Accelerated
Composites Aptera
Accelerated Composites
LLC. based in Carlsbad, California, was a small engineering company providing
microelectronic solutions and composites for private manned space programs.
By using their novel,
low cost composite manufacturing methods, Accelerated Composites - later
Renamed Aptera - intended to produce a 330 mpg, ultra-efficient, two seat,
hybrid vehicle.
Called the Aptera, the
concept was powered by a 12 hp diesel engine and a 25 hp DC electric motor,
running though a automatic CVT transmission. All of this was hidden by the
Aptera's slippery bodywork, which boasts the lowest drag coefficient of any
production car.
Designed for maximum
efficiency, the Aptera's aesthetics have suffered slightly, but then again
that's not what this car's about. And while form was compromised, safety was
not. The Aptera features a driver protection "crash box" similar to
those found in Formula One race cars.
All in, the Aptera
weighs just 385 kg (850 lbs) allowing it to achieve a slow, but acceptable,
0-60 time of around 11 seconds and a limited top speed of 95 mph. Legally the
Aptera is not actually a car, the vehicle is registered as a motorcycle.
Unfortunately even thought the Aptera was developed in California, the diesel
engine fails to meet the strict emissions standards California has in place.
Because of this, the diesel engine was to be replaced with an economical
gasoline fueled engine for this market.
Unfortunately Aptera
failed to make the vehicle viable economically. In 2011 the company went into
liquidation, and refunded the deposits it had taken from a number of potential
buyers in California.
Source : diseno-art
