Aptera - Driving Gamma 

Aptera does not have "gears" at all. You are only changing from park to drive or reverse.

@@n.brucenelson5920 for fwd/reverse, I could accept it. The problem comes with the park option, unless there's a physical parking break I didn't see. Call me paranoid, but I'd rather be wrong when I'm paranoid than the other way around.

@@TheLukemcdaniel Most modern cars don't come with a handbrake anymore but rather an electronic parking brake. And I have never heard of a significant safety hazard coming from that, so we should be good 👍

@@FormulaManuel those buttons are a completely different situation than using a touch screen for setting any of that

@tyler Reeves - well said!!

I'd like to piggy back @Tyler Reeves comment and say i'd love to see a road trip video done in this format :) :)

...they probably got the digital content manager and the digital marketing manager to sign off on this.

They didn't have. To convince anyone, its a promotional piece.

​@@ChaimLoecher haha, nice ;)

Unfortunately, a lot of manufacturers are going to touch screen. I'm not the biggest fan of it. My sister's Tesla is all touch screen. It just isn't as easy as hitting a button. Especially in her Tesla. You have to touch multiple "buttons" for some basic functions

@@DaveCM I 100% agree. Teslas interior is pure cost saving measures, I very much dislike it. It not a good trend especially in regards to attention and safety.

Rumor has it that the two buttons on the steering yoke may be programmable so functions you don’t want to have to futz around with the center console to get access to can be ported over. Really going out on a limb, I could further speculate that they might be dual axis toggles that would host five functions per “button”. That’s a ubiquitous feature on video game handsets so why not? Edit: alas they have subsequently made clear that we only get a simple horn button on the right and an up-down button (volume?) on the left. May be time to take another look at the start-ups working on Bluetooth add-on button bars.

@@DaveCM I will bring this up again. Leave the screen alone. Use the voice commands. Touch the right button on the steering wheel and say "make it warmer". Or "Open glove box". Or turn driver's seat heater on". Whatever you want. The screen is a display not a command center. It can be used as such but the voice commands are the way to go.

@@DaveCM nearly every feature has a voice command too, people underutilise it.

The steering almost seems dangerous

If you mean the steering wheel, yes it's dangerous for people who don't hold a steering wheel correctly, which is the majority

Right.. with not much clearance on even that small one🤔

@@Pickle_Riiiick It is already better than the front dam on my Honda Insight.

I'd love to see all kinds of safety and performance testing videos at length, its bottoming out characteristics would indeed be quite interesting to see.

I'd like to see if it can handle a speed bump while in a tight turn.

@@PaulPomeroy You would have to look long and hard to find such a situation. Remember that the wheel pants are attached to the wheels and that they rise when a bump is encountered - unlike most small cars where the suspension compresses, reducing clearance, that is typically only 6.5" to start with. Aptera will be better in most such cases.

That would make it cost more, having multiple skus.

@@MrGamelover23 I would be much happier with a round or 'squircle' wheel at the cost savings of barely diminished interior quality.

Yup -- the hand movements on those turns looked super awkward.

​@@reryro1266 Yeah, I understand some people like the yoke, but I mean, a round steering wheel is basic stuff, it must be as an option. 🙂

Absolutely, the Yoke is a no deal for me. I'm going to end up asking for my deposit back, if the Yoke is the only option for the production Aptera. Plain and Simple, Yokes are DANGEROUS in Cars ! Aircraft Yokes only turn 90 degrees each way, you never have to move your hand off when Flying. But Cars wheels turn 2 and 1/2 times Lock to Lock, and in Any quick maneuvering, or real world Driving, your hands are looking for a Symmetrical place to grip when turning corners ect... Aptera People : Listen and look at the amount of comments on this one item ( YOKE ) ! Change it !

True but it might also depend on the way the camera is mounted. Also this is a very light erm..car, don't expect it to get much better ride, more like a sports car

The Nissan E-NV200 has a really nice chunky gear selector, even has a physical cable-operated park pawl like on a traditional automatic car.

There are no "gears", only selection of N, P, and R.

@@n.brucenelson5920 yes, I know ( which is why I put it in quotes. Still, I don't want to deal with a touch screen to go into reverse

It's cheaper than having to manufacture a solid gear switch mechanism. I agree, I'd rather have a physical gear switch, but it's going to last longer and ultimately save money on manufacturing, so I understand why they're doing it.

Other than the rare occasion to reverse, have the gears on screen is a no brainer. On my M3 it’s second nature in a short period of time.

@@SteveBueche1027 That's a good point. I'm just not used to it and I hate that windshield wipers are on the screen in our model Y

@@mindlessmrawesome very good point. I concede

@@SteveBueche1027 Spoken like a person who doesn’t parallel park several times each time he drives.

So you would rather have the far greater inefficiency of a Bolt, along with the higher operating cost, and lack of road trip capability? You were perhaps never part of the Aptera target niche to begin with. Use of touch screens don't preclude voice activation of controls. You are wrong abut your touch screen limitation claim.

The change in body build to sheets pressed by C.P.C. group will have significant implications for the acoustic performance. This delta model is clearly a lot better than the alphas were. I think we will have to wait longer to see what this new body means for both acoustic and thermal performance.

Boats have the same problem .. the moment you make em electric you suddenly hear everything ...

@@jimbobaggins209 only one letter missing ..and one space .. and you are totally confused ??? I fixed it .. sorry for writing fast and with thick fingers on small phone .. but yeah I electrified my boat and now have to replace the axle bearings as they are way too loud ... I never heard them before though !!!

Definitely less road and suspension noise, and a lot less motor noise than previous iterations; however, there still seems to be considerable harshness in the ride. It was noticeable in Chris's voice over small bumps in the pavement and the suspension over the speed bumps revealed very little wheel deflection confirming the need for more suspension tuning. That aside, we are seeing steady improvement in all aspects of this innovative new vehicle. I love the concept. We see steady refinement, and I am rooting for Aptera. Go Aptera!

Agree about yoke. If I could get too and fro without turning more than a few degrees, the yoke then would be a great idea!

I agree. I feel like I would turn left to look out the window, and all I would see is that bar. There's a reason 0 other cars have a bar running through the side windows. I'm sure it's where the glass starts curving, but it's in the eyeline.

Thank you, this means a lot! 🤗 Through innovation and collaboration, there are no limits to where we will go in a world powered by the sun.

@@ApteraMotors Will there be a version with normal mirrors? Farsighted people cannot use screens as a replacement for mirrors because screens are near.

My sister's Tesla is the same way. Everything is in the center control screen. It seems like most manufacturers are doing that.

absolutely. imagine if screen gets moisture / condensation on it, or you have damp hands because you just wiped the window or got in the car and you got rained on, ever tried to use a smartphone where moisture is involved?

@@willdatsun That's part of my concerns; Aptera seems to be pulling a Tesla in how they are developing solely for "fair weather" states. I want to see it driven in HEAVY snow like you'd get in northern USA and Canada. Also, lets say the touchscreen fails for whatever reason. Software error, damage, etc. How do you shift gears to get the car moving to a repair center? A physical button/shifter is a MUST; this isn't an old school car where the transmission needs to be physically shifted, you could just have a button set under the steering wheel or something similar. But it should still exist.

@@Alaric323 for the one in a million chance the screen is damaged you call a flat bed truck. Just like any car that has an issue that makes them not able to be driven.

@@DaveCM Lights (mostly) and windows have physical buttons in a Tesla. And there's voice commands.

The reliance on the touch screen is so weird. Aptera keeps trying to be the next Tesla, but it's not going to work. Anyone who wants that kind of experience will just get a Model 3. The more they progress on this project, the more I want to cancel my reservation. I'm probably going to buy a Bolt in 2023 tbh and cancel my Aptera reservation.

Agree 💯 about the yoke and touch screen reliance, total turn off.

I agree. It is extremely foolish to not have independent physical switches for key functions like shifting, dome lights and rolling down the windows. Don't force us to take our eyes off the road to shift (for god's sake!!!), roll down the windows, turn on the lights or adjust the read view mirrors. This is a lot of liability that Aptera should not take on.

IMHO - Your current yolk is a usable shape, but look cartoonish. Windows, interior lights, hazards, and volume need physical switches and knob please.

