If you want the 0-60 mph in 3.5 sec you need their AWD ( Not important to me)
Torque vectoring might be better???
But
On my feww primitive roads and possible “light off road” treks ( hiking and camping) and the Monsoon seasons, these are my reasons and I expect a slight range hit, which is fine
My current front wheel drive Mitsubishi Mirage with traction control seems to do alright on light dirt roads and in the snow. ...which brings to mind.. will it be possible to put snow chains on Aptera tyres. OOhh, can you imagine a snowmobile option?? lol That would be RAD! 😂 I'm sure the range would suffer during such versatile moments, but hey, the importance is in getting from point A to point B first and then worry about efficiency later. lol
I may not care about 0-60 in 3.5sec DRY, but in rain AWD would make entering a 60+ freeway a lot easier.
FWD may be fine in snow for every other car, but Aptera needs a bit more grip for the center wheel to plow its own track. EDIT: Oops! I keep forgetting that FWD Aptera has DOUBLE the traction of every other std FWD car... (see newer post below)
@kiteboarder PREACH! We're dead flat around here and all the entrances to the 70 mph interstate are uphill as it's elevated to overpass local roads. You've got a relatively short run to gain 20 feet in elevation and accelerate from 30 to 80 just to get into traffic (everyone is in a BIG hurry heading back to Canada from New Orleans) before you can decelerate to 70 (or thereabouts) and activate the ACC.
Another good point: I may not care about 0-60 in 3.5sec on FLATS, but on uphill onramps AWD would be a lot easier.
FWD for rain & snow I do keep forgetting to think of it as a Torsen limited-slip though: Unlike a std FWD car where 1 wheel spins, Aptera gets the full grip of BOTH front tires, with traction controlled down to the 1/32nd of a tire rotation.
@dtsteele according to the FAQ document, they expect a couple percent efficiency loss with all-wheel drive. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/11Of3g6RYqstbXecs7j2UHHd_b8s5MebxEs-ZwkyMiiQ/edit?usp=drivesdk
@Daniel Watkins Thanks. I hadn't seen the Google Doc which has lots of details and things I hadn't thought of yet. So far my fav is the "mouse-proof" question.
Increased traction, fancier stability control and more performance.
Daniel hit the main points..
Stability could be better
If you want the 0-60 mph in 3.5 sec you need their AWD ( Not important to me)
Torque vectoring might be better???
But
On my feww primitive roads and possible “light off road” treks ( hiking and camping) and the Monsoon seasons, these are my reasons and I expect a slight range hit, which is fine
@Ron Bonnstetter 50% greater "Number of Motors" bragging rights at Aptera gatherings...
Any one planning significant time driving in snow should probably plan on 3 wheels and snow tires.
@n.bruce.nelson ...not to mention...
My current front wheel drive Mitsubishi Mirage with traction control seems to do alright on light dirt roads and in the snow. ...which brings to mind.. will it be possible to put snow chains on Aptera tyres. OOhh, can you imagine a snowmobile option?? lol That would be RAD! 😂 I'm sure the range would suffer during such versatile moments, but hey, the importance is in getting from point A to point B first and then worry about efficiency later. lol
Ron Bonnstetter Choose what you want and be happy with it ...
umm, but, butt, would there be an option wherein all wheels were blue? 😉😂
I may not care about 0-60 in 3.5sec DRY, but in rain AWD would make entering a 60+ freeway a lot easier.
FWD may be fine in snow for every other car, but Aptera needs a bit more grip for the center wheel to plow its own track. EDIT: Oops! I keep forgetting that FWD Aptera has DOUBLE the traction of every other std FWD car... (see newer post below)
@kiteboarder PREACH! We're dead flat around here and all the entrances to the 70 mph interstate are uphill as it's elevated to overpass local roads. You've got a relatively short run to gain 20 feet in elevation and accelerate from 30 to 80 just to get into traffic (everyone is in a BIG hurry heading back to Canada from New Orleans) before you can decelerate to 70 (or thereabouts) and activate the ACC.
Another good point: I may not care about 0-60 in 3.5sec on FLATS, but on uphill onramps AWD would be a lot easier.
FWD for rain & snow I do keep forgetting to think of it as a Torsen limited-slip though: Unlike a std FWD car where 1 wheel spins, Aptera gets the full grip of BOTH front tires, with traction controlled down to the 1/32nd of a tire rotation.
Have any specs been provided comparing front vs all wheel for range etc?
@dtsteele according to the FAQ document, they expect a couple percent efficiency loss with all-wheel drive. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/11Of3g6RYqstbXecs7j2UHHd_b8s5MebxEs-ZwkyMiiQ/edit?usp=drivesdk
@Daniel Watkins Thanks. I hadn't seen the Google Doc which has lots of details and things I hadn't thought of yet. So far my fav is the "mouse-proof" question.
None that I have read YET. A slight range-hit could be expected but must be confirmed with their development vehicles.