Aptera's Drivetrain Revealed! 

One motor. There's an axle shaft fitting at each end of that differential.

First glimpses into the drivetrain changes, thank you Steve. Really looking forward to Aptera's July update and the facts!

Thx. for the updates on the Drivetrain. I think I will wait for Aptera's briefing as well because, I wanted Hub Motors and that is one of the MAIN reason why I reserved Aptera.

My guess is 1 motor in the front (not 2)

No, they are NOT going to have two of those motors! Damn. It's just one motor driving both front wheels through a reduction drive and then a differential. I used to work in this technology.

This will be a one motor FWD solution. Aptera will need it to be in a 120 to 150 kW range. This is a much simpler and thus reliable solution for power distribution, cooling, and system integration. I imagine that the extra chassis work done recently in Italy was validating suspension dynamics with this powertrain. This keeps power and cooling lines shorter and contained in the body. I would have preferred the revolutionary, but this could be an improvement in vehicle efficiency, reliability, and dynamics.

I don't like it, but I'm willing to accept the change. What I WON'T accept is the LE changing to just front wheel drive only. If that is the case, I will cancel my reservation and wait until they do offer it. This makes me quite sad as I was very much looking forward to what they said this vehicle would be for years now

Frankly, as a long time supporter, I'm a little bummed about not getting hub motors in my Launch Edition...I think hub motors are a revolutionary solution for vehicle drive trains. But this doesn't dampen my confidence overall in any way, and in fact it makes me even more secure that they're taking the appropriate steps to ensure that Aptera remains a going concern so the incredible innovation will continue. I have 6 reservations anyways, so I know I'm lined up to enjoy the best Aptera has to offer at each iteration. 🤓

Great find as always. I'm sure Aptera is not far behind the greatest internet sleuth, with their official update.

Proven reliable drivetrain, let's go.

So, does that mean there's going to be an exposed half-axle that you can see rotating as you drive? This all seems to mean a major redesign of the drive train.

This is from the February Update at 4:29. Steve Fambro: "Lets address vehicle design changes. Were doing everything we can to get our solar EV into production as quickly and safely as possible. What this means for reservation holders and investors is that you will see some changes up ahead. We want you to know that changes to our vehicle design are taken very seriously and only made if they require significantly less capital including research, development, and tooling cost. A production plan that requires less capital, reduces risk for our shareholders, and allows Aptera to get to market more quickly. Once updated supply agreements are inked, we will share more information." I'm ok with it, so long as I get my Accelerator Launch Edition sometime next year.

It looks like it has a reduction gear AND a differential - so a single motor for both front wheels. The spinning half shafts are going to be raising the Cd of the vehicle, by a fair bit. Spinning round shafts have an "outsized" effect on the Cd. *Hopefully* they can enclose them in a stationary aero cover for the two half shafts? This would minimize the hit to the Cd.

Honestly for performance having less unsprung weight, centralized mass, and a proven hardware, just makes sense. Front-wheel drive uprights with a CV axle bearing carrier setup is solved these days, let's go!!!

The drivetrain has not be revealed, only the supplier has been revealed. Everything else is 100% speculation.

Good points about Elaphe losing Lordstown and Lightyear, therefore losing the capital to build up manufacturing for their hub motors and probably being unable to meet Aptera's timeline. If the Aptera only needs one hub motor for the rear wheel, then that's 1/3 the demand Elaphe needs to fulfill and may be able to meet that. We'll see what they say at the end of the month. I also agree with many others here, there's probably one, central, motor for both front wheels. Having over 100hp and 1200 ft-lbs of torque for each wheel is overkill and absolutely ridiculous, not to mention the excess weight.

Sorry to lose Elaphe at this juncture. They put sooo much effort, money and time into developing this for Aptera and others. I hope they survive.

