The old Aptera 2e had side view mirrors because I think at least CA required side view mirrors. The present Aptera Gallery of pictures seem to have eliminated the side view mirrors (Yes!) and there may be an electronic side view screen inside the vehicle. Is that the case?
Were they able to get around the outside mirrors since the vehicle would be registered as a motorcycle and not a registered vehicle, thus qualifying for an exception or allowance given:
Under the California Vehicle Code, every California-registered vehicle except for motorcycles needs at least two rear viewmirrors. One must be located on the vehicle's left-hand side; the other can be located anywhere, as long as you have a clear view of the highway for at least 200 feet behind your car through the mirrors.
Will this hold for nationwide requirements if registered as a motorcycle?
I would love it if the new Aptera had side video mirrors. They would reduce the frontal area by almost a square foot, and also lower the Cd by have almost no interference with the flow of air. I drove with homebrew video mirrors on my Scion xA, for over 5 years. They worked very well, and they definitely improved the efficiency of the car. I had no blind spots. If we have any hopes to having autonomous cars - then it is crazy that we don't already have simple side video mirrors on production cars.
Neil, thanks for sharing. I never had video side view mirrors. How was the video mirrors visibility in various lighting conditions?
Also from an understanding of safety, in the follow situation how does a video side view mirror work as it has to be powered to provide a view.
You park your car and power off (and I imagine the electronic video mirror turn off)
You want to immediately to open mydoor, to exit from the side that may have vehicles passing by. Or maybe You exit several minutes after powering off the car.
1
Would the mirrors stay powered on/useable for a few minutes, I.e. timed like an interior vehicle light?
2
Would you have an option, after powering off the vehicles for several minutes.... to then momentarily power on the mirrors to check that it is safe to open the door into the traffic?
The video mirrors I put together were pretty basic - the cameras were wider view than needed, and they were not very high resolution. They worked very well in many light situations, and they were better than optical mirrors in the rain, and at dusk. You don't get blinded by headlights, or sun. Their only lack was in very dark situations, and when they happened to get direct sunlight in the lens. I had no blind spots - this is wonderful. Depth perception was something you had to learn - and if you saw something in the monitor, you then turned your head to see it. I had both 7" monitors tight together right in front of me (the instrument cluster was in the center of the ash on the xA) and so I only had to look in one place to everything behind the car. I put a small convex optical mirror in tight to the side window for when the car was off. Here's a blog post from way back when they were relatively new:
http://neilblanchard.blogspot.com/2010/09/eyes-forward-video-mirrors-on-my-xa.html
https://ecomodder.com/forum/showthread.php/scion-xa-aero-mods-2969-22.html#post122825
This post shows the better set of monitors and the optical mirror I mentioned:
https://ecomodder.com/forum/showthread.php/scion-xa-aero-mods-2969-38.html#post242809
Another advantage of video mirrors is they don't need adjusting between different drivers.
Neil, thanks for sharing your trials and successes! Nice work.
Has technology advanced to offer, for video camera mirrors and screens in general used in cars :
High definition
Screens that adjust for changing light conditions
Anti glare screens
Similar to these improvements available on newer LED TVs
Not that this pertains to screens for video mirrors but for other vehicle screens , which are touch screens... fingerprint resistant technology would be great. I am constantly *cleaning my vehicle touch screens and finally using voice commands to avoid touching the screen.
*Microfiber cloths Were a great fine.
Perhaps Aptera could offer voice commands from the “get go“ or down the road
Each state sets its own rules but due to lobbying efforts by other three wheel manufacturers, I think Maine (helmets) and New York ( MC license) may be the remaining states with issues. I am not sure about Alaska, either.
If needed to be technically legal in all areas, Aptera should only add a tiny optical side-view mirror(s). Preferably the very minimum size to just barely qualify legally, AND easily removable* leaving no evidence, like the hidden rack mounts on some car roofs.
The center rearview LOOKS like a mirror, when you point it out to a cop to try avoiding a ticket for it. Or maybe they could include an actual center rearview mirror that clips over the screen like a visor-clip vanity mirror.
* for different states' rules, & for if/when their laws change.
I think a more rational plan and looking to the future that some of we volunteers get together and work on lobbying the State legislators to get the permissions needed. A lot of this work has already done, so if we continue following this path, we could be there by the time shipment starts. The new Federal administration is also much more friendly to EVs and the Republicans are usually for reduced regulation, so this could be a win/win at the federal level as well.
I read that LED headlights were initially illegal, but that lobbying for them as energy-saving got the law changed. If true, that might be a good precedent to follow for energy-saving mirror deletion.
This is a good read, although it's 3 years old... https://www.ncsl.org/research/transportation/transportation-review-autocycles.aspx
Colorado requires "Every motor vehicle shall be equipped with a mirror or mirrors so located and so constructed as to reflect to the driver a free and unobstructed view of the highway for a distance of at least two hundred feet to the rear of such vehicle." Motorcycles are considered motor vehicles, but for motorcycles, a single handlebar mirror gives an unobstructed view behind. But for Aptera, the rear pillars mean a single middle rearview mirror cannot give an unobstructed view. For cars, this is usually satisfied by a left side mirror and a middle rearview mirror. It goes on to say that "Whenever any motor vehicle is not equipped with a rear window and rear side windows....such vehicle shall be equipped with an exterior mirror on each side." So the solar hatch option would definitely require two side mirrors. You also need 2 side mirrors if cargo obscures the view through the hatch. The Aptera also does not have the required "rear side windows", so all models might need side mirrors on both sides in Colorado. I noticed that the Aptera 2e did have small rear side windows, so that version might not have needed a right side mirror.
A lot of Jeeps in Colorado drive with their doors off which also removes the side mirrors. Jeep forums think that is OK, as long as there is nothing in the cargo area obscuring the middle rearview mirror. But a Jeep has a much less obstructed rear view with the doors, roof, and rear windows removed compared to the Aptera. So the non-solar hatch version might be OK with just a center rearview mirror, especially with side cameras to help out. The solar hatch version (or someone with the cargo area full) definitely needs exterior mirrors on both sides in Colorado. Looks like we need to change some laws....
I wonder if an unobstructed middle rearview mirror plus side mirrors located inside the cabin would give an "unobstructed view"? The side mirrors just need to cover the area obstructed by the rear pillars.
@Biff Remember that the Aptera's middle rearview mirror is also a videoscreen connected to a rearview camera at roof level, providing a totally unobstructed view behind the vehicle.
@Kerbe #12705 I'm not worried on a practical level, I think the cameras will work well. It is just a legal concern.
@Biff There are a lot of "horse & buggy" laws still on the books - look how long it took to get beyond sealed-beam headlights!
Aptera indicated they're working on the mirror issues, to make it technically legal in all states, even if this means a vestigial mirror that's relatively useless, but necessary for legality & unnecessary for vision due to the camera screens.