@@philblum1496 "Don't force us to take our eyes off the road to shift" Huh??? Are you really going to be going down the road in traffic & shifting to Park or Reverse? I don't think so. I'm not a fan of the screen controlling everything, but taking your eyes off the road to go into park or reverse or even neutral isn't much of anything -- you're already going to be stopped.

Voice control is a possibility.

They are both as awesome in person! Super friendly and genuine!

It’s a scam

The fact that Aptera is giving hearts to only consents and not those with constructive criticism is concerning.

It all comes down to cost. Electronics are the cheapest way of doing these things, although that doesn't mean I like it lol

I think it had more to do with cost cutting.

Similar to the windows I have to ask, what's the big deal? Is there a constant need to go forward then back then forward then back then forward then back. Not really. The primary driving is going to be forward. One might back into a parking spot or even to parallel park but the time spent in reverse is minimal at best

Thanks, Andre! It's always fun when you're driving by the sun. 🌅

Yup def quieter, one thing are bumps, it sounds like everything is about to break into pieces every time they go over the smallest of bumps. Perhaps that would have something to do with suspension, but Idk.

My issue with the display is that it looks incredibly cheap and looks like a budget tablet from 2013

@@Anderson-hi9qw yea, hopefully they upgrade it for productions

@@Anderson-hi9qw Looks like a modern tablet to me. Maybe you are looking at the border as if it was part of the screen. The border around the screen is the front vent, not part of the housing for screen electronics.

🙌

More parts = more complexity, more costs, & more possible points of failure. 2c

@@MonsterSound I agree + most of the time you need forward. If it selects "D" by default after starting than it's all good.

Since there is very little shifting only from forward, park, reverse, and maybe neutral having the gear selection on the screen while I agree isn’t ideal it is acceptable. The only controls I need readily available is the turn signals and the horn. Everything else I can live with on the touch screen.

Aptera grants right to repair and does not stand in your way in making modifications.

Thank you! It's an exciting road ahead 🛣

Did the same a few weeks ago. That's what we in the South call "eat up" with it.

Oh honey That is a dream! lol

From the interior shot, it doesn't seem any more narrow than my FIAT. I'm 6'3" and the runt of three boys. I've had both of my brothers on the passenger side. It was fine.

@@DaveCM How much do you weigh?

Aptera has a turn signal stalk.

We never get ice in Southern California. They would have to go to the market and buy ice bags and spread them on the floor.

@@LuisLopez-pp2pn Road trip!

@@LuisLopez-pp2pn But if this is being marketed as a car being sold across the US (and eventually globally), you never getting ice in Southern California is irrelevant because they should be taking the prototypes to places with those conditions in abundance to ensure the vehicle will work properly day-in, day-out in those conditions....Norway, Finland, Sweden, Canada...many parts of Europe. If this a truly global car down the road, why is none of that testing being done before the final production model comes to fruition???

I'm with you on that one Maud....there seemed to be a lot of 'selling' the 'advantages' of a yoke in this one... :(

@@OdykKayne There are a few 'Ambassadors' who live in the Midwest that will be getting some of the first production vehicles. One guy is #47 on the list and he lives in Iowa. It will be interesting to hear about his experience.

.. and round, like a „wheel“ has to be!

Sign of an incapable company not answering this for months!! Those 2 test drivers should be ashamed of themselves for deficient follow up. That's the vibe I get about everything Aptera, very scammy!!

@@artsmith103 So scammy they just appeared on a CNN segment. I don't mind that they didn't follow up. I'm sure someone is thinking about it but also sure it's not a high priority. The company's idea, the design, and the goal are real. They really just need the money to bring this to market.

@@artboymoy They are having trouble raising capital because there is so little value in the little 2 seat trike. There are many better options for less money. Once a vehicle gets to 50 mpg, it's hard to justify more expense for better mpg. There's just not much additional savings in even 20yrs.

Thanks for coming along! 😎

They have an "off road package" that increases ground clearance and add sturdier wheel covers. Might not be bad for harsher urban environments like yours.

@@DaveCM Urban environments are where the vast majority of Americans live. If Aptera wants to build a vehicle for the masses, it needs to meet urban requirements as standard features.

@Maud Essen I live in an urban environment and the standard one would be fine where I live. We have good streets here. I've traveled a lot and there are some cities that more ground clearance would be needed though.

