I understand that you will soon no longer hear the problem of vehicle width, but a large proportion of the posts here and in the social media concern the excessive vehicle width. It is about the possibility of approval outside the United States, but also increasingly about the fear of accidents and damage in narrow surroundings. Outside the cities, the Aptera is unbeatable in terms of efficiency and air resistance. But in the city center, where these have little value, bad to use.
I think the problem has already been solved by the engineers or will be solved soon. Why am I so sure?
1. The first pre-orderers start thinking about a cancellation in public.
2. Are the buyers, who are undecided because of the wide range, looking for an alternative vehicle that will appear in the next few months until the problem is solved.
3. Because the currently largest growing market for e-vehicle customers would break away.
I think there will either be an Aptera version with a reduced width or a conversion kit that can reduce. It is of the greatest economic importance to send a signal to potential customers before they leave.
A lot will happen on the e-mobility market in the next few months. There are new vehicles and new batteries every day. I believe in the Aptera's unique spirit and design, but I fear it will get harder with each month of delay.
@Sarah Hardwick : When will there be Aptera with a reduced width and European approval?
there is a Polish ev with variable width. This serves as proof of concept. so Aptera could copy or license that technology. Problem fully solved with a hopefully modest increase in cost.
https://www.triggo.city/
They could also do the assembly of the Aptera for Europe.
If the Aptera is road legal in Europe, I will be perfectly satisfied with it's sizes. The Aptera is still less wide than a bus or truck, being maximum 2.5 meters wide, and they get everywhere.
If I want to drive a bus, I'll buy a bus. 😁
@Max Conrad If I want to drive an Aptera I will buy an Aptera, if I want to drive a car I will buy a car.🙂
Bojan Majdandzic
There is not much difference between 2.24 m and 2.5 m, but the bus has 4 wheels and not 3. 😉
I'm not sure what you mean by "I think the problem has already been solved by the engineers or will be solved soon." As I understand, the width is a result of the body size + wheel pod width + separation necessary to reduce interference drag. So there is no way to reduce the width without reducing the range, or reducing the interior space, or both. Either change (let alone both) would likely be unacceptable to many people who pre-ordered the vehicle. I think those of us who can't have (or can't live with) an 88-inch wide vehicle need to go for a different brand, or wait for the future 4-wheel model from Aptera.
This is not correct. There are many good ideas to change the width by other members of the forum and if there is a smaller version for people that don't like the wide one that will be fine. So you are afraid of the range? Don't you think the new batteries changes also the range?
@Max Conrad , which of those ideas do you think is the most promising? Reducing the gap between the body and the wheel pods would significantly increase air resistance (interference drag). Removing the wheel pods and replacing them with fenders will also significantly increase air drag - remember, the top of the wheel is moving forward at twice the speed of the vehicle. If you make everything proportionally smaller, that would probably be OK, but that means less room for the occupants, and less space for batteries. I'm not sure what new batteries have to do with this discussion?
@Ken Kobayashi I don't know which idea is the best. But that's also not my part of this business. I'm part of a group of a lot of buyers who want to pay for a Vehicle that we can drive legally and useful in our country.
With Li-Air battery, 1500 Wh/kg, 1000 mi range, 78 inch width.
What is that???
@Sarah Hardwick
Common Core... !
Why are some people aggressively criticizing the width. It was known before your ordered.
If you need a narrower three-wheeler look at this one
https://vanderhallusa.com/edison-2-2020/
There is nothing "aggressively ". Just different opinions.
@Max Conrad Well if the same topic is posted again and again - I call it aggressive. I can just re-emphasize .. the size was known.
If Aptera can make a business case for a more narrow car for Europe, fine. Later. Right now I hope they get started on a car that looks like the running prototype.
I can not emphasize how perfect the current iteration is. I have ZERO interest in any of the suggestions with adjustable width, tandem seating, or front wheels blended into the body. ZERO!
I also think that adjustable width, tandem seating, ... is too expensive. I cannot assess the possibilities, but I have no desire to wait a year for a vehicle that I can then not drive. That is what this and similar discussions are about. 😀
Nobody will take away your Aptera
What if a mob of preorderers start agitating for change? Or even resource sapping co-development of something ugly and stupid? What if Aptera is distracted by the "threat" of order cancelations? I don't want Aptera distracted from their laser-like focus. Frankly, I hope people who have issues with the width DO cancel so the rest of us can get on with it. If they want a skinnier car, they should start their own company.
