More on Aptera plans (side air bags?)

[futura]

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/business/20080325-9999-1b25aptera.html

First I've heard of side airbags...cool.
No distinction in price between 'h' and 'e'...hmmm hope the battery negotiations are going ok. Oh well, too much to read into a short business section read.

Cheers

[futura]

I emailed the author of this article (Mark Maynard) and asked for a few more details from his Aptera story. Got a quick response and he added this info:

The car/vehicle in the photo is the third evolution of the prototype, as I recall, and is subject to ongoing refinements. The track does seem very wide. And judging size -- width and length -- is difficult. It just seems larger than a Civic, but that may be because of the front suspension. Fambro said the turning circle would be tighter than it is now, which I commented seemed to be quite large.

The web site does list pricing as starting at less than $30,000 for the electric version and close to $30,000 for the hybrid. But those are not final numbers and I expect them to rise when the car is actually in production. Besides, by the time a buyer figures tax, title, etc. the price will be, basically, $30,000.

The batteries are lithium-ion. That detail was in the story when I sent it to my editor.

I'll have to do another story when they the final version is ready to go.
Mark


Cheers.

[fritzponds]

I think that was my favorite article so far. I like that he said they plan to fill all the initial orders by third quarter 2009.

[futura]

Most here have seen the LATimes article/video from weeks back.
http://www.latimes.com/classified/automotive/highway1/la-hy-throttle2jan02,0,2409163.story

I emailed Times staff writer Susan Carpenter about her impressions and recollections just after I put my deposit down.
She graciously returned my email after being away from her desk for awhile.
Here's the gist of it in case folks are interested:

<SNIP>
I don't have many more specs than you were able to find and I didn't actually drive the thing myself because it's a prototype. The wheel pods? They definitely do stick out, but no wider than a regular car, I don't think. As for stability in turns, the CEO, who was driving, didn't subject me to any circles or even high-speed turns, which probably had something to do with the fact that he was driving, talking and being filmed/photo'd all
at the same time. But in the many low-speed turns we took, it felt more stable than I was expecting. As for noise, the one I was in was very loud because there was some issue with the wheel bearings that was still being worked out. Is it a reality for 2009? I actually think it is. I doubt this email is any help at all, but there you go!
s

Cheers.