c0mp13x
09-22-2008, 12:17 PM
A (long) overview of EVs and hybrids, with a mention of the Aptera:
http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2008/09/19/3660470.htm
...That's the thinking behind the Aptera, an electric two-seater car that looks like something out of The Jetsons and is due to go on sale in California later this year. Its radical design minimises air resistance, right down to little touches such as tucking the windscreen wipers below the airflow. As a result, the entire vehicle has a drag coefficient of just 0.15 (actually .11, unless the recently seen mirrors and shark fin have increased drag) - making its drag roughly the same as that caused by a single large wing mirror. It weighs only 680 kilograms, about the same as a Smart car. The Aptera's Li-ion battery may only hold 10 kilowatt-hours of electricity, but that's enough to give it a respectable 190-kilometre range and a top speed of 136 kilometres per hour. That is probably good enough for many commuters, especially if drivers are able top up their car batteries while they shop or eat...
:happy0025:
http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2008/09/19/3660470.htm
...That's the thinking behind the Aptera, an electric two-seater car that looks like something out of The Jetsons and is due to go on sale in California later this year. Its radical design minimises air resistance, right down to little touches such as tucking the windscreen wipers below the airflow. As a result, the entire vehicle has a drag coefficient of just 0.15 (actually .11, unless the recently seen mirrors and shark fin have increased drag) - making its drag roughly the same as that caused by a single large wing mirror. It weighs only 680 kilograms, about the same as a Smart car. The Aptera's Li-ion battery may only hold 10 kilowatt-hours of electricity, but that's enough to give it a respectable 190-kilometre range and a top speed of 136 kilometres per hour. That is probably good enough for many commuters, especially if drivers are able top up their car batteries while they shop or eat...
:happy0025: