A small company by the name of Aptera has just unveiled an eye-catching electric vehicle that promises to travel for more than 1,600 km on a single charge. The three-wheeled Aptera 3 has a sleek shape and impossibly low drag coefficient of just 0.13, allowing it to slice through the air and use just 100 watt-hours of energy per mile. It is outfitted with a large 100 kWh battery pack and also comes with solar panels on the roof that can add 64 km of range during a sunny day. A further 38.8 km of range can be added if customers opt for additional solar panels on the hood and hatch.
Other variants of the Aperta 3 will be
available. Sitting at the base of the range is a version outfitted with a 25
kWh battery that’s good for 402 km on a single charge. Also on
offer is a 40 kWh model with a 644 km range and a 966 km 60 kWh one.
Various motor configurations will be
offered depending on the variant. No horsepower and torque figures have been
provided yet, but front-wheel drive models should hit 96 km/h in 5.5
seconds while the flagship three-wheel drive will need just 3.5 seconds to hit
the same mark. Key to the EV’s performance is the fact that even the flagship
100 kWh Aptera 3 weighs less than 1,000 kg, while DC fast charging
compatibility means it can charge at 500 miles of range per hour.
Prices for the Aptera 3 kick off at US$ 25,900 and increase to over US$ 46,000 depending on options. Order books opened
last week and require a US$ 100 refundable deposit.
