I hope to realize the electric vehicle mileage range potential that the Aptera is planning
Could Aptera speak yet on these topics?:
1
Will there be an on board info technology to help monitor battery life, estimate remaining power and navigate to various charging station options, ( conventional and speed charging stations)
I suppose the charge station info will update significantly... I imagine as electric vehicle
Or will there simply be smartphone docking to an APP (Cellular communication could be good but satellite might be more reliable)
Digressing from the topic a bit but...
2
Any plans on security or deterrent options for the charging cord in case “knuckleheads” mess with the cord/steal the cooper cord ? Cut resistant cord ?
I suppose a spare cord or adapter etc might be prudent
3
( photo from bing.com)
Park Dock Charge and Drive - Could there be a safe and reliable indoor (garage or shop) drive on docking station to eliminate cords for daily home charging?
See above photo. I see Tesla is on this already
If the vehicle is connected to the internet, I hope it is, it would be cellular & possibly WIFI as well when a network is available. Hope it can get Over the Air software updates. Hope there will be detailed data on the center screen and logs to download of battery cell voltages, degradation data, access to all temperature sensors, coolant pump RPM, everything.
2. Good idea, Chevy Volt has the option to honk the horn for a while when cord in unplugged. Other may have this or lock on the receptacle so it can't be removed. If Aptera does, I hope it is optional.
3. Wireless inductive charging? Not sure if that is practical with the shape, distance to the ground, and space restrictions.
Yes topic “3” induction charging... I wonder if the Plugless system could be adapted to Aptera as
here is a 2016 video:
https://binged.it/2mGNBGk
It's 10% or more losses when wireless charging. A simple J-1772 charge plug would be the most available. The CCS DC Fast Charge would also be perfect. Why reinvent the charging. Universal and simple is best.
Most of the information you want is already available via various phone apps. Tesla's proprietary navigation system is based on Google Maps - most other EVs use wonky "in-house designed" navigation system that then cost hundreds of dollars per year to update. If you've connected your phone to your vehicle using Apple CarPlay or Android Auto your car really doesn't need to have redundant systems all its own. As to cord theft - the only time your cable is involved is when you're charging at Level 1 or Level 2 at a receptacle instead of an EVSE, like when you're staying overnight at a friend's house and you've plugged into their outdoor outlet or the dryer receptacle in their laundry room. If you're charging at a public EVSE, the cable is attached to the EVSE, like the hose attached to a gas pump.
Are stolen charging cords a real problem during EV charging in the examples you provided?Do they just resell the charging cord? or steal the cord for the copper?
Is there a safety reason the charge outlet is not inside the vehicle where the cord can rest between the gasket or say the door, hatch, hood or trench, which can be locked? Or even the door of the charging well?
@Len The only ones I've heard of being stolen were when people were running them across the yard to a car parked in the street - and it was probably more of a prank than someone wanting the cable for the copper... They're on the outside of the vehicle for the same reason that fuel fillers are on the outside of the vehicle: Convenience. And if the J-1772 connector was inside a locked part of the car - or locked into the car's port - anyone with an insulated cable-cutter could still make off with the copper cable. So unless you have roving bands of cable thieves in your neighborhood it's probably not an issue. Is there a black-market for stolen granny cables? (they are called this because they're really only supposed to be used when you're visiting your grandmother for lunch...) I don't know - I've never looked for one. But I've also never heard of anyone whose outdoor-mounted EVSE had its cable stolen, either. I have heard that some people make a small loop in the granny cable and then park one of the car's wheels on top of it but I think that only thwart the most casual prankster ("Let's unplug that EV!") and annoy an actual thief who'd probably vandalize the vehicle in retaliation...
@Kerbe thanks for sharing. I must be living a sheltered life but... hope to travel many places with an electric car ( Aptera of course) For the first time.
Seems like there may be some opportunities to invent some solutions for these possible nuisances.
Nissan has a switch in the LEAF to lock the charge cable to the car. This can be annoying at charging stations when sharing plugs, as a fully charged LEAF could be sitting there with the cable locked.
