The Electric Car That Never Needs Charging

Source: Medium, Will Lockett
Photo: Aptera (Sol) — Aptera

Aptera: The solar-powered EV with a 1,000 mile range that never needs to be plugged in.

The EV revolution is well underway, but many people are still hesitant. The range simply isn’t good enough for those occasional long-haul trips. Charging them can be a farce, particularly as electricity prices have skyrocketed and charge points are still too slow and become too busy. Those of us who don’t have driveways can’t even plug them in overnight. But a little startup called Aptera has an upcoming vehicle that appears to solve these problems.

Their solar charging EV can get 40 miles of free solar-powered range a day, drive for 1,000 miles on a single charge and goes from 0–60 mph in only 3.5 seconds. All whilst costing less than a Tesla. How have they managed this incredible feat? Can Tesla compete? And is this the future of EVs?

The idea of a solar-powered car isn’t new. The only problem is, you don’t get an awful lot of juice to play with, so previous solar-powered designs couldn’t travel very far or even very fast. But by completely rethinking how a car is designed, Aptera has created one of the most efficient vehicles ever produced, allowing them to go further and faster for less.

A Tesla Model 3 is one of the most aerodynamic cars on sale right now. It has a coefficient of drag of 0.23. In comparison, the Aptera is 0.13, over 60% less than the Tesla! But, the equation that uses the coefficient of drag has the frontal area as a multiplier, and as the Aptera has its minimal shrink wrapped design with far less frontal area than any other car, the difference in drag between the two cars is larger than 60%.

But the efficiency doesn’t just stop at the aerodynamics. The chassis and body panels of the Aptera are made from lightweight composite materials such as carbon fibre and fibreglass. This means the vehicle is far lighter than any other EV out there. Aptera themselves reckon it weighs 65% less than any other EV.

The benefits of this lightweight, ultra-efficient design are evident when you compare its range and performance with equivalent EVs.

In comparison, the highest spec Aptera also has a 100 kWh battery pack. However, it absolutely trounces the Tesla with a 1,000 miles range and a 0–60 time of 3.5 seconds from only 201 horsepower. You might think that such an impressive spec sheet, combined with a carbon fibre body, would be just as expensive as the Tesla, if not more! But nope. The top of the range Aptera costs about half that of the Model S Long Range at $46K.

So, even without the solar capabilities, the Aptera can already deliver range and performance at a price that Tesla couldn’t even dream of matching. But the charging is what makes the Aptera such a fantastic vehicle.

My daily commute is only 10 miles, and thanks to the integrated solar panels the slow trickle of solar energy could more than match that output, even with the terrible English weather. So I would end every day with a net gain of charge in the battery, even with my commute.

But I also do a 150+ long-haul drive about once a month. Yet, thanks to the fact I would end each day with a little more juice in the battery, I can make these long haul journeys without the need to charge.

Therefore I would never have to spend a dime of fuel ever again! So imagine how far you could drive for free in somewhere with pleasant weather like California. This makes the Aptera even cheaper than any other EV as the fuel prices are practically zero.

But the Aptera can also charge up from charging stations/ and its unbelievable efficiency gives it the advantage yet again.

But, not every charger can do 250 kW. Most are still the older 150 kW versions, and the none Tesla chargers tend to only deliver 50 kW of charge. This means it takes on average over an hour to fully charge a Model S, giving it a charging speed of around 400 miles range per hour most of the time.

The Aptera doesn’t have the same high kW charger ability. The additional cooling and battery control modules would add weight and size to the Aperta, compromising its performance. So its 100 kWh battery can only charge at a rate of 50 kW, far less than the Tesla.

But, the Aptera can go much further on each electron, so the slow charge rate doesn’t matter. Even though it takes two hours to charge fully, it is still charging at a speed of 500 miles per hour! Not quite Teslas 800, but remember, not every charger can deliver the 250 kW needed for the Model S. On the other hand, almost every highway charge point is rated over 50 kW, so on average, the Aptera will charge way faster than any Tesla!

To summarise just how epic this car is, the Aptera can be driven entirely off free solar power, can go further than any other EV, and in the real world, can charge up faster (at least in miles of ranger per hour) than any other EV. Due to its lightness, it can even out-accelerate, and likey out handle any other equivalent EV, all whilst being half the price of its main competition!

Bearing in mind, this is the top of the range Aptera. You can get a $25,900 base version with a tiny 25 kWh battery. But is still does 250 miles a charge and go 0–60 in 5.5 seconds, while still having the same 40 miles of solar range a day! That’s as long a range and just as fast as a base level Model 3, for $18,000 less!
So you might be wondering. What’s the catch?

Well, for now, Aptera only has a two-seater model, and due to the tight bodywork, there is almost no luggage space (only 25 cubic feet). So any other EV crushes the Aptera when it comes to practicality. If you have a family or want to take more than just a large bag with you, the Aptera simply won’t be fit for purpose.

But don’t forget, this is Aptera’s first car. Undoubtedly their engineers are already working on a larger four-seater version with a big boot and maybe even towing capabilities. This may even bring benefits. After all, a larger vehicle can have more batteries and more solar panels. Who knows, their next model could have a 1,500-mile range and 100 miles of solar power a day!

So, the final question. Should Tesla be worried about Aptera?

In short. Yes.

Tesla has some astonishing battery tech coming up that will make their cars more powerful, faster charging and cheaper (see this article for more). But by taking a completely novel direction Aptera has been able to create a vehicle that can drastically outperform Tesla, in every measure, for a fraction of the price. I’m not sure Tesla’s new battery can make up such a drastic difference, especially if Aptera can build a car with more seats and storage.

We live in a time when you can buy (reserve for a 2022 delivery) a 1,000-mile EV that can run entirely off solar, charge at insane speeds from nearly every charging point and accelerate like a supercar for less than a mid-range gas-guzzling sedan. Watch this space because Aptera is about to shake up the EV world like no other vehicle before it.

https://medium.com/predict/the-electric-car-that-never-needs-charging