I love the concept of this, but what happens if it snows? The closed front wheel design and the rest hub would likely be frozen shut and be unusable at that point. Has winter treating been done, or is this a fairweather EV?
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Tire would wear down the ice once you start moving like any other car. of course it will make some noise. It is designed for snow and ice with all-wheel drive with quick response tability control from controlling the motor in each wheel.
Does the all-wheel drive option lower the range of the vehicle? It looks like it says that front wheel drive runs at 100kW of power and that all-wheel drive runs at 150kW? Or am I misunderstanding? And does that mean that the range of a vehicle with all-wheel drive will be lower?
And while we're discussing winter driving, in Iowa we get a lot of wind in winter. I know the vehicle has a low coefficient of drag, but it's also quite light weight so how well would it handle a cross wind on an icy road?
ps. How much does it weight? the spec sheet doesn't say and I'm sure the question will cross my mind if I'm ever trying to push it out of a snow drift. pps. Speaking of power, on the spec sheet there is a section titled "solar" that uses the unusual figure of 60 kM, I'm not sure whether that's supposed to say kW or km.
Maybe the off-road kit with wintertires? One of the first SAAB had closed wheel design and it seemed to be terrible to drive in snow .
I've lived for years in upstate NY and had to kick the snow out of my wheel wells on all my cars at some point, sometimes a few times each winter.
Yesterday they said that the wheel skirts will be designed to clip off easily for tire changing and flat repairs. So that's an option.
It may be less of a problem than you think because the inwheel motors make enough heat that they need to be liquid cooled. That should melt any snow and ice.
However, Bojan may have it right in that the off-road kit may be just the thing for serious winter weather when people tend to play bumper cars more often.
Winter spin-outs in empty icy parking lots anyone? (May need to request a "drift mode" for this activity if the active traction grip is too good.)
One can hope, with tank turn mode at some point. Them being liquid cooled means less heat radiating to the wheel wells unless temperature set point before coolant flow is high enough. Energy needed to move the car is so minimal at low speeds, don't count on it. Higher speeds, air flow refresh would prevent motor heat from helping.
I live in Atlantic Canada and we have some pretty brutal winters also. Most annoying for me is always having to knock off the slush that constantly accumulates in the wheel wells, directly behind my tires (this normally only happens after a storm, before the road salt has had a chance to melt all the leftover snow after the roads have been plowed) Sometimes I forget to knock off the slush which then freezes and I end up with "ice mudflaps" rubbing against the back of my tires. Hopefully the fender skirts on the Aptera are tough enough so kicking them to knock off stuck on slush won't cause any damage (scratches, etc.). Trying to knock slush out of the rear fender skirt looks like it could be a challenge, though.
My guess is that the normal fine grained traction control might make drifting difficult.
All good explanations. Chris also mentioned in the video, even though that Black Aptera has a one piece cover, as mention above...the production will have a easy to remove two piece and the Off Road option will have a tougher cover.
(He didnât say how much that version will increase the ground clearance)
Has it actually been assessed for cold weather (Canadian) usability and durability?
Yes. Nordic & Scandinavian countries are a large market for EVs. Over 60% of sales in Norway are EVs these days, and EVs sell in double digit percentages in several northern European countries.
Further to that... the past Apterae had many miles on the road including âin snowâ .which I heard were VG ,but this current Aptera has many more features for that condition. EVs have temperature extremes but as Harry mentioned... Nordic countries are important for EVs manufacturers, like Aptera ( I have heard)
I like their durable composite body too ,which alone has some insulating attribute.
It will be interesting to hear exactly what their Off Road option offers for snow.
Surely the AWD , torque vectoring, stability control would be a plus.
@atwooki Aptera has only just completed one prototype that is neither fully-functional nor production-ready. So, to answer your question, no - no testing has been done. As Len pointed out there was testing of the previous iteration, a decade ago, but that was a significantly different vehicle.
I think it would be better to pair two wheels on the rear train and put de motor inside the wheels. More stable to drive in winter season. Just like some four wheels scooters.
2 wheels at the front & FWD or AWD would be better for winter. AND pushing a single steerable wheel over a slick surface would have very little control. you want the drive wheels on the front end where most of the weight typically is.
RWD is by far the worst stability wise in slick icy road conditions. if you have one steerable wheel in the front that cannot gain traction... goood luck buddy... the center of the road typically has the most ice, oil and road grime. motorcyclist know this already.
With so much excess range capability, increasing drag a bit with a pair of high-clearance dirtbike-style fenders might be a good winter/offroad solution.
Snow tires will make a large difference. The state of the art traction control will also be a big plus. Snow is unlikely to build up around the wheels, because they are rejecting the waste heat of the motors.
Simple solution...skinny tires. My I-MiEV has 145 wide tires on the front and goes through the snow like itâs on rails. It weighs 2,500 lbs. and is rear wheel drive.
As for the wheel covers, it should be fine to leave them on as the tires will keep their path clear, and unlike conventional cars, they donât articulate within the covers since the covers steer with the tires. Hitting bumps will likely knock any built up snow out as the covers are unsprung.
