Aptera EV opts for front-wheel drive

it's not clear how a front wheel drivetrain can be more aerodinamic than a rear wheel mounted one as it's completely hidden inside the vehicle and will not interfere with steering .

my guess is that the car was too light on the front wheels , causing problems at highway speeds - lift and instability .

the mirrors are against the concept of the trike too .

a revoutionary car killed by cheap patching of problems :(

dexter

- December 29, 2008 @ 10:12 am PST

Thank you Dexter for that eloquent assessment of the Aptera 2e.

The article explains why the car is now FWD, you don't have to guess.

I'm sure that many people who put down deposits will be angrily demanding their money back now that the car has mirrors.

Ok, enough sarcasm.

I just wish I lived in Southern California, for now the 2e is the best hope for a true electric car to make it to the mass market. While GM struggles with its Volt and the rest (Honda, Toyota, Ford, etc) just tag along so as not to look like they don't care, a little company trumps them all with a fantastic piece of engineering.

I just hope the company can make it. Hopefully there are enough thinking people in the US to make up for all the Dexters.

Neil

- January 3, 2009 @ 08:01 am PST

California law requires a motorcycle to have at least one rear-view mirror. Aptera is registered in California as a motorcycle. Additionally, the two side cameras had a rather large blind spot directly in front of the camera (just behind the door on either side.) Cost and complexity is reduced as well, since they went from 3 camera screens to just one on the dash. It seems pointless to keep the side-view cameras if the mirrors (or, at least one mirror) are required by law.

You will notice that the article says nothing about the aerodynamics of FWD. The regenerative braking is more positive with FWD than with the single rear-wheel drive; hence, greater efficiency.

There are over 4,000 $500 deposits put in escrow for the 2e (electric) and 2h (serial-hybrid) vehicle. The e-model goes into full production in October, 2009 and the -h sometime in 2010. The Aptera Forum attempts to track new reservations and cancelled reservations, and there have actually been few cancelled reservations (although the forum is not a true measure of the new reservations and cancellations.) Aptera has all of the deposits in escrow with a California bank; several people have reported back to the forum upon receiving a refund of their deposits.

Mark

- February 2, 2009 @ 09:02 pm PST