Aptera Has a Driving Production Car, But There’s Still A Way To Go – CleanTechnica

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I used to write about Aptera a lot on here, much to the chagrin of some readers and even a couple of fellow writers who are more into business than technology. Why? Because I love the technology. I’ve been into hypermiling and ecomodding for decades, going all the way back to a Pontiac Fiero. Business and investing? Not so much. Some months, my money’s in copper, so I’m not the person to be asking about such things, nor do I typically write about investing, stocks, and such.

This time, I’m going to try to achieve a better balance as I discuss a milestone Aptera hit: the first production-intent vehicle rolling under its own power. Because it’s a vehicle centered around being mass produceable instead of being a mere technology demonstrator, this is a really good time to talk about how the technology and business aspects are starting to actually come together.

In this article, I’m going to fangirl a bit about the progress of the technology, but then switch gears and talk about the remaining business challenges that stand in the way. Using production parts is great, but mass producing cars with those parts is another thing entirely.

Let’s start with their video: (article continues below it)

The First Aptera Built With Production Parts Rolls Under Its Own Power

Even readers who need a new glasses prescription will be able to see that the car in the video is incomplete, missing a number of key parts, such as a hood. This might look like a step backward, as Aptera has had prototypes with a complete complement of skin for years. But the important thing to keep in mind here is that this vehicle is built only with components actually sourced for production. The body, the battery, the suspension, the drive unit (instead of hub motors), and everything else is what the company has actually made a plan to buy or build in bulk.

What this means is that the vehicle rolling around is less outwardly complete than the earlier protoypes/demonstrators but is more complete in that this car isn’t hand built.

At this stage, the major decisions and many of the minor ones are locked in, but there’s a lot left to do. Some of the parts may need very minor changes to be better. Software will very likely need to be improved and changed to make the vehicle smoother, more reliable, and less buggy. It’s not that everyone who designed the parts so far did a poor job as much as that the parts need to now work together, and that’s where the little problems come up.

To check and make sure everything is good, the team started with a low-speed drive around the parking lot, allowing for data collection, function testing, and checking on things without taking a safety risk. By leaving some of the panels off, it’s easier to get at the things that might need adjusting.

With this low-speed testing out of the way, the next step will be to add on a few more parts, button everything up, and then take it out for higher speed testing and check for more minor issues to adjust/fix. Getting range data is another important thing that will come from this next step.

The Next Step Might Be The Hardest

At this point, Aptera had better impress people, because the company is still looking to raise around $60 million to put the vehicles into mass production.

On the one hand, this is a pretty big amount of money to ask investors to front for a two-seater (something that hasn’t historically done well in many markets, including the United States). The aero-first design ends up being more of an avant-garde design, with people who enjoy novelty or appreciating the aerodynamics enjoying it, while more average people will probably think it’s a little too disco for them.

On the other hand, a July press release says that up to that point, Aptera had already raised $120 million. So, raising 50% of what had already been raised from crowdfunding isn’t necessarily a giant leap. There’s also the fact that more people are getting into e-bikes and other alternative forms of transportation, so something that lives between a car and a motorcycle (legally an Aptera would be an “autocycle”) but has decent safety and protection from the elements could be in more demand than traditionalists think.

The truth is probably somewhere in between the last two paragraphs. Few things are all negative or all optimistic.

The PI Cars Need To Push The Company Over The Finish Line

Whether interest and excitement will help Aptera gather funding or pessimism and skepticism will sink the company just as it was ready to launch is going to depend on what happens with these production intent (PI) cars.

We have to keep in mind that the prior prototypes, including the earliest ones that weren’t great to sit inside of, helped bring the company all of the money it has gotten together over the last few years. The prototypes were stepping stones in product development, but they were also something that could give potential buyers something real to look at, and when enough people put a deposit down, these prototypes were able to help investors see the value that people putting deposits down were chasing.

The production intent cars have a similar but different job to perform here. Like the prototypes, they can help the company generate media buzz and interest from enthusiasts. But, on top of doing that, the PI cars have a lot to prove after years of waiting and watching release dates slip and slip and slip. Unless people can see that the production intent cars are solid and deliver on the promise of Aptera, there’s not going to be any real chance of success.

So, the first step is getting it right. The PI cars need to look good, perform well, and feel good to drive. They need to be of good quality. They need to look and sound like they’re a quality vehicle, too. If they fall short of either expectations for Aptera or of people’s general expectations of cars, it won’t be pretty.

But, having a quality product means squat if nobody knows about it. This is going to require that many different people get behind the wheels of these first vehicles, and not just at events in San Diego. The press will need to be invited out. Jay Leno needs to drive an Aptera again. Every influencer and auto writer possible needs to be out there in the next few months giving an honest opinion of the vehicle, positive or negative. Aptera also needs to be taking the vehicles out on adventures to show the world directly that the vehicle has what it takes to serve as a real vehicle.

Featured image: a screenshot from the embedded video.