Power of the Sun

In the automotive battle to produce the vehicle that gives us most by taking the least, California-based Aptera Motors has just announced the first solar electric vehicle (sEV) – one that proclaims no charging for most daily use and can travel up to 1,000 miles on a single charge, which would shatter industry performance achievements to date. Drivers, say goodbye to that dreaded range anxiety. 

"With Aptera's Never Change technology,you're driven by the power of the sun," explains co-founder and CEO Chris Anthony. "Our built-in solar array keeps your battery pack topped off so anywhere you want to go, you just go."

Through breakthroughs in lightweight structures, low-drag aerodynamics and cooling, material science, battery efficiency and manufacturing processes, Aptera is set to deliver the most efficient three-wheeled, two-person vehicle on the road. It's made from composites many times stronger than steel, allowing the unlikely body shape to slide through the air with an unforeseen degree of drag coefficient. It can also accommodate 180 solar cells designed into the body structure of the vehicle, meaning the car can travel up to 45 miles per day on free power from its integrated solar panels alone.

This mobile solar innovation is no slouch, either; expect 0 to 60 in as little as 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 110mph. Perhaps most remarkable of all, Aptera lends itself to rapid, high-volume mass production, given that the vehicle has just four main pieces. To that end, orders for the solar star of the road are already being taken online. Consumers can design and customise their own Aptera and choose between different ranges of 250, 400, 600 or 1,000 miles, while prices start from $25,900.

Never has less meant more – Aptera's energy use is far lower than current electric and hybrid vehicles on the road. Here's to a brighter, lighter, sunlit future for our roads and the planet.