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View Full Version : 3/14/08 - The 300 Miles-Per-Gallon, $26000 Car - popfi.com


A1phaGeek
09-24-2008, 01:52 PM
http://www.popfi.com/2008/03/14/the-300-miles-per-gallon-26000-car/

"The company Aptera is bringing to market not one, but two revolutionary car designs sometime between now and 2009. One is an all-electric car that gets 120 miles per charge. The other is a plug-in hybrid car that gets 300 miles per gallon of gas. Their design, based on three wheels so it is technically classified as a motorcycle, is pretty revolutionary, as you can see from the picture.

The Aptera looks like an airplane, and apparently the whole vehicle is incredibly advanced in terms of aerodynamics, which is probably why it has such a long range and gets such great gas mileage compared to more traditional vehicles. If you strapped lift wings onto it, I imagine once it hit its top cruising speed of 85 miles an hour, you’d find yourself floating gracefully above the stalled throngs of fellow commuters. Somewhere, George Jetson is licking his chops.

As far as concept cars go, this is probably the most affordable car out there. It is already in production, as Popular Mechanics has one they’re test driving, and it looks like a late 2008 release is all but assured, as the website is taking refundable $500 reservations. It’s definitely cooler than a boring old traditional-looking hybrid car or SUV, while being less expensive than both those car options.

This thing could not be any sleeker if you coated it in Crisco, folks. It makes a Ferrari look like a Volvo! I just wonder how expensive an accident would be in a car that tightly engineered, and just how much maintenance the normal user can do on such a fancy-looking concept car. Then again, they’re cutting the owner out of car maintenance on standard vehicles these days, so I doubt it’ll matter much in the long run.

Tags: hybrid car, electric car, concept car, aptera"

Spank Daddy
09-24-2008, 05:19 PM
Good point in the article....

"I just wonder how expensive an accident would be in a car that tightly engineered"

Can Aptera replace panels just like a standard car?

BrianK
09-24-2008, 06:32 PM
I guess we won't know about the Aptera until there's a production model, but other cars with similarly large composite panels usually come with very high repair bills when it comes to body damage. Several thousand dollars per "panel." Panel is a bit of a misnomer as, IIRC, there are only 2 of them, which is to say that you don't just replace a small part - it's a big ordeal. That said, some composites & certain types of damage can be repaired with some fabric and glue.

KarenRei
09-24-2008, 07:18 PM
Composite panels can be repaired. Even my mother in law knows how to do that (although, to be fair, she used to build hovercraft ;) )

BrianK
09-24-2008, 10:56 PM
Even my mother in law knows how to do that (although, to be fair, she used to build hovercraft ;) )
HA! :D

I imagine the little old lady not from Pasadena... but with a monstrously loud hovercraft painted in metal flake & flames. :)

KarenRei
09-24-2008, 11:33 PM
I'm currently drinking tea from a mug that came from my partner's family, which reads:

HOVERRALLY
OSHKOSH*1986
HOVERCLUB
OF AMERICA, INC.

The funny thing is that she really does have that "Little old lady from Pasadena" look to her :) Comes from a long line of quilters, cooks a great meal, and yes, used to build hovercraft ;)

n_dawg
09-25-2008, 01:01 AM
Panel is a bit of a misnomer as, IIRC, there are only 2 of them, which is to say that you don't just replace a small part - it's a big ordeal.

There's two main panels – Top and Bottom. However, that's not all.


Top main
Bottom main
Nose
Left wheel-pant top/rear
Left wheel-pant front/sides
Right wheel-pant top/rear
Right wheel-pant front/sides
Left door
Left door interior
Right door
Right door interior
Rear hatch
Interior structural floor/firewall

Matthijs
09-25-2008, 10:09 AM
I'm currently drinking tea from a mug that came from my partner's family, which reads:

HOVERRALLY
OSHKOSH*1986
HOVERCLUB
OF AMERICA, INC.

The funny thing is that she really does have that "Little old lady from Pasadena" look to her :) Comes from a long line of quilters, cooks a great meal, and yes, used to build hovercraft ;)

OSHKOSH*1986 lol, to me that brings back memories from my clothing when I was 6 years old. :)

http://www.oshkoshbgosh.com/Assets/About/story_020708.jpg

OC-LA driver
09-26-2008, 01:39 PM
High repair cost means high insurance cost, at least for comprehensive and collision.

With luck Atera's light weight means lower liability cost. Hard to imagine jolting a Land Rover much with this little guy.

Better get uninsured motorist in case the other guy doesn't even know he hit you. Hope we can get their license plates as they bounce off our outriggers :-)

BrianK
09-26-2008, 10:27 PM
High repair cost means high insurance cost, at least for comprehensive and collision.

With luck Atera's light weight means lower liability cost. Hard to imagine jolting a Land Rover much with this little guy.

Better get uninsured motorist in case the other guy doesn't even know he hit you. Hope we can get their license plates as they bounce off our outriggers :-)
For what it's worth, I think insurance will still be reasonable despite high repair costs (assuming it is high) simply because there will be fewer Apteras on the road than, say, Toyota Camrys. I base that thought on this fact: I have a low-production-volume (I'm guessing ~3000/year), fiberglass bodied vehicle that's still fairly cheap to insure. I pay about $100/mo for full coverage & it's a very sporty, 2005 model year sports car. Granted, it's listed as a "pleasure vehicle" because I don't drive it daily, but still - pretty reasonable considering replacing a clam can cost upwards of $10K.