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Dec 24, 2020
Has anyone checked the width of Aptera? It's listed as 88" wide - almost as wide as a garage door. Is it really that wide?
Has anyone checked the width of Aptera? It's listed as 88" wide - almost as wide as a garage door. Is it really that wide?
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Yes, at the front wheel pants, outside to outside. Because of the way the doors work, you only need 5 or 6 inches from a wall to open the doors and get in or out. The wide track is needed for aerodynamics and stability.
It will fit in the junk yard after it flips if the width is changed because it may not fit in your garage.
Please, have a look at the link:
minivan style slide doors instead of these doors which make the width of teh car wider when door is open pls (liek on toyota sienna) https://gearjunkie.com/toyota-tj-cruiser-minivan-cargo-suv-concept
i think the space between the diver and passenger is too much, instead of having as much space maybe they should replace teh armrest with a layer of plastic or something between driver and passenger and a armrest that can be leaned on with elbows but doesnt necessarily touch teh whole hand to elbow, and put the passenger behind the driver at enough to give that extra elbow space while further minimizing wideness of car. kind of like this (doesnt include the minimal elbow rest and arms length barrier between driver, and maybe such armest not inportant to custimer anyway given they have teh armrest at teh door to lean on. and maybe even that armrest should be replaced with thinner shoulder to elbow resting barriers between occupants, and the door can be padded as a area for leaning on it. all these leaning aid devices make it possible to slouch or lean for a destressing seating position on left and/or right side of driver/passenger) passenger:https://www.google.com/search?q=vw+xl+seats&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS844US844&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjL3sTonIbuAhU9ElkFHbX_Bg4Q_AUoAXoECA8QAw&biw=1034&bih=620#imgrc=MmOJ9telYL8NjM
also how about having passenger and driver back to back, so the vertical center of weight of occupants are at the center of the car not only for a more occupant centered weigt distrubutin for dhandling experience but also for a more aerodynamics freidnly design, and it may end up a lighter car, plus the passenger can streach out legs into trunk area when no need for to store much in it, and can lay legs over items in trunk, can access items in trunk, can simply retact legs if trunk is in use, plus crash saftey is better with backward facing seats if crash accidnet happens from the front of car and same for driver at front if crash is from behind:https://www.consumerreports.org/car-seats/why-kids-should-stay-longer-in-rear-facing-car-seats/
2 dimensional side visual perspective:
the square is teh trunk psace/ extra legroom, the triangle is a place to put electronics/batter (preferably teh heavier parts) or a storage space, the other red lines that teh triangle sits between are seats. any interior empty space can also be taken advantage of as storage space even its wall space rather than floor space by a net holding objects by a rope tightener (something like this thing used in hoodie clothing to tighten teh hoodie: https://www.amazon.com/Inovat-Plastic-Toggle-Spring-Single/dp/B01JWJ911S/ref=asc_df_B01JWJ911S/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=193122865658&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=13556882858479421763&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9007795&hvtargid=pla-305509099122&psc=1) 2 wheels at front 1 wheel at rear may still be practical, especially if front wheels are behind the pedals , and car will probably be shorter front end to rear end b/c much trunk space maybe not needed if there is a trailer for when need for more space happens (it wont happen often especially given most people most of the time drive alone and without using much of trunk space. plus if passenger needs more legspace he can adjust his seat backward, round mechanical teeth gears on a rail on which teh seat slides on forces incremental movement rather than sudden movement to prevent startling the driver by moving his eat to quickly. then teh driver would have less leg space, but driver passenger can switch leg space by asking each other for more depending on their needs, and conflict is resolved by intuitively switching back and forth on a need basis for long drives (which also dont happen often). having less necessary legspace means shorter car.
if the only three wheels are in contact at a given time, the forth wheel wont take away legal exemptions the car can benefit from by having less than 4 wheels, for ex in this pic teh side wheels can only touch the ground if the car leans on it, or 2 wheels at front and one at back there can be small wheels next to teh theird rear wheel like kid bike training wheels, or the lean can be on three wheels and teh front and rear wheels interchangeably touch teh ground depending on weight distribution. the distance from the ground that any wheels has is to be small so that there isnt too much body roll for people with sensitivity to motion sickness etchttps://www.aptera.us/forum/main/comment/5ff3d90a937ccd003b4aa10f
https://www.aptera.us/forum/aptera-design-discussion/overall-structure-perportion-alternatives
maybe a hybrid between this extreme and teh normal 2 seats next to each other can improve efficiency:
also it may pay off in terms of aerreodynamics maybe even weight savings at some level, given teh ability to carry 3 people/more storage space, than vs teh cost to benefit ratio of a 4 seater. if the seating position was like this: at where the red X is marked minimalize teh space between rear seats, have them face in a outward angle towards where the side mirrors would be if there were normal side mirrors, there will be considerable space behind the center driver where heavy parts of drivetrain can sit ex. battery, diesel generator etc. there is actually decent leg room for the rear passengers as shown at the red circle, they wouldnt be able to spread legs apart fully but will have space to stretch out legs and move them enough to prevent cramps on long drives.
a 2 seater version seater of this can be a hppy medium between putting passenger behind the driver and passenger next to driver
this one combines the passenger facing backward behind the passenger and the concept above for a theoretical happy medium in capability vs efficiency costs: the red is the body dimensions, teh black is where wheel axles may be (teh rear shows that t may pay off for aerodynamics to have teh axles more near teh rear end or teh axles near the weight of teh passenger and whatever is stored next to him (ex battery or whatever), to allow for quicker ability to put down torque if reader axles is driven by powertrain)
also, given how often people travel alone, a single seater may be worth it given a single seater can also replace public transportation for "last mile" transportation in crowded areas and in l where public transportation isnt being used in teh locality. this is especially viable when considering teh single seater car can be used on teh highway and can be brought home for anytime use, unlike public transportation that often has availability limits, scooters are often abused and are probably not even "environmentally friendly" either https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NY6mHADWCk.
The width is 8” wider than a cybertruck! This could be a fatal design flaw, IMO.
The width is 8” wider than a cybertruck! This could be a fatal design flaw, IMO.
The width is 8” wider than a cybertruck! This could be a fatal design flaw, IMO.
The width is 8” wider than a cybertruck! This could be a fatal design flaw, IMO.
The width is 8” wider than a cybertruck! This could be a fatal design flaw, IMO.
Just making the wheel fairings on left and right quickly and easily removable for narrow towns etc where the current wheel width is excessive in small villages, then put them back on for long journeys where the aerodynamics matter more.
I park the car in the garage everyday, so the fairings would never be on. Not such a good idea in wet weather.