What if you have to drive through deep snow ( such as a road that hasn't been plowed yet) say, deep enough to reach the height of the front wheel skirts? I imagine the all wheel drive and off road options combined with a good set of snow tires should make all the difference , but being such a light vehicle, could getting good traction still be an problem....?
As long as the snow is light and not re-freeze, any snow that won't fit under the wheel covers will be plowed by them. The underside of the car won't accumulate any snow due to its design.
If the tires are kept on the narrow side, grip should be no problem in snow, as the weight of the car is divided among 3 wheels, not 4, so tire load is higher than a similar weight conventional car.
Other good replies here. Just wanted to add:
The car is relatively light, but not that light. It still weights about a ton. Actually more than a ton (2200 lbs) with the biggest battery option.
Also the wheel "pants" and skirt do unclip easily. That is meant for changing the tires and such, but that could help if you need to drive through snow over 5 inches deep. I'd recoommend having chains on in that case. If it is much beyond the 9" height of the belly, you better get the snow plow attachment ( TBD: to be designed, maybe.) ;-)
Ya, when you unclip the wheel covers to put chains on, just leave the covers in the hatch (will they fit?).
I don't see how vehicle weight itself is a factor. I've driven a 1670-pound Pinto in all different kinds of snow & it's fine. Same for a 2500-Lb 240Z. Lightest of all, without even snow tires (Michelin XZX) I drove a 1550-Lb Datsun 110 past two 4x4s stuck at the side of the unploughed back road to BigBear, when the ploughed main road required chains I didn't have.
Good thing nobody had said anything to me about light cars being bad in snow.
When I have been stopped in the snow it's when I get highsided, the snow builds up under the car and picks me up. But that's not snow under the tires, that under the whole undercarriage. If you have the weight of a light car holding down something that is displacing just a suitcase width of snow I think you'll be in great shape.
So if it's really the underbelly that counts, note that Aptera's is 9". It should also help that there's nothing for the snow to catch on underneath, unlike any other vehicle.
I'm eager to drive my Aptera on our McCall Idaho roads. This is one of the snowiest towns in the country, with six months of the white stuff. My long gone SAAB 96 was a great car in snow. Why? Narrow tall tires, wheel wells designed to deflect snow, front wheel drive, light weight, and minimal body overhang beyond the wheelbase. Design considerations that are mirrored somewhat in the Aptera. Mine was the same color and year as this one.
Such a cool car! đ
Add to all those Saab features: Aptera's traction control at each 1/32 of every tire revolution. Plus of course ABS.
Are you getting the AWD version? I agree with all of your points. I am going with a Paradigm, and am hopeful that it will still be ok with caution.
I'm not going AWD. I lived in upstate NY, where snow covered roads are common in winter. Never owned an AWD car and never really felt the need. Just mount good tires and drive appropriately for conditions.
We all have our daily and occasional needs. Given were I live .
Primitive Roads - Although FWD is a minimum, AWD is nice sometimes in monsoon season (our second summer season) . Along with ABS. stability control and torque vectoring all appeal to me. But I donât need the extra weight , cost nor need the 0-60 mph in 3.5 seconds. But with the 60 kWh battery, even a little hit on range will not matter with my planned occasional cross country trips
I beliveb I read 70/30 weight ratio somewhere?
The std 195 45 R 16 tires seem fine, even if they decide to use the 205 on the rear...
The Off Road package, which seems more for snow needs ... could be a nice option.
I donât even use my AWD Intelli-traction on my mid size truck here much..,and avoid true âoff roadâ adventures...If you are going to off road you should have a vehicle with heavy/ high ply tires, understand proper air pressure for the adventure, etc...and expect Cowboyđ¤ scratches on your vehicle.
Primitive roads are fine.... I â¤ď¸ my modes of transporation and try to respect and protect them!
Outside of this topic
Full solar makes sense in Southern AZ and the fact that it obscures light coming in through the large glas hatch is fins with me as I never use my vehicles sun/moon roofs. They just were included in the model. And there is very little of a weight hit going full solar. The solar on the hatch will provide some cargo privacy
Tens of millions of people drive in snow with FWD & all-wheel brakes. Many of them also with inferior/absent traction control. I can't think of any reason to believe that Aptera wouldn't be at least as good.
Bingo. I'm confident the Aptera will be an excellent snow vehicle. The potential to spin it in the opposite direction on a narrow dirt road without a wide 3 point turn is there too.
I wonder if the handbrake is mechanical, & on the rear wheel.
In a recent video interview with Sandy Monroe, founders Chris & Steve mentioned playing with the prototype in a parking lot with the traction control turned off, having fun trying "reverse donuts". I think it was Chris who said something along the lines of, "We'll need to put up a big warning sticker on THAT option!" :-) Here's that section of the 1/2 hour video queued up for you:
Actually, lots of good info in there, so I recommend watching the whole thing.