Aptera Motors

Aptera Motors, Inc.

Type	Private company
Founded	2005
Founder(s)	Steven P. Fambro Chris L. Anthony
Headquarters	Carlsbad, California, United States
Area served	California, USA
Key people	Paul Wilbur (CEO) Steven P. Fambro (CTO) David Oakley (SVP of Mfg) Marques McCammon (CMO) Tom Reichenbach, Chief Eng.
Industry	Automotive
Products	Aptera 2e
Website	Aptera.com

Aptera Motors is a manufacturer of high-efficiency road vehicles. Formerly known as Accelerated Composites,^[1] the company is based in Carlsbad, California.

Aptera’s first product, a three-wheeled two-seater named the Aptera 2 Series, is currently under development,^[2] though they are accepting pre-orders from California residents.^[3] The fuel efficiency of 300 mpg_-US (0.78 L/100 km) when plugged in every 120 miles (190 km) would make it one of the most fuel-efficient cars in the world.

The name Aptera is Greek for “wingless,” a nod to their light-aircraft-inspired design and construction techniques,^[4] and is correctly pluralized ‘Apteras.’ However, Aptera Motors maintains that Aptera translates to “wingless flight.”

History

In January 2006, startup Accelerated Composites issued a press release detailing an automobile design that would get an estimated 330 mpg at 65 mph (105 km/h).

The Mk-0 technology demonstrator was unveiled at the TED Conference in March 2007.^[5]

In August 2007, it was announced that Aptera was one of the first 30 participants in the Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize, where they are considered a front-runner in the alternate class.^[6]

On April 22, 2008, Aptera announced that Neil Hannemann, who previously led a number of projects including the Dodge Viper, the Ford GT, and the Saleen S7, was hired as SVP of Program Management & Manufacturing.^[7]

On June 24, 2008, they announced that Tony Kirton was hired as Chief Marketing Officer. He had previously worked for “five years as Director of Marketing at Audi of America, Vice President of Sales for Volkswagen & Audi in Great Britain, and Chief Marketing Officer on the executive board of BMW’s South African marketing and manufacturing subsidiary,” as well as independent branding and marketing consulting.^[8]

On September 3, 2008, Aptera revealed that Steve Fambro hired Paul Wilbur as Aptera’s new CEO and assumed the title of Chief Technical Officer.^[9] This led some to speculate that Fambro would be ousted, similar to Martin Eberhard of Tesla Motors and Daniel Riegert of Phoenix Motorcars.^[10] Shortly thereafter, Marques McCammon, who previously worked with Wilbur at both American Speciality Cars and Saleen, Inc., replaced Tony Kirton as CMO, and David Oakley replaced Neil Hannemann as senior VP of Manufacturing.

Chief Engineer Tom Reichenbach joined the company in October 2008. He was formerly Vehicle Engineering Manager for both the Ford GT and the Shelby GT 500.

On March 11, 2009, the federal government summarily denied loans to Aptera Motors under the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program, due to wording which limited research to four-wheeled vehicles. ^[11] After a lobbying effort which changed the wording of the bill to allow high-mileage three-wheeled vehicles, Aptera Corp. reapplied for federal government loans from the Dept. of Energy as of October 30, 2009.^[12]

Planned production vehicles

Aptera 2 Series

The Aptera 2 Series will be a two-seat, three-wheeled passenger vehicle. It is planned to be available in both all-electric (2e) and series hybrid (2h) configurations, at prices ranging from mid-twenty to mid-forty thousand dollars.^[13] Aerodynamic optimization using simulations and light-weight composite construction yields a vehicle which consumes only 80 Wh/mi at 55 mph (89 km/h), about half the energy needed to propel the EV1.^[14] On the battery electric model, this means a 120-mile (190 km) range on 10 kWh of electricity, or around 340 mpg price equivalent.^[15] On the hybrid vehicle, it leads to projections of 130 mpg on gasoline alone, or 300 mpg if plugged in every 120 miles (190 km).

