Aptera launches solar-powered EV with 400-mile range

Aptera, an electric vehicle start-up based in California, unveiled in January the first model of its solar car ready to hit customer driveways, calling it the “Launch Edition”.

Since the reveal of Aptera Motors‘ futuristic three-wheeler back in 2020, the company has officially announced that it is starting production on its solar-powered EV.

Although the Launch Edition Aptera resembles the version that was initially teased in 2019, the sleek teardrop shaped-car and its two fenders over the front wheels feature a two-tone finish.

The Aptera solar vehicle comes with a dynamic lighting package and allows owners to customise their vehicle to taste.

Furthermore, the Aptera Launch Edition is most known for its efficiency, traveling at least 400 miles with a single charge.

Although less than the Lucid Air, which allows for a range of 520 miles on one charge, the car’s vehicle is completely sun-powered, with the vehicle’s nose, roof and rear hatch lid are lined with 700 watts of solar panels.

Similarly, with a drag coefficient of 0.13, the EV is more aerodynamic than its rival, the Mercedes-Benz EQXX which only has a drag coefficient of 0.17.

Like the exterior, the interior all sports a minimal and clean aesthetic, including two screens and a steering wheel in the front.

Truly designed as the car of the future, the car is able to sprint from 0 to 60 mph in just four seconds and hit a top speed of 101 mph.

As long as the car is under the sun, it can generate up to 40 miles of range per day. It is possible for the driver to go weeks or even months between charges but a bigger battery pack is in the works to push the car’s range closer to 1,000 miles.

“We’ve solved the equation for a more efficient way to travel by harnessing the power of the sun, and we’re excited to introduce our Launch Edition vehicle to the world,” co-founder Steve Fambro said in a statement. “Our tireless efforts have resulted in the Aptera vehicle, which can take you where you want to go using the creative energy directly from our sun and efficiently converted into free movement.”

Aptera aims to begin production by the end of 2023 and intends to build just 5,000 examples of the Launch Edition.

But according to the manufacturers, they need an additional $50 million in funding on top of the $85 million they already raised to start production.