Here's the 2e

[josh]

Hi all,

Well, as you might imagine given the time-frame the company is trying to hit, there are now more companies, partners, suppliers, and consultants involved as we near the start of production builds.

With more partners comes more potential leaks...

and so...



I have very strong reason to believe this to be the final design... rendered with all final parts in their production form. (with one small exception: I'm told that the side-marker lights shown here are being changed... but my source doesn't know exactly how or to what. But I'm told that's the only change after this design had been signed off as final.)

I can only say that this rendering came from someone who works at a company working very closely with Aptera now... though to protect the source, I won't disclose if it's from a parts supplier, tooling or production partner, distribution partner, or financial partner. But you can figure it's probably from one of those categories. Don't ask me any more about how I got this... I will ignore. As they say in all spy thrillers... "I've probably said too much already".

Note new door shape, new window design (hard to tell from this image if it's shown partially down or if that's a shadow/reflection. I think it's too straight at the top to be the actual window edge shown halfway down... so likely just a reflection, but the window definitely does open I'm told), new door hinging mechanism, new rear side window design, new wheel pants shape and design (now seamless), new recessed tail lights, new undercarriage design... that's what I can see, but I'm sure more observant people here will find other stuff here.

Let me be the first to say... Wow... I think it's gorgeous. They accomplished the lowering of the undercarriage for the batteries and the change to the doors to allow operating windows while keeping the very appealing shape. Like many here, I've been worried those changes would make the final design unappealing or "bulky" or something. My own worries are gone... if this image is right, I'm thrilled with how it came out.

Enjoy all,

--josh

p.s.
Image above is slightly reduced - here's a larger version.
---

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[KarenRei]

* Some of the lines seem unnaturally dark, which detracts from the appearance, but I think that's just the rendering. Same with a sharp line between the windshield and hood.
* Wow, look at that ground clearance! And the wheel pods look well protected, too. Even a bad dirt road shouldn't have anything on that!
* I don't know if the change was simply for aesthetics or not, but I'd imagine the change to the tail would help prevent you from breaking a tail light in a low speed collision.

All in all, what a great job migrating from concept to production. Most car companies don't even come close to their original.

[c0mp13x]

Wow Josh, incredible! Thanks for posting this.

Design Analysis

• Side window beltline has obviously been raised to allow the windows to roll down. I don't care for the more linear shape of the bottom of the side windows, but I understand that something had to give to allow the windows to roll down. Note the non-flush lip at the bottom of the window now, so the glass can retract into the door. In addition, mirror mounts move off the body to the front part of the side window. This creates a window shape that easier to retract into the door and the possibility of covering the mirror mount holes with a trim plate if they are allowed to be removed in the future. The rework of the side windows has also thickened the "A" pillars over the last version, and I wonder how this has affected front visibility. Overall, a less graceful design change for the side glass, but necessary to allow them to roll down.
  
  
• Rear quarter windows grow to allow better visibility and more light into the cabin. The lower edge of the window just misses aligning with the new raised bottom edge of the side window, but maybe this is a good compromise and looks better in 3D. Rear quarter window upper edge now forms a beautiful curve with the rear window creating a much improved, sweeping "C" pillar shape. Nice!
  
  
• Door hinges now create cut lines at the roof and for the first time, below the windshield. Seems kinda busy as rendered in this model, but the reveals will probably be more subtle in the real vehicle. The original lower door hinge hid completely inside the door jamb; but this design is probably stronger, more reliable and adds the additional ingress/egress clearance that was complained about in the previous version. Also, by moving the lower hinge toward the outside of the vehicle, it removes the previous hinge mechanism from the passenger foot well creating more passenger space. Just forward of the door hinge, a new hood line may describe a conventionally opening hood, rather than the front tilting nose we've seen in the past. A new reveal line below the door may indicate that the front of the vehicle is now a separate piece from the rear. If this is true, that is a major design change that could impact overall chassis stiffness.
  
  
• Wheel pants now raise their skirt height to allow better curb clearance and add what appears to be a flexible bottom lip. The one piece design is far superior to the old multi-piece with exposed fasteners. Kudos to the design team, just finish fixing that side marker shape! With the raised skirt, we see the bottom lip of the wheels now and hope they will be something nicer than a painted steel rim. Front vehicle width seems to be significantly reduced with the slimmer wheel pants contributing to that reduction. The wheel pants now sharply taper at their trailing edge to possibly enhance aerodynamics and provide additional clearance when the wheels are fully turned toward the body. Also, the suspension clearance cut-away on the main body just peeks out from behind the wheel pant. It'll be interesting to see what the final design of front suspension housings are... and their final color!
  
  
• Under seat battery packs now move the center of gravity toward the middle of the vehicle. This should enhance handling and help plant the rear wheel at the expense of a slightly "tubbier" mid-section and loss of weight over the drive wheels. We'll have to see if this version will handle as well as the previous one we saw screaming around in the BestBuy video. And, how difficult will it be to service the battery now that it's inside the cabin?
  
