Is the electric aptera available?

[Paul Goodwin]

Newbie here. I'm probably way behind in the aptera news, so please bear with me.

A friend gave me a brochure about the all-electric aptera, and of course it got my attention right away. So, I googled the car and looked at many sites for information.

The pictures, articles, and videos are great. Now, my question is: what's the latest:

Prices?
Availability?
Dealers close to Phoenix, AZ?

Thanks in advance.

Paul Goodwin

[SEGsby]

If you'd bother to read some of the threads here, it should be pretty obvious the vehicle isn't available... And probably never will be, thanks to Paul.

[Paul Goodwin]

Thanks for your kind words - especially since I said I am a newbie to the car.

It's nice people like you that enrich the world - and make it easier for me to understand.

Paul

P.S. What actually is the status of our being able to buy the car? Thanks in advance.

[Grendal]

Paul,

To answer your questions:

1. Prices. If it ever reaches production, the price has always been stated as 25K to 40K.

2. Availability. At this point...almost nil. We're pretty much expecting news of the company folding at any time.

3. Dealers. Since there is no production, there are no dealers. The current management has stated that rollout will occur in California. That's only if they get a big monetary infusion from somewhere.

You can read through this forum and get a huge amount information on the subject of Aptera. Most of the recent information is more about electric vehicles and not about the Aptera. Not much has happened since they lost the X-prize.

The Aptera is still a unique design and there are still quite a few who would buy the vehicle if it were ever made.

[Paul Goodwin]

Grendal,

Thanks for your reply.

It is disappointing that the aptera 2 is not in production. I would buy one.

The excitement about the car has been high for several years now. What stopped the car being available?

Thanks in advance.

Paul

[SEGsby]

Paul G,

Just to clarify, the Paul I was referring to was Paul Wilbur-- the seemingly last CEO of Aptera.

He is the main reason the car stopped being available.

[Paul Goodwin]

Thank you for the explanation.

Like a stock I've been waiting to repay me (for 7 years), it looks like my dream of an aptera 2 is hopeless. Oh, well.

Paul

[Grendal]

Paul,

In my opinion, the failure of Aptera to reach production does fall on the shoulders of Paul Wilbur. Sadly, the very reason he was brought in was what he completely failed to achieve. A close second to his failure was that of the Board of Directors who failed to realize Paul's inability to achieve the goal they placed upon him. Even with his obvious failure the Board have left him in charge and to this day are still paying him.

[Paul Goodwin]

Thanks again, Grendal. It looks like I'll have to look at another all-electric car:

o that goes over 100 miles per charge
o charges fairly quickly
o is quality-built and drives nicely, and
o sells for under $30,000 (oops, that strikes out the Tesla!)

Easy, right? (any other all-electric cars that might qualify?)

Paul

[Grendal]

Of course that depends on your needs. Do you need it soon? If so, the Leaf is your only option. It's a little under 100 miles generally but it sort of fits your other criteria. If you've got a couple years the Ford Focus Electric fits your criteria perfectly (does AZ give a tax incentive?). Within 5 years you should have a lot of choices, with every major manufacturer selling an all electric vehicle.

[Paul Goodwin]

Thanks, Grendal. I don't like the Leaf - too expensive. I guess I'll have to wait.

Paul

[aptera1213]

The LEAF with tax rebate will likely be less than what the Aptera will sell for...and the LEAF is actually for sale, unlike the Aptera. The Aptera as a three wheeler is not eligible for the full government rebate...

Me? Waiting for either the Fiat 500 EV or the Volvo C30 EV...but the Volvo will likely be fairly expensive...the 500 should cost about the same as the LEAF

Mitsubishi is making the Mitsubishi i....it should be under 30k and less the the Aptera...and the Mitsubishi will be coming this year...

Gavin

[Paul Goodwin]

Maybe I should look a little deeper into the Leaf. Thanks. I know if I look at one, I'll probably fall in love with it. I am reminded of the expression, "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush."

Paul

"...an appeal not to our easy instincts but to our better angels"--President Obama.

"The wise man needn't shake the tree for the fish." - Prof. Irwin Corey

[randyd]

The vehicle I am waiting for is the Ford Focus EV. Ford has not designed the vehicle from the ground up to be electric. This leads to some pluses and some minuses. Ford announced that they will start shipping FFEV's in the fall, but have not announced a price. Check out http://fordfocuselectric.com for another community of EV enthusiasts. :)

[Paul Goodwin]

Thanks, Randy. The Ford Focus DOES look good. Thanks.

Paul

[kerbe]

What about the Nissan Leaf, Paul?

[Paul Goodwin]

Thanks, Kerbe.

Yes, I've been reading about the Nissan Leaf. It looks good - at least "better" than other gasoline or even hybrid cars.

Paul

[kerbe]

Forgot to check the second page of responses -- so commented "a day late and a dollar short"!

I've spoken with both Leaf and Volt "owners" -- they report that the touted all-electric range of their vehicles is whimsical, at best. The Leaf will do highway speeds, but not for long -- and NOT if you run the AC. The Volt's all-electric range is about half of what's advertised.

[palmer_md]

AC does not cause a huge hit to the range, but the heater definitely does. I'm very consistently going 75-80 miles and still have plenty of reserve left in the pack. With my driving behavior which has been altered since driving electric since 1997, I seem to get about 90-100 miles range from the Leaf, and that includes mostly (or at least over half) highway miles.

