After 6 Years, Aptera Motors Is No More 173
After years of beautiful concept cars, envy-inspiring demos, and missed production targets starting in 2008, high-efficiency car startup Aptera is liquidating its assets. A pointed excerpt from Wired's account: "The truth is, Aptera always faced long odds and has been in trouble for at least two years. The audience for a sperm-shaped, three-wheeled, electric two-seater was never anything but small. It didn’t help that production of the 2e — at one point promised for October 2009 — was continually delayed as Wilbur ordered redesigns to make it more appealing to the mainstream. Aptera had a small window in which to be a first mover in the affordable EV space, and that window closed the moment the Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt hit the market. At that point, Aptera teetered on the brink of irrelevance." As a compulsive driver, I had been hoping to one day drive one of these to save gas money.
As Usual (Score:5, Insightful)
'was continually delayed as Wilbur ordered redesigns to make it more appealing to the mainstream.'
The perfect is the enemy of good enough.
Snow. (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:As Usual (Score:4, Insightful)
The good enough always wins because "the perfect" is a figment of deranged and twisted egos.
It's a toy "trike" and looks like it. (Score:5, Insightful)
Trikes are registered as motorcycles in the US in the same way as a conventional MC with a side car.
They aren't serious transportation. They are fun, but don't have the AGILITY of a two-wheeler or the STABILITY of a four-wheeler (wheels under each corner come in handy).
This isn't a blow against practical EVs, it's just one less toy. Since trikes don't have to meet crash standards, it was an understandable workaround....that's been done before....but makes it a toy.
I just want something to get to and from the train (Score:5, Insightful)
Another one bites the dust...
Is there anything out there yet that is
- reasonably inexpensive
- short-mid range capable (long range not required, i have a regular car if needed)
- charges on house current (prefer all-electric)
- reasonably road safe
- can still keep me reasonably warm in winter (cool in summer a plus, but not as important)
- has a radio
-some cargo/passenger room would be nice to have since the grocery stores are only a few miles away
- Doesn't really need to top 45mph, I'm thinking train commute (back-roads, grocery run, maybe occasional kid pickup from school)
Appearance is not a major consideration.
Really what I need seems to be in a sweet spot between CEV and general use passenger car. Is there such a thing out there? Am I missing something? Economics still seem to point to cheap gas vehicles (which is vaguely annoying).
Died in 2008 with the hiring of Paul Wilbur (Score:5, Insightful)
He ousted two of the originals and was a old school car guy, it was no wonder that nothing that had been created before he arrived would ever satisfy him, nor much of any chance innovation was going to stick.
The problem... (Score:5, Insightful)
If your wierd car costs $20K-$40K then I can tell you without a doubt that you will fail instantly.
Wierd and efficient cars need to target the sub $9000 price point for a econo 2 seater. There are a metric buttload more buyers at that price point than the more likely $40K per car point that it would have ended up at.
Chevy understood this as well as Nissan. They are producing incredibly few Volts and Leafs because they know there is no market for an economy car at $40K. the economics of the cars do not make any sense to anyone, and the only buyers will be "look at me I'm green! LOOK AT ME!!!!!" people who have a lot of money for a toy. If the chevy volt looked 100% identical to a $15,000 car it would have sold nothing at all because there is no "LOOK AT ME!!1!1!" factor.
Honda Civic new is $16,000. Chevy Sonic is $15,000 Both get 40mpg. If your car costs MORE than that you are set up for Instant-FAIL. Even if it was to get 60mpg. In reality a new, never heard of company needs to be way,way, under that to get sales because nobody wants to "risk" getting stuck with a poorly built or defective car from a unknown car company.
Re:wrong target audience (Score:0, Insightful)
Yes let's export more US innovation to China, that's the ticket.
The chinks are going to melt down in a way that make the current US / Euro woes look like a slightly bad week in an otherwise bear market. Anyone folish enough to invest in China further than exploiting cheap labor and lax environmental laws is a fool.
Re:wrong target audience (Score:4, Insightful)
Oil prices will never be permanently high (Score:4, Insightful)
High oil prices destroy demand, causes recession and subsequent price collapse of oil.
Anyone who is going to market a replacement vehicle for oil based ones is going to have to market it to people who cannot afford oil when it's low. i.e. it hast to be cheap. Think TATA motors Nano, but electric and with reasonable range, which is a pricing challenge.
~$100 is the new low BTW.