My Fiat 500e daily driver is 64" wide, it's awesome in dense traffic on my daily commute. A 2020 F350 pickup is 80" wide, the dually version is 94" wide. The Aptera falls in the middle at 88" wide, a full 8" wider than a full sized pickup truck.
This concerns me 2 ways, in traffic it will be on you to defend your front wheel spats. Other drivers won't be able to see them when you are on their passenger side. They will see the body and think they are giving you plenty of room when they are inches away from your front wheels. I have a feeling it will be a much more tense morning commute in heavy traffic.
The other concern is other people parking next to your Aptera. If they are pulling in or leaving a space and you are parked on their passenger side they can't see your front wheels. Seems pretty easy for them to get hit in parking lots.
Maybe the solution is fender flags on the wheel spats?
Flags would hurt earo. Super Bright lighting over the coverings may be as good as it gets.
I'd rather they just simply make the interior smaller, if leaving gaps between the hull and the wheels is necessary for aerodynamic boasting. If it's too snug, move the passenger seat a bit forward and closer. I'm biased, though, as a vertically challenged person, and I'd be happy to just watch from a distance as the vehicle prospers in niche American wide-road markets.
No concern. It's narrower than my F150's mirrors.
I’ve been thinking about this as well and agree that some type of LED lighting would probably be the best solution. There are a lot of portable battery operated LED lights available.
I am not sure how much more of an issue this will be compared to having mirrors that extend this far out on many vehicles. The tradeoff for better handling, stability and lower waste of energy to wind resistance is one that I am willing to make.
It's true that mirrors are the widest point on most every vehicle. But mirrors are always above the lower window sill on every vehicle i've ever been in. The Aptera front wheel spats are lower than most vehicles front fenders. They are certainly lower than the window sill on most any vehicle they will be next to. If you are on the passenger side of most any car and every truck, they can't see your front wheels at all. If they judge how close they are by the parts of the Aptera they can see, they will be way closer than you will like.
It will certainly be interesting to see how many wheel covers get damaged in the first few years.
Good conversations
I am retiring my Honda Ridgeline, a Midsize truck, which is only one inch wide narrower ( measured to outside of side mirrors)
It will be different!
I even reduced my garage workshop cabinets and worbench profile( depth) so I have more that the needed 6” swing for the opened. i. e., pass the front wheel pants (covers)
Remember the old Plymouth Prowler,which had vulnerable front wheels
One reason I want a white Aotera ( no snow here) as it is a brighter color.
I had suggested a low energy parking (traffic side) light like many German cars have for night visibility
There are low energy bike lights that are mounted behind the bike seat which delineate a safe boundry that might be useful for congested city use ?
I suppose an audible proximity alarm might help to “if it really is an issue?”
I only have cows to worry about by me😔
@Matthew Vaughn I hope it won't be that bad, but I will be sharing the driving with my wife, and she is not nearly as aware as I am where a cars bounderies are. I am afraid you may be right. At least I work in the marine industry and have some gelcoat and fiberglass repair experience and the materials at hand. If the wheel pants are also covered with vinyl wrap like I expect the body to be, I don't know if an invisible repair can easily be done. Interesting.
I have a concern about the wheel width. My garage is only 9' wide and I have to make a hard right turn from an alley into my garage. I expect to need some proximity sensors on the fenders (spats?) covering the wheels. Does anyone know the turning radius of the Aptera?
I do not know the turning radius, but with 3 wheel torque vectoring, I think it can be VERY tight at low speeds, with some moderate rear tire scrub.
The 88 inch Aptera width is the same as the mirror width on a Ford F250 Super Duty Pickup Truck.
...but it is more difficult to fold the wheels! 😂
And the Ford F250 is too wide for many situations. I certainly wouldn't want to own one.
I'm not concerned about its width in traffic, since I live in a small city with wide roads. But it's too wide to park on our driveway and still allow another car to pass by it to get to the garage. I haven't made up my mind whether to cancel my pre-order, but it's likely.
Out here in the country an F150 is an economy car, F250s are everywhere, and 300-500 series trucks are in common use.
They call my white and black BMW i3 the “Skunk Car”
I agree this is something that I'm getting concerned about. Most normal cars and SUVs are much narrower. Most full size pick-ups are much narrower.
@B D Remember, though, that most pick-up and other vehicle width dimensions do NOT include side mirrors - they're only body-width. A full-size pick-up with towing mirrors can be nearly 120" wide - significantly wider than Aptera.
After hearing Nathan Armstrong say in a stream that going to four wheels is not necessarily going to give a big hit in efficiency, I am much more inclined to buy a four-wheeled aptera many years from now rather than Roadster. I don't think it will be enjoyable to drive, something as wide as a Hummer h1 give or take.
Ya this is something I'm not really liking. I'd really like to see them make it more narrow. 88" is wider than almost all other cars, SUVs, even full-size trucks.
@B D A Ford F-350 Super Duty pick-up is 96" wide, not including the side mirrors. A Chevy Suburban is nearly 93" wide including the side mirrors.
https://www.aptera.us/forum/main/comment/60355e47bb11cc0015aad430 https://www.aptera.us/forum/main/comment/602459dedb409900170b5f3b
besides decreasing mass and better aerodynamics of having narrower/shorter car,
car being wide is a problem for some parking spaces especially with the doors open. aptera would also be much more appealing to sport driving market if it wasnt so wide, b/c narrower can means more space to move around including more space to handle a more g force intensive turn, etc. sports car market especially light affordable sports car/comfort grand touring bike market, is something that expands market for aptera by a considerable amount... there arnt many people who want a car that specializes only in being fuel efficient.
LIGHT STRIP STICK/WHIP:the flag idea for wheels being too small for other drivers to see(especially for so called "SUV"s, minivans, etc which are the common car nowdays), can be a "stiff light whip" b/c more aerodynamic friendly like used in off roading events, it can also work as turn signals. https://www.buggywhip.com/n-11-racing-dont-get-stuck-in-the-dust.html https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/Multi-Color-5FT-LED-Light-Whips_60668502228.html
it should be very stiff so its doesn't bend in too much messing with aerodynamics, it will be just tall enough to be visible up to maybe where a normal rearview mirror would be
No. Don't turn a mole hill into a mountain.
Nope - not concerned in the least.
My concern is when a bicyclist is on the right side and I am suppose to fit the Aptera into the same lane. On narrow curving roads with oncoming traffic, moving into the other lane may not be an option. Efficiency is great, but I also want the vehicle to be easy to live with.
@pistonboy Whenever I'm in that situation with my current vehicle I simply drive slowly until either the cyclist pulls over or the oncoming lane becomes clear. As a cyclist, when I realize I'm holding up traffic, I pull off the road and allow the vehicles to pass me before continuing.
When cycling I frequently share our narrow local roads with 18-wheeler semis - and have yet to be injured by one.