Chevy treats any level 1 charging as though it is from the "portable cord", and both the Bolt and Volt have a setting to trigger the car's alarm if it is unplugged (on by default). If the cord remains attached to the vehicle but loses power, the car will either beep or chirp the horn quietly a few times (also optional, but on by default). They treat level 2 as a charging station and won't alarm if unplugged. I'd actually prefer if Aptera would mirror Chevy's approach regarding this if they use the J1772 connector. It provides a good balance between security and allowing 3rd party plug sharing. Most connectors have a provision for a lock if more security is needed.
On vacations, I park the car on the level 1 cable, making sure the cable is in one of the tire grooves. Good enough to stop an opportunistic thief without smashing the cable (I use a long cable on vacation which, sadly, doesn't support a lock). That said, I've never had any problems with people messing with my car or cables, even when no security precautions are taken (quite the opposite, actually, where other EV drivers plug my car into a station when they are done charging).
As for in-car tech, Tesla's on-board routing is pretty slick, but truthfully, I'd prefer Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and Plugshare from a phone. This would save Aptera a lot of development and headache. Just show me the details and let my phone do the navigation. Although, I'd love an "advanced" view to show individual motor power, battery cell voltages, component temperatures, incoming solar power, and other fun stuff that no other OEM will let us see.
@PV1 Have you tried "A Better Route Planner"? https://abetterrouteplanner.com/
For those of you with extensive BEV experience, can you comment on highway speed and battery consumption on your current vehicles (i.e. consumption at 70mph vs 75mph etc.). I know each vehicle will be a little different depending on a number of factors.
@Kerbe #12705 I have not. Will check it out.
I did a 524-mile trip in my Bolt a while back. On the outbound leg, I went 71 MPH, traveled 166 miles, and used 43.9 kWh. On the return leg, I don't have all the data, but I traveled faster (76 MPH) and used less energy (I think around 5% less) by following trucks nearly the entire way back. For the trip over-all, total distance was 523.9 miles, total energy consumed at the battery was 128.5 kWh (140 kWh at the plug), and I made it home with an estimated 41 miles left (170 miles traveled, 231 estimated range at start of return leg).
My normal driving is at 35-60 MPH on main roads, and at the same temperatures as the trip, can get around 200 miles with 90% charge (54 kWh starting capacity). My Bolt's lifetime efficiency at the battery is 4.2 miles/kWh. At the wall, my Bolt is averaging 3.73 miles/kWh, and the i-MiEV averages 3.78 miles/kWh. The Bolt gets driven more aggressively, has many more highway miles, and has more cabin heating/cooling use than the i-MiEV.
In the i-MiEV, highway speeds drop my range considerably. I can get an easy 65-70 miles on main roads in the summer (40-50 MPH with red lights), but this drops to 50-55 miles on the highway at 65 MPH. Obviously with drafting, I can get better range (about 60 miles), but the i-MiEV is about as aerodynamic as a sheet of plywood at high speed. All I can say is, though, with the difference between 0.35 (i-MiEV) and 0.32 Cd (Bolt) being very apparent behind the wheel, I can't imagine what 0.15 will be like.
(My range claims are a mix of observed and estimated ranges as reported by the car's instrumentation. My max range per charge could probably be pushed further if I knew exactly where the bottom end of the Bolt's charge is. I don't purposefully push the car to nearly running out of charge. Also, differences between at-the-battery and at-the-plug consumption is mostly charging losses and battery cooling that occurred while quick charging.)
This is going to be an adjustment for me. I rarely do less than 75mph on the highway and honestly usually set the cruise between 80 and 85. Guess the speed demon in me is going to have to slow down if I want to get anywhere in the 400mi Paradigm.
Rick, the Aptera software is going to provide a lot more information to the driver than the typical EV, and I expect that as we learn to use it we will have a lot we can do to manage the range we will need on a given trip.
It will be interesting to see how the Aptera's efficiency changes with speed. I can't speak for going above 75 MPH; our speed limits here are nowhere near that anymore (speed limits on my trip above have since been dropped to 65 MPH).
The Aptera will be more slippery through the air than any other vehiclee on the road.
For that reason, it's power consumption won't go down as fast at high speeds as other vehicles. And you can order them with a huge range.
So your biggest problem with going really fast won't be the range reduction. It will be the delay and cost if you get a speeding ticket. (And don't think you won't be noticed. :-)
Most speed limits on the interstates here are 70mph. If you're not going at least 75, you're a hazard on the road. Arkansas just increased the speed limit on interstate 55 north from Memphis to the Missouri line to 75mph.