Brief CNN news report about Aptera

[admin]

Here is a 22 second news clip from CNN about the Aptera Car. They don't really discuss too much but you get a good view of the interior.

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[Holander]

I really like the design of the inside. It looks really modern and appears to have plenty of room.

[Yanquetino]

I also really love the Typ-1's interior. Rather than crowding it with an jumbled, complicated dashboard and obtrusive console, they focused on absolute minimalist functionality and optimal space. I am not sure how comfortable the seats are in the prototype, given their flat surface, but the overall appearance is sure fresh and airy and inviting. Makes me want to grab that plane-like steering wheel and take off! :D

There are, nonetheless, a few things I'd still like to know about the interior. First, where are the promised cup holders? In the center console under a sliding hatch door perchance, like in our Subaru Outback? Hope so. You gotta have 'em. And you gotta have two in a two-seater. I can't imagine what they were thinking over at Tesla to put only one in the Roadster. :eek: Duh!

Another thing I'd like to know is if the LCD display has a "state-of-charge" screen for when the vehicle is plugged in. That seems essential to me in an EV.

Finally, regarding the promised stereo, I am curious to know what they are considering when they state on their web page that:

There may be several options for infotainment in the production model.

My guess is that they are thinking about iPods and other MP3 players above all, but... where and how will they attach? Hmmmm.

[Matthijs]

Another thing I'd like to know is if the LCD display has a "state-of-charge" screen for when the vehicle is plugged in. That seems essential to me in an EV.

Hi,

You might want to take a look @ THIS (http://www.apteraforum.com/showthread.php?t=9) video around 1:00 Steve tells about the SOC meter. :D :p

I also like the interior. But not the steering wheel. It's functional for view ability on the displays but not very pretty. I also like the interior of the Loremo(.com) Take a look @ that steering wheel with all kinds of functions and the Idrive like rotating wheel. Great for input to the drive computer.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1018/1260074827_7c21590e1d.jpg?v=0
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1357/1260072849_fcde49299a.jpg?v=0

[Yanquetino]

Yeah, I've seen in this video where Steve mentions that there is a "charge" display at the bottom of the middle video screen. (I couldn't really see it myself, but am guessing it was the little white vertical bar, and that it must move from right to left as the remaining charge dwindles...?)

I wasn't clear in what I meant, however. I was talking about a display dedicated to charging the batteries when plugged in, i.e., not only showing the current state-of-charge, but also details like time elapsed, estimated time until full, voltage level, battery temperature, etc. Maybe the middle video screen would suffice, but... I don't think I can see any such display while the car is charging. At least not in this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_F3S__SCJ50). I would hope that you wouldn't have to start the vehicle like that just to see if its charge cycle is complete, but obviously... I'm in the dark here. ;)

[Matthijs]

Hmm ic what you mean. Well maybe this info can be displayed by the charger outside of the car. (When you use an offboard charger) or even better the info can be displayed wireless to your mobile phone or pda.

I have seen video's of Doug with it's Rav4EV that also uses a pda that displays all the info you stated above.

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[Yanquetino]

I have seen these videos before, but had forgotten about them. That's pretty nifty with the PDA. Imagine what you could do with an iPhone!

That's another detail about which I have yet to get any solid info: a home charger (like the RAV4-EV, EV1, and Tesla Roadster have). I almost get the impression that Aptera prefers to do without one, putting the charger in the car instead, so that you simply need to plug it in to a standard 110 outlet wherever you are. Or perhaps another option would be a 220 dryer outlet (if you want to install one in your garage). In that night-time video it looks to me like he simply unplugs a standard 110 volt three-prong extension cord, certainly nothing as elaborate as Tesla's custom plug. Sounds good to me. Again, less is more.

As for the display... I'm gonna sit back and see what Aptera comes up with. It wouldn't surprise me in the least if they have a programmer writing the script to show all that info on the cockpit LCD even as we type!

[Matthijs]

I definitely agree that less is more! Well I would like to see the possibility to plug in more types of plugs. Here we have 220 - 240V outlet. Or have the possibility too use one of these.

http://www1.nl2.conrad.com/m/6000_6999/6200/6250/6257/625741_BB_00_FB.EPS.jpg