Aptera unveils Its all-electric, three-wheeled two-seater
THE APTERA 2E IS A CESSNA CABIN without wings a teardrop with a sharply tapered tall slung between two outrigger front wheels It””s a three-wheeled, two-seater, all-electric bug that slips through the air more easily than any other production car in the world.
So perhaps the most unusual thing of all about the Aptera is how normal it feels when you`re behind the wheel. The prototype I drove last year was far from է he production model that`s scheduled to be unveiled in April. Still, it gave me a good sense of how the final car will handle on the road.
I took It through the curvy, roll-mghillsof the Industrialpaik that houses the Aptera Motors headquarters, m Vista, Calif. The visibility throu`the car`s panoramic windshield was great, enhanced by a driver`s seat that sits higher than the car`s shape would suggest Rearward vls-billty is another story. Reversing an Aptera is something between an adventure and a blind stab In the dark. With tiny side mirrors, an almost horizontal rear hatch, and high tal lights, the view out back is likely to reman a challenge no matte r how much glass Is used. Aptera says a rear-vision video system will be offered as an opt ton My advice is, take it
The car holds the road as well as any four-wheeler, with remarkably level cornering and less body roll than most mass-market cars. That may be due to the extra-wide dstance between the prototype`s front tires, which will be narrowed to make the produrtlon car easier to park.The ride, however, was quite firm, with distinct clunking as the car went over ridges and heaves. Aptera electrical engineering project manager Brian Gallagher said the production car`s suspension wil be considerably more refined. [See Gallagher`s profile in “Dream Jobs 2010,”/ЕЕЕSpectrum, February.
The car`s 75-ktowatt electric motor is powered by a 20-klowatt-hour lithium-Ion battery pack. Performance feels brisk.