I am at 506 before Aptera stop showing us the Leaderboard. The new motor is what they had to do to get the first Apters out. Which is the right move. You can always defer your spot for a different model whenever it comes out. I don't want to wait any long!! I have thrown out all spec on the Aptera and waiting for the PI to come out. Then we will have the real specifications!!! 😊

the biggest question this raises for me is whether AWD is still on the table at all, as that was one of the core specs they were offering as part of the LE vehicle

One of the most attractive aspects of the hub motors was the simplicity of cooling them. Moving the power train inboard will require a whole new set of measures to cool them--likely taking part of the air stream inboard, creating 'momentum drag', the cost of slowing the cooling air down that enters the vehicle. This translates into an increased drag coefficient, reduced range and smaller benefits from solar charging. On the positive side, it will improve the ride quality--less unsprung weight.

Great digging Steve. If they are going with two motors, I don't see why they couldn't do torque vectoring, since that seems more like a program thing to me... Has the latest model drivetrain been used in millions of vehicles? That's what Chris said in the last video. They could possibly still be using the 3 drivetrain, because maybe they're cheap enough and proven to be reliable and Aptera doesn't need a powerful drivetrain. The goal of the Aptera is to make a very efficient streamlined vehicle. All of that is moot if it never comes out. So it's understandable if you can't get all that you want in the package, some things will need to be changed so you can release something that proves a lot of the core concepts and doesn't diminish from the enjoyment. As a former game developer, that's what all this feels like. There have been games I've worked on that had grand ideas and concepts but if they start to fall behind in devellopment, there's a shift and changes that occure that may not be what we set out to do but still something that people enjoy and that we were proud of. I'm sure I will still get a kick out of the Aptera when I first sit in it and will still be happy to own.

I for one would feel betrayed investing in an AWD / IWM vehicle then offered a FWD / conventional CV joint axeled dumbed down alternative. Bait and switch at its worst.

Thanks for the update. I am wiling to settle for single motor & just FWD. Doesn't change the fact that this is still the most efficient vehicle design. Maybe we will get even more range with just FWD. Perhaps lower final delivery price on the vehicle.

This Comment's not strictly relevant, but might be of interest to peeps wondering about how having only rear-wheel-drive affects the handling of a three-wheeled vehicle. I'm based in the UK and, in my amateur motorsport years, had the opportunity to drive a couple of Morgan 3-wheelers at various times on both open public roads (doing tarmac rallies), and racing circuits (doing auto-tests and track sprints). These little Morgans are petrol powered 2-seaters with only the rear wheel being driven. They're lightweight, nimble, and enormous fun. If you're a bit of a techno-geek (and I am), I urge you to investigate the engineering challenges created by having a single driven rear wheel on a tricycle layout (rather than two driven front wheels). It's fascinating. There's an art to balancing power delivery and traction; the driven wheel mustn't be too big; if its tyre's footprint is overlarge it can make for messy and unpredictable handling (choppy steering), so the rear tyre is made deliberately quite narrow; maximum size and too much grip actually makes handling worse as speeds increase. With a three-wheeler, you're NOT building a drag-racing bike that demands maximum traction. Nobody in Britain cares about ¼-mile times or Merkin muscle-car tyre-smoking performance from a standing start. Getting from zero to sixty as fast as possible is an irrelevance and of interest only to 10-year old boys with 'issues'. What we DO care about is handling and driveability, and the rear-wheel-only-driven Morgan ticks all the right boxes. The aim is to balance the suspension dynamics as if you were tuning a powerful sports motorcycle for 'safe' handling. The Morgan peeps are very good at that kind of thing, so their 3-wheelers are an absolute hoot to drive. Note: their trikes have conventional petrol engines and old-school manual transmissions. No driver aids, no traction control. Having a clutch pedal to manage the power delivery definitely simplifies matters; it's easy to feel when you're pushing too hard and asking too much, so a Morgan's handling is always lively but benign. Swapping to a rear-wheel-only electric motor would involve redesigning pretty much everything; I suppose it'd mean having computer software doing the job of a sensitive left foot but, as I know virtually nothing about electric motor tech, torque, traction and transmissions, so I'll say no more.

