Very interesting concept. Due to limited charging infrastructure in Japan, I would be happy to know if this vehicle will be available for purchase in Japan and can it be configured with a right hand drive cockpit?
I think the answer to both is yes. However, I wonder about the width of the front wheels, at least for many Japanese older towns. I found driving a truck in Japan to be a challenge when I lived there and had a license.
I've been driving here for well over 25 years, mostly in Southwestern Japan. Camper RVs, military vehicles and more recently medium sized SUVs. Rarely have had any problems as long as one knows when to back down. 😁
The Kansai area you lived in is a bit more urban than the Chugoku region that includes Okayama, Hiroshima (my home prefecture), Yamaguchi, Tottori, and Shimane prefectures. Even the more rural areas of Kansai are more tightly packed in geologically. I regularly drive from Hiroshima throughout Chugoku and Kyushu for work, averaging around 3000 kms a month. The mid to high range version of the battery packs offered on the Aptera would be great for my needs as most of my travel time is on weekends, giving plenty of time to recharge during the week using only household current, if I understand the published info.
Hello Ioswa, and thanks for the link. I took a few minutes to read some of the comments. Very interesting points made by many of the commenters. I will need to do some research on vehicle size regulations here, but based only on what I've seen on the roads in as far as private vehicles, I doubt the Japanese laws are as strict as those in the EU in general. I will post here whatever I find out.
So, based on this graphic, which does not delineate between 3 or 4 wheeled vehicles nor ICE or electric powered, it seems the standard car dimensions in Japan are H200cm(+), L470cm(+), W170cm(+). There is 3-wheeled vehicles mentioned in the section of this graphic describing the number (license) plate configuration but it may be to Aptera's advantage to register their vehicles in Japan as Special Purpose Vehicles. Just a thought.
Estando interessado no Aptera como segunda viatura, fico expectante perante o licenciamento para a União Europeia, mais concretamente para Portugal. A aquisição ficará dependente da legalização.
I think the answer to both is yes. However, I wonder about the width of the front wheels, at least for many Japanese older towns. I found driving a truck in Japan to be a challenge when I lived there and had a license.
I've been driving here for well over 25 years, mostly in Southwestern Japan. Camper RVs, military vehicles and more recently medium sized SUVs. Rarely have had any problems as long as one knows when to back down. 😁
I lived between Osaka and Kyoto, and did plenty of backing :) Probably a more narrow crowded area.
The Kansai area you lived in is a bit more urban than the Chugoku region that includes Okayama, Hiroshima (my home prefecture), Yamaguchi, Tottori, and Shimane prefectures. Even the more rural areas of Kansai are more tightly packed in geologically. I regularly drive from Hiroshima throughout Chugoku and Kyushu for work, averaging around 3000 kms a month. The mid to high range version of the battery packs offered on the Aptera would be great for my needs as most of my travel time is on weekends, giving plenty of time to recharge during the week using only household current, if I understand the published info.
Hi Ken, in Germany/EU we also have limited space and regulations. Please have a look at the link
https://www.aptera.us/forum/aptera-tech-questions/aptera-in-europe/p-1/dl-5fe9f4ab4df1ea0017eab4c1?postId=5fcfc8a3ff6b5900178fb299&origin=notification&commentId=5fe9f4ab4df1ea0017eab4c1
Hello Ioswa, and thanks for the link. I took a few minutes to read some of the comments. Very interesting points made by many of the commenters. I will need to do some research on vehicle size regulations here, but based only on what I've seen on the roads in as far as private vehicles, I doubt the Japanese laws are as strict as those in the EU in general. I will post here whatever I find out.
Is that a solar panel on top? 😄
So, based on this graphic, which does not delineate between 3 or 4 wheeled vehicles nor ICE or electric powered, it seems the standard car dimensions in Japan are H200cm(+), L470cm(+), W170cm(+). There is 3-wheeled vehicles mentioned in the section of this graphic describing the number (license) plate configuration but it may be to Aptera's advantage to register their vehicles in Japan as Special Purpose Vehicles. Just a thought.
Is this a Japanese license plate? Probably not aligned with Japanese guidelines:
No, thats Chinese and not a license plate. Just a placard probably for a car show.
Hello Ken, the same discussion also on this channel:
https://www.aptera.us/forum/aptera-tech-questions/aptera-in-europe/p-2/dl-5ff0598749d65d00179212fc?postId=5fcfc8a3ff6b5900178fb299&origin=notification&commentId=5ff0598749d65d00179212fc
Estando interessado no Aptera como segunda viatura, fico expectante perante o licenciamento para a União Europeia, mais concretamente para Portugal. A aquisição ficará dependente da legalização.
There is already a homologation expert working on EU legalization. Stay tuned for updates. I don't expect deliveries to begin until sometime in 2022.