Aptera is making a 3 wheeled electric vehicle that can charge in the sunlight 40 miles a day, and can in theory never need to be plugged in. All of the parts on the inside have QR codes with videos on how to repair or replace things.
I think this is great:
Damn, this is awesome! Thanks for sharing!
Don’t think framework came up with that, might have been space-shuttle iirc
That thing is pretty much everything I’d want in an electric car. I get that the market in the US wants their big cars, SUVs, lots of power, gadgets, etc. But I want something small, simple, light, and super efficient. The nod to repairability is icing on the cake.
I hope they are good and they succeed.
Even though I just bought an electric SUV myself (hockey equipment doesn’t haul itself), I’d love to see this catch on not just for the Aptera’s sake, but so these practices spread across the industry. Imagine not having to worry about being unable to find a place to service your car because the automaker enables the user/driver to do so themselves…
Just so you know, no shade thrown for anyone with an SUV or anyone who wants a powerful car either. I’d love to drive a supercar, lol. I just think the market niche of a super efficient electric car is sorely lacking.
Probably 95% of my vehicle use could be a two seat, tiny electric car. Maybe even more. But there would definitely be times when not having a back seat would be a limitation, and I don’t know how good the Aptera would be for an actual, cross-country road trip, though I’m sure it could be done.
Honestly, my main hesitation right now is the fact that its range comes from efficiency, rather than a large battery. For the most part, that’s amazing. It’s one of the main things that makes the Aptera amazing. But, it also means the range will be much more highly impacted by running other things like heat, AC, lights, etc. If you are getting 10 miles per KW hour and only need a 40KW hour battery to get 400 miles, that’s cool. Until you have to use 7KW worth of lights, heat, windshield wiper, etc. Suddenly you just cut 70 miles off your range, lol. And that’s best-case. In the winter, the range will be reduced from the cold. Add in heat and such, and I bet the range will fall dramatically short of 400 miles. Still, it would be fine for 90+% of my driving. But if I have to drive 250-300 miles round-trip for work or to visit family, there’s a good chance I’d be stopping to charge at some point. That’s not the end of the world. Charging stations are starting to show up around here. But it’s a consideration for me, personally.
I’m trying to push Telo towards a similar repairable / upgradable model for it’s upcoming MT1 truck. Founders have been very receptive on their Discord channel so far. It’s not for sure but I think it’s a possibility for much of the vehicle.
Huh I learned about a new carmaker today. TIL! Thanks for the info.
I want to know how to debloat an electric car and get rid all of the data collection… There are too little documentation about this. Anyway this car is pretty neat and I’m looking forward to its mass production
… well now I need one of these.
Tangenial thoughts are about a solar charger lid or expansion card. I assume there are thermal issues with leaving your laptop in the sun.
Pretty cool they are using QR codes and replaceable parts.
But EVs have no place in my life, and it is not likely they ever will.
I am out in the country, which means more miles. And I need a truck to do some of my work.
That EV will never replace my F250, which is full capable of towing a trailer with heavy equipment on it… ~24 hrs a day if need be.