Comment by jasongullickson | Hacker News Reader

Comment by jasongullickson | Hacker News Reader

jasongullickson

I've been following Aptera for awhile and they are one of the very few companies looking at the electric car as a clean-slate design. I can appreciate the benefits of taking our current idea of "a car" and swapping out the traditional powerplant for an electric one, but we won't see the true potential of electric drive until we abandon our preconceived notions of what a car is and design one from the ground up using parameters established by this drivetrain.

Aerodynamics and style aside, the construction techniques used in the Aptera have been proven in both aircraft and automobiles (at the racetrack) and, while new to production automobiles, have a proven history and a lot of engineering behind them. These vehicles have the potential to not only meet the performance and safety requirements of existing automobiles but exceed them.

I applaud the effort of every manufacturer (honestly) attempting to bring an electric car to market but I hold a special respect for those willing to take the risk of re-imagining the American automobile.

My only regret is their focus on "fair-weather" states, if they ever come to Wisconsin, I'll be the first in line.

I applaud their innovation, but it looks like a cut-up Cessna in a pair of roller skates. I can only imagine how much interior room you lose on account of that, and even though it's as "big as a Honda Civic", it looks to only seat two.

Plus, it's another battery-powered beast... slow to charge, quick to accelerate, but heavy as hell compared to either gasoline or a fuel-cell vehicle. Not to mention the huge amount of pollution required to make LiOn batteries in the first place.

So, it's interior dimensions are a bit better than a Smart Two-Two, it has a bigger environmental impact (including manufacturing) than pretty much any of the small city cars you find in Europe, is twice as expensive, and will be a fashion statement in California to show how 'environmentally conscious' people are.

So, I don't like it. Watch it sell like a KFC next to a Weight Watchers. :)

I think they also have a hybrid and a hyper-efficient internal combustion version in the works. (The prototype design makes the powerplant pretty modular, which may have changed for the production model.)

If it's a fashion statement, it will sell like hotcakes, providing the economy recovers. I'd buy one as a commuter, if I still commuted by car.

No, it'll sell like hotcakes just because I don't like it. :)

Yeah I didn't follow that statement in the article either, about as "big as a CRV on the inside ... it seats two". Last time I checked, the CRV is a small SUV, with 5 seats and plenty of cargo space.

Not sure I follow your "heavy as hell compared to either gasoline ..." statement. The car weighs 1700 pounds. That is more than 1/2 the weight of most modern vehicles. I'm with you though, the current state batteries for electric vehicles leaves a lot to be desired.

I'm guessing it's a typo, and they meant a CRX.

Almost all of your comments could be (and have been) applied to the original Honda Insight. While it seemed radical at the time, ten years later, hybrid cars are almost commonplace.

My only regret is their focus on "fair-weather" states, if they ever come to Wisconsin, I'll be the first in line.

That and I'm waiting for the plug-in hybrid model. Actually, what I'd really like is a direct-drive diesel version, like their very first prototype. It got 230 mpg. Still, the hybrid gas-electric prototype supposedly gets 120 mpg starting with an empty battery. The battery in the hybrid will be smaller, holding a 40-mile charge.

I already have five gasoline-powered vehicles (two cars and three motorcycles) capable of good mileage and long range, so I'm looking for something with the simplicity and elegance of pure electric drive.

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