[Paul Goodwin]

Kerbe - that's very disappointing.

Michael - is the Tesla the only car that will go over 100 miles per charge? If so, that's a shame - because it's so expensive.

It looks like the "oil industry" doesn't want us to be able to buy and drive a reliable and comparatively inexpensive electrical vehicle that will replace the traditional gasoline/diesel cars. Imagine that.

Paul

[JustWilliam]

[QUOTE=

It looks like the "oil industry" doesn't want us to be able to buy and drive a reliable and comparatively inexpensive electrical vehicle that will replace the traditional gasoline/diesel cars. Imagine that.

Paul[/QUOTE]

Always cool to see a new member in an old forum, especially when they are eager to learn and ready to exchange old rhetoric for easy fact. Hopefully you're open to suggestion! That said...

Other than taking up a ridiculous share of government subsidies available, the "oil industry" is a straw man for those that can't afford or live with currently available EVs.

The "oil industry" is unbelievably profitable as well as near ubiquitous. They have NO NEED to sabotage EV technology as long as the global majority clamors for their product.

You, me and millions of other people are unable "to buy and drive a reliable and comparatively inexpensive electric vehicle" simply because of component costs and availability. New technologies cost a great deal to research and develop, let alone mass produce.

Carbon Fiber and other composites are not expensive because of sabotage by the "steel industry". Newer and superior materials are available, but they carry a commensurate price tag. Forget million dollar "supercars" that rely on these components, I'd suggest you research the cost of a human powered velomobile, OR commercially available batteries using lithium based chemistry. Price a flipping BICYCLE using both composite structure AND advanced Lithium chemistry batteries.

Writing- "I don't like the Leaf - too expensive" was silly, but perpetuating the "oil industry" as "calculating saboteurs of technology" myth borders on the insulting. Why attack an "oil industry" straw man as the villain, when YOU are the one rejecting current EV technology as "too expensive" to support today?

Silly Wabbit!

[sck_nogas]

Forgot to check the second page of responses -- so commented "a day late and a dollar short"!

I've spoken with both Leaf and Volt "owners" -- they report that the touted all-electric range of their vehicles is whimsical, at best. The Leaf will do highway speeds, but not for long -- and NOT if you run the AC. The Volt's all-electric range is about half of what's advertised.

Half? I get a daily range of 35-40 miles (https://crichton.sacknet.org/volt/Stats/Details/10). That's right in the ballpark of the Volt's advertised range. So, I'm not sure who you are talking to, but I drive at 65-70 mph for 14 miles to get to work, reverse it to go home and still have 10+ miles of range. I also have gotten as high as 58 miles on a single charge, but I was trying for a record.

Oh, and to counter the "You're not a normal driver", there's this New York Times piece (https://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/26/opinion/sunday/26car.html?ref=opinion&pagewanted=all) which says "During the time I drove the Volt, the battery range was consistently in the low 40s."
Scott

[Grendal]

Scott - Very nice! I checked out your Volt stats. Top ten! And considering the miles you've put on to the vehicle you're among the best drivers in the country. What's your review of your Volt?

[sck_nogas]

I can't believe it's a Chevy....

This is the best car I've owned/driven/leased/bought...

The off the line acceleration is good 0-30 in under 4 seconds, 0-60 in 9, have driven at 105 on battery only... So, my car nut side is happy.

The infotainment displays are nerdy, with buttons, displays, and features like.. "pause live radio, then skip commercials", record a USB drive to the HDD and then carry my music with me... So, my geek side is happy. (one caveat - the HDD currently has a bug where songs are played alphabetically, not track order, but should expect a fix soon)

The last time I bought gas was $5 in May. I was about 8 miles from home and the battery was empty, and the dashboard went from 66 miles range on fuel to LOW, and that bugged me to see "LOW" so I put a gallon and a bit in the tank, and am back up to 90 miles range. So, I drive 88% of my miles on battery, and that's only because I've driven the 175 miles round trip to L.A./Orange County and back three times. That's most of my 626 miles of gas I've used.... So my green side is happy.

Excluding the gas aversion therapy, since switching my home to EV-TOU2 from SDG&E, my electricity cost per month went from $180/800 KwH to $150/930 KwHs. So, I save $30 a month on electricity WITH charging my car every night. Plus, I don't spend $200 a month on gas... So, my cost consicious side is happy.

So, my review of the Volt, is I don't' want to let it go... I did a three year lease, and may end up buying the car for $18k at the end if the used market is selling for more, or buy the Cadillac Volt option in 2 1/2 years.

[randyd]

Thanks for the review! I have those same sides. It sounds like I would be as happy with the Volt as you are. :)

What's the maintenance schedule like?

[c0mp13x]

Great, great review sck_nogas. Thanks! Best line has to be:


...The last time I bought gas was $5 in May.
Love that! Ha. I didn't know you could do 105MPH in a Volt without the ICE running.

Not much else going on around here, so feel free (if you want) to start your own "My life with a Volt" thread with that last message (your review), and update us whenever you want. Thanks!

:thumbsup:

[Grendal]

Great, great review sck_nogas. Thanks! Best line has to be:

Love that! Ha. I didn't know you could do 105MPH in a Volt without the ICE running.

Not much else going on around here, so feel free (if you want) to start your own "My life with a Volt" thread with that last message (your review), and update us whenever you want. Thanks!

:thumbsup:

+1 to that.