@@DaveCM Road quality depends in great part on how many seasons you have and on how severe your winters are. My city has four seasons, significant freeze-thaw cycles, and terrible pavement year ‘round because we are also a poor city. Throughout the Midwest, upper Midwest, and Northeast there are urban areas similar to mine. Are these regions you drive in too?

It's a bit stiff tbh especially in the beginning lol but they warmed up to it

I would suggest lowering the music volume when people are talking within a scene; it effectively masks nearly all that was said between them. Thank you for taking us along for the ride.

My wife and I didn't notice it the issue we thought it would be when we rode in an alpha last year.

Power windows, let alone important quick-access features like the mist function on, say, windshield wipers for when an oncoming car splashes a puddle into your vision!

It's hard for me to understand the criticism of window controls on a touch screen. I rarely ever roll a window down.

Anything that forces you to take your eyes off the road due to lack of tactile feel (such as having to locate a virtual button on a touch screen) just increases the opportunity to have a mishap. We already have too many incidents from inattentive drivers trying to see what the radio station is, glance at text messages, etc to have large numbers of folks take their focus off driving to locate a virtual wiper/defroster/turn signal/etc control. It would be good /safer to have some traditional controls for the more critical items used by the driver while in motion. A question that comes to mind too is - How well does the touch screen respond when its foggy/extremely humid, your hands are wet or you have gloves on? What about if you accidentally touch something greasy and have no way to wash your hands? Most touch screens get a bit sketchy in those conditions. I live in a semi-tropical (humid/foggy) part of the country and with our high humidity, fall and winter morning fog events, tropical downpours and such these situations can be experienced multiple times per day. During our sudden weather events being able to quickly crack a window open and turn on the defroster can be a real lifesaver. As you can tell I have some valid concerns about over reliance on touch screens. Best

​@@corneliusva That's great for you, but everyone leads different kinds of lives. They're targeting their car at a market that is already highly capitalized on by Tesla. Many people go through drive through, package drop offs, toll booths, parking garages, etc. Everyone has different needs, and for me, having to use the touch screen twice a day to go in and out of the parking garage would be beyond tedious.

@@neilfromclearwaterfl81 Agree 100%. If it's a cost thing, I would be completely on board with paying extra for a center console mounted switch module that moves the most frequently used functions to tactile switches.

We have had reports from a 6'8" person that didn't experience a problem. Chris Anthony himself is 6'4.

I think it could be unsafe to drive with only 1 front wheel and would pull under acceleration to 1 side and you probably couldn't do regen braking. However there is no reason they couldn't make it drive with just 1 motor, but they would probably put it in a 'limp' mode; reduced acceleration, limit top speeds, etc. But I hope it wouldn't leave you stranded if 1 of the motors still worked.

So you're towards the top of the Ponzi scheme?

The C.P.C. produced bodies are likely to produce a very different noise pattern. I hope we will learn more about the acoustic environment with the release of the delta design.

@@n.brucenelson5920 thanks for the info

I'm in Wilmington and have one reserved so hopefully you will! :)

Any flashbacks to your crazy fast test ride?

@@InstantTorqueYT that's the same Chris that tried to kill me. 😜

In a year you're still a year off from deliveries.

Stellar configuration! Thank you for joining our movement :)

Except for those of us who get motion sickness for whom it will make the vehicle impossible to drive. Not to mention the reduction in safety as people with this setup will be less likely to check their blind spots. With exterior mirrors, or camera screens in the corners, you can check the side view and blind spot in a single action, with this you can’t. I’m lookin forward to being able to test drive one some day. I love everything about the exterior, efficiency, and performance. The interior on the other hand looks like a drivers nightmare.

I would disagree. Lights in your line of sight at night will reduce what you can see in your periphery. I rented a car that had an LCD screen for a dash and it was very unpleasant at night. A backlit screen will never be as dim as traditional cutout gauges. This design really only seems viable for well lit city streets. I would gladly take the 10% hit to the already long range for safer, simpler, foolproof physical mirrors.

On my Model 3 I have the night time settings at 8% and daytime 100%. That certainly doesn't mean that will work for the Aptera but in general the glare is less for the central monitor than it is for a dashboard directly in front of me.

Just get a bolt. I'm probably doing that in a few months and ditching my reservation.