If the people who want a narrower vehicle are looking for another manufacturer, there may be no Aptera at all. If the most growing market falls away, where will the necessary vehicles be sold that are needed to produce Aptera?
No aggression - No influence - Only logic!
There are currently 7800 orders, 2000 - 3000 orders go to the USA. What if the rest of the orders fall away, because there is no approval in the countries. Aptera needs fresh money, no second round of investment will help - investors invest in products that have a chance of international success and not in a niche product with low volumes. If Aptera has problems, everyone who has pre-ordered here has problems, no matter what dimensions and appearance the vehicle has.
Reality will show the right way.
Please no further comments 🙄
Why is my order number 18,xxx then?.
All orders have the 1 at the beginning. The first preorder was 10001.
Maybe the European legislation should be changed...
Stephen Copestake
Before the European laws change, Aptera will no longer exist, but there will be some examples in museums.
@loswa I just wrote to my MP suggesting they change UK legislation to allow the Aptera cars. The simplest solution though is a 4 wheel Aptera.
@Stephen Copestake Thank you for your answer. I keep my fingers crossed, that this will work. Please keep us informed. An Aptera with 4 wheels is then unfortunately like the other EVs and must also compete against these who offer up then Quantumscape batteries and a very large solar surface.
It baffles me that people place an order for a product they don't like as is, then demand the product must be changed to fit their demand.
And on top they demand none else shall comment on their bizarre behavior while at the same time they keep posting their demand again and again in multiple categories and various titles.
I think these are the same people who buy a house next to an airport and then complain to the city about the air traffic noise level.
BMW Bloch
No aggression only fact. Why did you reserve a Microlino in parallel and also advertise it. Do you have no confidence that you will ever get an Aptera?
If you had - and you actually did - read my comments in other posts you know that I will buy a Microlino for Switzerland and the aptera to travel the USA.
And before placing my order I watched the video and read the specs.
I am very confident that aptera will deliver.
in the UK, Morgan has been producing 3 wheel autocars since 1911 with some gaps, but they are still in production.
Yes, being a life long car nut, I am familiar with the Morgan. In the states, in the last couple of years, Polaris has sold several thousand of their Slingshot sport vehicle. It is a three wheeler and is about 78 inches wide. I think Polaris has already beaten down a path for Aptera to follow with many states coming up with definitions for Autocycle, motorcycles don't have steering wheels, motorcycle license endorsement and helmets not required and so forth. We also have a thriving market in 3 wheel motorcycles that you do sit astride and use handle bars to steer. I think they need a specific autocycle endorsement unlike the Slingshot.
In any case the 88 inch width of the Aptera is less than many large pickup trucks and common residentially owned utility trailers in the US. Road lanes and parking slots will accommodate the Aptera with just the owner getting used to its wider stance.
Parallel parking might take some skill and care. Frankly, parallel parking is rare enough in most of the suburbs it is not uncommon to run across people who have never done it and will look for alternative spots. Still, if you wanted to parallel park an Aptera you have to practice to not risk scuffing the inner wheel pants on the curb in an effort to get the outer wheel clear of the drive lane. Still the Aptera is more narrow than a Ford F150 across the mirrors.
Yes, and if the curb is less than 5 inches high (like most curbs?) you'll be scuffing your tire and wheel rims, just like on every other vehicle today.
The front width of the Aptera is 20 inches narrower than the smallest U.S. parking space, a foot narrower than the buses we share the road with, and 8 inches narrower than the smallest garage door I've ever seen. These have been designed to work in the real world. I'll be parking mine out in the daylight anyway. Let's not invent a problem.
@Ken Potter
The USA is a wide country, in Europe everything is restricted, so are the dimensions, that's why the road traffic regulations are adapted to these constrained conditions.
This is not an invented problem, it is not our invention - it is the reality of the law.
@loswa The width restriction in the EU was created for older, smaller, lighter 3 wheeled motorcycles. 4 wheeled vehicles don't have that same width restrictions. The Aptera is a new class of vehicle. The law should be adapted to the new reality of a cleaner world with super efficient Apteras in it.
@Harry Parker You are right. But space has become increasingly tight and the mills of the authorities grind slowly. 😁
aptera video about size
https://youtu.be/qSHyJsxXTg4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgfjHq_NOx8