Aptera Motors emphasizes that safety was not traded off for efficiency, citing crash test simulations and more recently component crush testing^{[citation needed]} as indicating excellent survivability–on par with more conventional vehicles. Real-world crash test results are forthcoming, however.

The Aptera 2 Series features roof-mounted solar panels for running a heat pump, always-on climate control, and keyless ignition and entry. An in-car touch screen computer serves as entertainment, navigation, and communication system. Side mirrors recently have replaced rear-view cameras, though one center-mounted camera remains.^[16]

Project X

In December 2007, Steve Fambro mentioned “Project X,” a four-wheeled five-passenger model for possible future production.^[17] In March 2008 he further mentioned “other projects that are certainly more mainstream” in the works.^[14] However, Fambro has also stated that “you’ll know it’s an Aptera,” indicating that its look will remain distinctive.^[18]

Historical vehicles

Aptera Motors' vehicle design has undergone several design revisions, summarized here. These vehicles are not intended for production, but are presented for completeness and to avoid confusion with earlier, outdated designs.

Initial design & rendering

Aptera’s introductory press release claimed their design would achieve 330 mpg, and included computer renderings of the proposed vehicle. The body shape was initially estimated to have a drag coefficient of 0.055 to 0.06, and would have sported a 12 horsepower (9 kW) diesel engine and a 24 horsepower (18 kW) permanent magnet DC motor. The design also called for a CVT and ultracapacitors, and sell for under US$20,000.^[19][20]

Aptera Mk-0

The Mk-0 technology demonstration vehicle was built to confirm the effectiveness of the design, and in the words of co-founder Chris Anthony, “just to show people that we weren't full of crap.”^[21] Due to its higher than expected drag coefficient of 0.11, it only achieved 230 mpg at 55 mph (89 km/h). The target price was unchanged at “around $20,000.”

Aptera Typ-1 / Aptera Mk-1

In September 2007, the Aptera Motors website was updated with information on the new Aptera design (dubbed the Aptera Typ-1), and the Mk-1 pre-production prototype was unveiled. The Mk-0 prototype was redesigned by Jason Hill, who worked on the Smart Fortwo and Porsche Carrera GT,^[22] with a finished interior and new body styling. At this time, Aptera Motors started to take reservations from residents of California for its pilot models — then called the Typ-1e and Typ-1h.^[23] A gasoline engine was used, due to the way diesel emissions are calculated.^[24]

In February 2008, the Mk-1 was featured in an advertisement for Touchstone Energy Cooperatives.^[25]

The Aptera Typ-1 design was superseded by the Aptera 2e. Differences include front-wheel drive, the addition of side-view mirrors, a redesigned interior, and consolidating the rear-view cameras into a wide-angle “fin” on the roof.^[26][27]

Financing and production

Fambro himself invested around US$100,000 to found Aptera Motors. Idealab invested “about $1 million,” and “more than $1 million” came from Esenjay Explorations CEO Michael Johnson.^[28] In July 2008 Google.org invested US$2.75 million,^[29] with the total for the Series “C” investments of about US$24 million.^[30]

Aptera Motors is moving into a larger facility in Vista, CA, a move in the works since at least March 2008.^[14] As of August 2008, Aptera Motors has received around 4000 refundable deposits for the Aptera 2e and Aptera 2h.^[31]

Aptera has had a history of production delays. The original promised first shipment deadline by the end of 2008 was extended a year after new management brought on in 2008 forced a redesign to incorporate more consumer-friendly features, such as front-wheel drive and roll-down windows.^[32] The revised deadline of October 2009 was missed due to continuing redesign and lack of funding. After stripping the company to a 30 person core team focussed entirely on 2e production, the target date for 2e delivery was moved to 2010, pending further funding, such as approval of Aptera's DOE loan resubmission. Other development programs, such as the 2h plugin hybrid version and future four-seat passenger version, are on hold.^[33]

Notes

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Aptera vehicles

• Official website
• Official MySpace
• Official YouTube Channel
• Official Flickr pool
• ApteraForum.com (unofficial)