Hub motors are still very undeveloped technology compared to other options. Freegen is an amazing new geared hub motor technology in development for bicycles that I will probably also be very good for automotive and motorcycle hub motor development. Aptera Owners Club should definitely make a video about it because it really makes sense considering the e-bike videos you already made and its potential to be used in a future Aptera.

As the body design was intended to work with hub motors, where will they find enough room inside the body for these motors? Also, won't it pretty dramatically affect the machining of the inside of the front of the body? I have to admit I'm disappointed they are not going with the hub motors. It seems requiring CV joints and all that entails will reduce the mechanical efficiency.

If it is more efficient and lighter than Hub Motors I am all for it. I don't want awd

Glad to see the move. While I love Apteras focus on efficiency, every now and then it makes sense to focus on cost/price efficiency. Yes the added weight will slightly reduce MPKwh but it seems that an in-wheel motor manufacturer with sufficient scale might not yet exist. This is a move from the laboratory to the manufacturing floor and bodes well for actual scale production of the Aptera.

Apterasolar channel of Germany, interviewed the CEO of Elaphe a couple of we ago. They stated that they were going to edit the video and put it out, but it has never been released. My understanding is that Elaphe was not happy with Aptera. Very curious why they never posted the video. Elaphe is not planning on having a high production facility until 2029.

Okay. Some concerns assuaged. Looking good! Hope to hear more from them soon

Fantastic news. The engineering will be top tier and parts for repair will be available. I am immensely relieved and looking forward to getting my LE with this drivetrain

To echo many of the other comments here, I will likely cancel my reservation without AWD, and that's saying something being an accelerator investor. I live in PA and between thunderstorms and snow, AWD is a requirement for my next vehicle. Their website still shows a powertrain option of FWD/AWD. Obviously this could simply be awaiting an update following a FWD announcement, but I'm hopeful not. I'm optimistic that they can get 1 hub motor from Elaphe per vehicle instead of 3. To Steve's point, maybe one of the issues was manufacturing volume, so maybe they can produce 1 per vehicle and maintain the AWD. Fingers crossed...

Has anyone noted Continental's relation to DeepDrive? They have collaborated on a hub Wheel electric moter for evs. Continenetal provides the brakes system and DeepDrive does the motor. Perhaps this is what Aptera i going to use.

Good. I'm a big fan of keeping it simple and using real-world tested equipment.

Still a great deal of unknowns. The Launch Edition was billed as 3-wheel drive, and all those on the leaderboard, have a reason to say what? I am hopeful that somehow an all-wheel drive version can still be sold as a Launch Edition, thus avoiding disappointment of those who invested almost $35 million dollars. My gut says the transparency is going to be questioned by the fans, not a good thing at this critical time while trying to raise more money. The convertible notes are going to be paying 12% on $60,000,000 for 2 years. Before fees that is at least 7.2 million dollars interest, not a small amount. I hope Steve and Chris announce the details concerning the powertrain soon as this silence is not a good thing. Efficiency and 0-60 time are extremely important to the fans, so waiting for validation becomes even more important, however that might mean a longer wait than most want to endure. Sensing impatience from the fans is simple, read the comment section on the recent postings and the base is getting more restless. I lack automotive knowledge. I do however understand investors want to be able to understand what it is they are investing in. Changes that are this big, need a great deal of explanation. Since day one, I had believed in the concept of in-wheel-motors. It took me a while to understand what torque vectoring meant. After gaining a cursory understanding, I was completely on board, believing this was a better way. When YASA got bought out by Mercedes Benz, I concluded that in-wheel-motors had come of age. Otherwise, Daimler would not have done the deal. I became an Accelerator because I wanted the Launch Edition, sooner rather than later. I am still very much an Aptera fan, and want the product, but I am not very happy with this change, and wish to be convinced that this is the best product they can make. Robust, and long lasting, with little or no glitches. Time to tell the fans why this change was needed. I remain wanting my Aptera but have a few reservations than I did not have before this change. If it turns out that this is better, fine, but say so, tell me it is has more efficiencies, and less chance of failure. Power loss was one of the reasons that in-wheel-motors were considered, less power loss without drive shafts, and universal joints. Hope the engine compartment is big enough to hold the motor(s), and CPC won't have to rebuild the front end.

