6/5/08 - CNN video of aptera

[aptera1213]

thanks to Japhy for finding this:


hot off the press on CNN webpage...
Here's a link from the CNN webpage highlighting the Aptera! Woo-hoo!

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/tec...0.mpg.car.kfmb


nice video

[drivin98]

Can't seem to get it to play in either FireFox or IE. Search reveals...nothing.

[Matthijs]

Can't seem to get it to play in either FireFox or IE. Search reveals...nothing.

Link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1vQGPYBBn4) I uped it to youtube. It's the Exact source file.

[drivin98]

Thanks a lot. I need to learn how to do that video capture thing. It's like the whole world knows the secret but me. >_<

[ApteraStorm]

Once again repeating that you can go cross-country on one tank of gas.... I hope this doesn't bite Aptera in the butt.

[JoeReal]

Was wondering where the space is, for 10 gallon tank.

[KarenRei]

They've said 5 gallons.

I think this is just a case of news reporters getting their story wrong. Again. I imagine that the logic went, "It goes 300 miles per gallon. Let's see, cars hold have 15 gallons or so of gas in them, so 300 * 15 = 4500 miles -- hey, it can go cross country on one tank!"

[Ricky Ray]

Karen, I've worked behind the scenes with them for years. They can not add or subtract, or spell either..;o):rolleye0003:
Then comes the hard part, asking intelligent questions! But for them , it's a living..not a career

[BryanSR]

Karen, I've worked behind the scenes with them for years. They can not add or subtract, or spell either..;o):rolleye0003:
Then comes the hard part, asking intelligent questions! But for them , it's a living..not a career

In other words ... They are HUMAN!!!!!!! :rolleye0003:

Maybe not HUMANE...... in some cases >>>> LOL :scared0011:

BryanSR

[Ricky Ray]

To Err is Human, To report it in Error takes a camera and a stand up moment

[JimmyDreams]

In other words ... They are HUMAN!!!!!!! :rolleye0003:

BryanSR

I'd go with LAZY before calling their mistakes human error.

For example: years ago, the news was covering a homeless march on Washington. One of the speakers got GREAT headlines and repeated footage over and over on the news saying something powerful like "Every DAY, there are 200,000 new homeless in America. 2 HUNDRED THOUSAND EVERY DAY!!!"

The press ate it up and reported it far and wide. Until someone did the math and said "at 200,000/day, the ENTIRE country would be homeless in just over 4 years." The numbers aren't the big 'story' here, it's the press' simple regurgitation of whatever 'fact' they're given. The press USED to actually investigate and analyze just a bit. Now they repeat what they're told no matter how far fetched or WRONG it is.

That's lazy in my book.:character0029:

JimmyD

[JoeReal]

I'd go with LAZY before calling their mistakes human error.

For example: years ago, the news was covering a homeless march on Washington. One of the speakers got GREAT headlines and repeated footage over and over on the news saying something powerful like "Every DAY, there are 200,000 new homeless in America. 2 HUNDRED THOUSAND EVERY DAY!!!"

The press ate it up and reported it far and wide. Until someone did the math and said "at 200,000/day, the ENTIRE country would be homeless in just over 4 years." The numbers aren't the big 'story' here, it's the press' simple regurgitation of whatever 'fact' they're given. The press USED to actually investigate and analyze just a bit. Now they repeat what they're told no matter how far fetched or WRONG it is.

That's lazy in my book.:character0029:

JimmyD


While I fully agree that the number 200,000 new homeless in America is not correct, it is also mathematically possible that it could remain that way through time. If most of homeless found home after a time, and there is a regular cycling from homeless to homelessness and vice versa, so that to be considered a new homeless doesn't mean you were homeless many years past, then, we can sustain the buffer of 200,000 new homeless each day. But a value of 200,000 is still unrealistic, for a population of 304,293,875 people.

But if you assume that the homeless remained homeless forever, which is also unrealistic, then indeed, in just 304,293,875/(365 * 200,000) = 4 years and 60 days (note, there is surely a leap year in the range).

This is similar problem to number of new laid off employees each day.

[JimmyDreams]

While I fully agree that the number 200,000 new homeless in America is not correct, it is also mathematically possible that it could remain that way through time. If most of homeless found home after a time, and there is a regular cycling from homeless to homelessness and vice versa, so that to be considered a new homeless doesn't mean you were homeless many years past, then, we can sustain the buffer of 200,000 new homeless each day. But a value of 200,000 is still unrealistic, for a population of 304,293,875 people.

But if you assume that the homeless remained homeless forever, which is also unrealistic, then indeed, in just 304,293,875/(365 * 200,000) = 4 years and 60 days (note, there is surely a leap year in the range).

This is similar problem to number of new laid off employees each day.

Joe...

I agree fully. But my main point remains....that the press does nothing but repeat what it's heard. There's no breakdown of the info (like you just did), nor is there any investigation to see if it's even REAL information to begin with.

And I will state that if people used their heads, this wouldn't be necessary, but I think we both agree that most people DON'T use their heads....which makes spoonfeeding them both easy and dangerous.

This goes both ways....whomever controls the media controls the information. And when it comes to big car companies and/or big oil....well....let's just say I remain skeptical. I'd believe something Aptera puts out over something that GM puts out.

JimmyD

[JoeReal]

Well Said JimmyD!

[Scott]

I posted this on the CNN story blog, but I think it would be possible to drive across the country in an Aptera, not in one *tank*, but with the fuel that could easily be carried in the vehicle. Figuring 100 mpg on the 1h, you'd need to carry maybe 30 gallons of fuel (call it 5 in the tank, and 25 otherwise)

5lbs for a robust milspec 5 gallon fuel can, plus 40lbs for the gas therein, times 5 for the number of containers, call it just under 250 pounds of payload, which is perfectly reasonable for the Aptera.

Before I heard the 1h was postponed until 2010 I was seriously thinking of driving from Sacramento to NYC for the opening of the automotive x-prize that way. *sniff* Well, now that dream is crushed, but it was fun while it lasted.

For giggles... one of my other cars is a 97 4runner, running on super.... 16mpg with all of the junk I've done to it. 3000 miles/ 16 mpg = 187.5 gallons - 17 in the tank = 170.5 gallons carried, divide by 5 to get 34.1 fuel cans needed, which technically I *might* be able to fit in the vehicle, adding over 1,500 lbs to the payload, which reduces gas mileage somewhat, which means more... OUCH! :D

And of course, in the Aptera, if you stopped at hotels along the way (because who wants to drive straight through??) you could pirate a few ergs each night to give you a few hundred "bonus" miles to do a little sightseeing.

[KarenRei]

Blah, I'm planning to go cross country on my Typ-1e on *no* gas, ala Kris Trexler's "Charge Across America" (only bigger -- more remote, more extreme places)

[Scott]

Wanna race? :D

Seriously, I admire the socks off what you're planning.

(Actually, scratch that race thing... the 12-18 month head start is going to be tough to overcome! :D :D

[KarenRei]

Lol, yep :)

If there aren't any fast charging options (dryer outlet, RV outlet, etc) and for some reason I can't get a better charger installed, I'll make mileage similar to Kris. If I can charge at 50A, I could get as much as 2 hours of driving for every 1 hour of charging.

Either way, I plan to take the longest, most indirect route from point A to point B, making sure to hit plenty of "Middle of nowhere" :)