  
• Rear wheel housing, now one piece with the body, is a dramatic change. The tough to access, multiple panels of the original wheel housing looked to be a servicing hassle. By bringing the wheel housing all the way to the rear of the vehicle, the design team has created a lower bumper pad to control parking impacts to the rear. The darker, possibly rubberized lower portion of the wheel housing is now near standard bumper height and pushes past the taillights and upper fascia. Brilliant! Now the question is, what has the design team created for us to service that rear wheel? Does the new shape improve the crosswind sail-effect of the housing? Overall, a great improvement to the old design with integration into the rear fascia and refined approach and departure curves for those steep driveways.
  
  
• Recessed taillights now protect the lenses from impact, but lose the nice red feature line that finished the original body. Also lost, or at least hindered, is the visibility of lights in side view. Note that the shape of the tail in plan view, is now a significant curve; this probably looks great in person and helps protect the far edges of the tail when backing up. There are new fascia reveal lines that go up to the rear hatch suggesting that the back end is a different, possibly more bumper-like material. Overall, the curved refinement of the tail and the recessed lighting, all contribute to a more practical and protected rear end. Is that a ventilation exhaust pipe under the licence plate area, or the rear view camera?
  
  
• Speaking of rear view, the tacked-on camera fin is gone. That always looked like a temporary fix and I'm glad it's gone. So, are the rear view cameras inside the rear window, integrated into the area above the rear hatch or in the tail fascia?
  
  
• Final thoughts - the new 2e is certainly a more refined, roomy and practical vehicle. The changes to the cabin shape to incorporate roll-down windows, under-seat battery packs and more passenger room have slightly bloated the main body, making it more guppy-like and certainly impacting the CdA. Personally, I think this version is missing some of the aerodynamic elegance, and stance, of the original Jason Hill design. But, engineering refinements of the details in a production vehicle are a killer, and the design team has come through huge. We are much closer to a real-world vehicle than ever before and this is just a rendering; I'll reserve final judgment for the day I drive a production 2e. Overall: nice job Aptera, very impressive, thanks!

Enhanced and lightened photo showing shadow detail and interior

[evmavin]

This looks nice, I hope the word rendered does not only mean rendered and it's already built and being tested The rear has hints of the modern renditions of the new charger design with the recessed tail lights. Wonder what the front looks like and if the new rear enclosed bit is housing some of the pack volume. No real complaints here and I hope the camera will not be a roof mount option. I hope this is really the final product, it is both modern and organic and a good balance all around. I'm impressed.

[D Jetson]

Thank you Josh. Other than getting to see the actual production version in the real, this is the best update we've had in what feels like a year.

[ballzried11]

Man, It seems all to "convenient" that the Best Buy video and this new rendering surface at nearly the same time. I'm happy either way...little tid bits of information that the company is still alive and kicking is relieving.

I'm really a fan of how the "final" version is shaping up. The ONLY drawback I see right now is the trunk access...err...lack thereof. There's this decklid thing going on in the back which is going to make it a little more difficult to get stuff in and out of that rear access hatch. Maybe it's nitpicking...but that's only because the rest of it looks pretty darn sweet.

[JimmyDreams]

I really like the way the lines curve of the rear section...from the tailgate door to the way the lights are recessed.

I WOULD like to see the side-lights a little more 'modern' looking besides looking like something from a bicycle store. But since they're probably being changed, I'll reserve judgement until I see it from the front.

[Apt3448]

WOW! Thanks Josh! What a beauty...

- No camera fin in this rendering. Is there a backup thingy on the tail, below the license plate?
- mirror seems no longer affixed to door post, but in the window set-back area (just look, no idea how to put that in english)
- the top shape seems about the same, the bottom has a tad more 'belly', but considerable clearing.
- We like new wheelpants and their black (flexible?) bottom.
- The lines around the hinges are artifacts of the rendering, the same way the lack of those lines around the charge lid aren't.
- The charge lid (Fuel cap equivalent, do we have a word for that yet?) seems to have come up a tad, nice.
- Doors will open much further this way.
- I really like the new fin. More rounded, graceful. Makes much more of a visual unity with the rear wheelpant, too.
- the new shape of the rear windows makes soo much more sense.

(and Aptera 2356 had a new avatar in about 15 minutes!)


So glad I have a reservation, and yes, I locked in!

[D Jetson]

The rendering shows a narrower track up front imo, and a narrower nose as well. Can't wait to see a full frontal. Tail is looking good. Do you think that's an Aptera logo badge above the tail fin? That's not the backup camera is it?

[evmavin]

Originally Posted by D Jetson

The rendering shows a narrower track up front imo, and a narrower nose as well. Can't wait to see a full frontal. Tail is looking good. Do you think that's an Aptera logo badge above the tail fin? That's not the backup camera is it?

I think it's a logo and the camera will be a roof option...