We have had some discussions that focus on the dimensions and technical specifications that are regulated by country-specific laws.
Just enter Europe in the search box to find the discussions.
The CEO says: Our goal is to sell Aptera worldwide ...
We have an EU homologation and certification expert ....
But the respective country laws speak a different language.
It would be interesting in which countries "we have a chance on our Aptera".
Please, let us know the attached data for your country if available,
we will then fill the table with the data.
Thanks in advance for your cooperation.
I want the Europe model for America!
My narrow local streets have short parking spaces, AND I want the better acceleration/cornering/braking/cost/ecology of a light 12.5kW battery that still goes 312% of my US-average daily drive.
@kiteboarder - Then you should take a closer look at the Twike5:
Top Speed 190 km/h, Range 500 km, Weigth 495 kg, Energy 7 kWh/100 km
@kiteboarder Or this one, Sondors 10.000 USD:
@loswa Twike 5 unstable rollover-prone "delta" trike & no airbags?
Sondors seems better, but no pricing?
This could be a real contender if they can truly bring it on the market at the price they claim. Not too crazy about the design though, .....looks a bit too much like a generic sports car. I wish they would have taken inspiration from Aptera and paid more attention to aerodynamics ( especially those those front which wheels look draggy). I realize their main focus is making the car affordable for mass market appeal, but with a bit of ingenuity, I'm sure they could have made the car both more aero and better looking without necessarily breaking the bank.
As far as Australia goes for dimensions would ulitmately depend on if it is classed as a Class L: motorcyle, trike or as a car. The Morgan 3 wheeler is still sold here new however they had to make modifications, most of which shouldn't apply to the Aptera as they were emmisions related. If classed as a car (most likely as it has a steering wheel) The maximum width shall not exceed 2500mm which is about 98.43 inches. Dimension standards at link starting at 43.4. for length and width 43.4.5.1. https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2007C00222#:~:text=any%20'Equipment')-,43.4.,shall%20not%20exceed%202%2C500%20mm.
Of course I would need to do some more research but feel mildly confident it may be able to be homologated for Australia.
@Mark Young: Thank you for your feedback. Unfortunately, I could not find any dimensions in the L category (three-wheeled vehicles):
https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/vehicles/design/files/ADR_Applicability_Summary-L-Group-January20.pdf
I'm waiting on some info from someone more versed in rules and regulations. I'll paste the text for applicable sections and a link. Australian Design Rules can be extremely cumbersome to navigate. This section is applies to passenger cars up to Heavy commercial trucks and has a little bit for motorcycles and trikes. https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2006L02743
43.4. DIMENSIONS OF VEHICLES
43.4.1. 'Total Length' (including any ‘Equipment’
43.4.1.1. Rigid vehicles
43.4.1.1.1. The ‘Total Length' of the rigid portion of any vehicle, other than an omnibus, or a `Semi-trailer' shall not exceed 11 m and the distance from the `Front End’ to the line from which the 'Rear Overhang' is measured shall not exceed 8.3 m.
43.4.3. Height (including any 'Equipment')
43.4.3.1. Except as provided for in Clause 43.4.3.3 for a double-deck cattle trailer the height of any vehicle (other than a double-deck omnibus) shall not exceed 4.3 m.
43.4.4. 'Ground Clearance’
The 'Ground Clearance' of a vehicle, other than an L-Group vehicle, measured from a horizontal road surface to any point on the underside of the vehicle except the tyres, wheels and wheel hubs shall, under the conditions of ‘Maximum Loaded Test Mass' loading as specified in the relevant braking Rule, be not less than:
43.4.4.1. for any point in the. width of the vehicle which is within one metre fore and aft of any 'Axle', 100 mm;
43.4.4.2. for the mid-point between any 2 consecutive 'Axles', the dimension in millimetres obtained by multiplying the distance between the 2 'Axles' in metres by 33.33
43.4.5. ‘Overall Width’ (including any ‘Equipment’)
43.4.5.1. The 'Overall Width' of any motor vehicle (other than an L-Group vehicle) or trailer shall not exceed 2,500 mm.
43.4.5.2. The 'Overall Width' of an L group vehicle shall be as follows :
43.4.5.2.2. In the case of a three wheel vehicle (LB or LE) or a motor cycle with a side car (LD), the maximum width shall not exceed 1,850 mm.
The contact I do have seems to agree with me that the Aptera would likely be considered a car for compliance as it has a steering wheel. Theoretically it should pass as long as it has stability control, ABS and any other safety feature like airbags.
I have been given one company who does ADR compliance for Full Volume production vehicles, Low Volume right through to specialised vehicle imports ranging from Motorcycles through to Heavy Commercial. I'd rather not put the specific details on a public forum.
Would the best email be the info@aptera.us address? Ultimately would be best to get the information needed from an expert rather than my educated guessing.
@Mark Young Thank you, you can send the result to info@aptera.us, but you will receive only a general answer. The registration as a passenger car, probably requires another wheel on the rear axle.
No worries, I'll send the information through in the next 30 minutes. There is one 3 wheeled vehicle already complied here, the vehicle had to be reengineered to be categorised as a passenger car and gained approval in 2015/16. I believe it's classed as a motorcycle everywhere else in the world based on my research. http://www.morgancars.com.au/3wheeler
Email Sent (edit)
@Mark Young - GB the classic 3 wheel country