When Will the Aircraft-Inspired Aptera Electric Car Take Off?
When it comes to the futuristic Aptera 2e, an electric vehicle launched with all the fanfare due a "car of the future," forward progress has demanded the patience of Job. But despite financial setbacks related to the economic downturn, coming up dry in its quest for $184 million in federal funding and testing hassles in the $10 million Progressive Auto X Prize, Aptera President and CEO Paul Wilbur is still putting on a happy face about getting his airplane-inspired three-wheeled battery car on the market next year (initially in California only).
The 2e promises the equivalent of 100 miles per gallon, a zero to 60 time of under ten seconds, and a top speed of around 90 mph. It has a range of about 100 miles on a charge. A hybrid version is also on the boards, but that's a long way off now.
Speaking at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry Monday, Wilbur said, "The Aptera was developed completely from a clean slate. It's the ultimate startup. Millions of hours of design time are being poured into taking this innovative idea and making it a commercial reality. Our goal is to put America behind the wheel of the world's most energy-efficient vehicles without compromising on safety, convenience or value. It's a big goal, but I believe it's this kind of innovation that has made our country great. Incremental progress is just not enough."
Yadda-yadda. Talk is cheap. If we roll the clock back to, say, 1920, we can find literally hundreds of car manufacturers who just wanted to help the American people with affordable and reliable transportation, but their impressive altruism didn't prevent them from going bankrupt. The Big 100 became the Big Three.
On the positive side, Aptera says it has approximately 3,000 pre-orders, which is more than the far more developed Fisker Karma. And, despite handling problems in early Auto X trials (the 2e took 40 tries to make a simple lane change at speed, according to Consumer Reports), the Aptera is still one of seven contenders in its category. Final results will be announced in September.
But those early adopters may be getting impatient -- earlier dispatches from Apteraland said there were nearly 4,000 depositors at $500 each. The 2e has become a hot car with cooling prospects. Now the reservation page doesn't say when you might expect to get a car.
Marques McCammon, an Aptera spokesman, said the 2e achieved 178.2 mpg in Auto X testing. And he said the company has moved into what is to become its first production facility, with room to produce both the 2e and the still theoretical 2h hybrid car. McCammon acknowledged that the company is still trying to reach its "funding watermark," and is unsure but optimistic about federal funding. The last private round for Aptera raised $10 million. There is no firm delivery date for next year, he said.
Aptera was launched in 2006, with an initial goal of getting to market in 2009. But in November of that year, Aptera announced that its co-founder was stepping down, some people were getting laid off, and the company would "have to adjust our production schedule to align with financing realities." The launch date was pushed back to 2010. "I'm as disappointed as any of our depositors and loyal followers around the country that we're delaying initial production," Wilbur said then. "There's no one who's more anxious than we are to put the 2e on the road."
Imagine his anxiety level now, with the car pushed back to 2011! There's some doubt in the blogosphere about that date, too. According to All Cars Electric, 2012 is more likely. And it's all contingent on the federal funding, through the Department of Energy's Advanced Technology Vehicle loan program. Aptera has said it would begin volume production "once our current series of private funding has closed, or when we secure [federal] financing--whichever comes first."
It's possible neither of those things will happen. But Wilbur was being optimistic in his Chicago speech, which came amidst the Aptera team's awarding of $1,500 in prizes to student design teams. "At Aptera, we've created a sustainable model for the U.S. auto industry that's based on efficiency developed through technological innovation," said Wilbur. "And today we're spreading the word to the engineers of tomorrow, who will take this torch and make a difference for future generations."
Wilbur is a 30-year industry veteran, with experience at Ford and Chrysler, as well as serving as president and CEO of American Specialty Cars, which makes convertible tops and sunroofs for OEMs. Aptera must have seemed like a chance for him to take the reins and make a difference. It still could turn out to be exactly that.
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