured that was the case, but I needed confirmation. Thank you all.
@matilda.paxton Remember, too, that at this point there is only ONE rolling Aptera - no testing of any kind has yet been undertaken. The information Aptera is providing is based on complex computer simulations: We won't have "real world" information until there is a "test fleet" of the vehicles actually being driven and tested in a wide variety of climates, conditions and situations.
On another forum thread (click here), at around 2pm on 1/2/21 expert Len wrote:
"From my reading...
The old models were tested to 110 mph cross winds and were reported fine"
if a smaller motorcycle can handle it Aptera will do it better, PLUS Aptera have the vehicle shape super efficient that the wind just past by, not like fighting with it🤷🏻♂️