Looking forward to seeing how the motor will fit in the Aptera and how it will effect crash safety🤔

CORRECTION; The company was recently spun off from Continental as a separate stock holder company (GmbH) Thanks for posting

I’m fine with the motor change, the Aptera for me has always been about having the lowest cost to operate vehicle for my daily A to B drive.

Thanks Steve, for the new investigation / speculation. As others have mentioned, only one EMR4 is needed to drive both front wheels. Hyundai may be using a 400V / 160kW version made in new Korea factory coming online now?

I doubt they would go 2 motors. Evidently made in Germany. Hundai has a big contract $2 billion ish. Silicon carbide inverter - good efficiency. Simplest short term solution-all in one package-small dimensions. Permanent magnet design. Up to date but not cutting edge. Pretty big change in suspension design- I hope they knew this was coming so we don’t get a compromised setup. Interesting days ahead. I hope Aptera will share significant details on drivetrain/suspension design.

I think we need to remember that it was stated that we would be excited about the new drive train, so I believe we don't yet have a clue to the "exciting" news.

This basically is the nail in the coffin for the Launch Edition being AWD. I hope that's not the case, but I don't know how they're going to mount an axle motor to power the rear wheel. It just isn't happening. Kind of disappointing as I wanted the Aptera as an adventure vehicle

Nice discovery. Like others, I think one motor will be sufficient and simpler. However, I hope Aptera doesn't go so low on overall power as to make the car sluggish. GM has done that on some of their "sports cars" in the past. AWD would have been best and individually-controllable front motors would have been second most interesting. One motor, like Chinese econoboxes, can become uninteresting.

With FWD only then i would assume the LE cost should drop below $35k, thoughts?

Edit: Is the EMR3 smaller and or lighter? The EMR3 could be used if it lowered their costs. A lot of times prior models are almost as good as the new one. If you can save 25% for example that's a big cost savings while only sacrificing a little. This is just my guess as to why they might use the older model. Just a guess.

The inboard motors are more reliable in comparison with hub motors, and it also reduces the unsprung weight (more comfy ride). On the other hand the overall Aptera efficiency will be slightly lower, however, that efficiency will still be much higher than the overall efficiency of all other production ready EVs. Torque vectoring is possible if each wheel has its own motor. IMHO, the only EV with hub motors and proven reliability is the Emily GT (Saab NEVS). It has Protean hub motors, and Protean has done a lot of research to develop a very robust hub motor that can cope with all road and weather conditions without breaking down. Saab/Protean solved the 'unsprung weight' problem as well, so the Emily GT rides comfortable, as any other car (mind blowing next gen EV).

Looking through the Vitesco news, I note that: In 2022 Hyundai committed to $2B purchase of the EMR4 160kW version for class B/C vehicles. The diagram shows a FWD with 2 half axles. In Nov. 2023, they announced a new line in their Icheon, Korea facility to produce over 200,000 EMR4/year. In April 2023 they announced a magnet free rotor version of the motor that fits in the same EMR4 package.

I just check Aptera order page $30,700 front wheel drive $33,200 AWD Doesn't say anything about IWM.

I was disappointed when they downgraded the expected power (by around 18%) of the Elaphe motors a year or two back. Aptera spun it as "improvements in efficiency". I wonder if Elaphe is having problems making sufficient power in that form factor motor. Aptera can get that power back with this new motor family. This change to an inboard motor doesn't bother me a bit. I'm focused on the end result, not the tech that makes it.

Good Work Steve! Fingers crossed it's one higher powered motor with active regen braking to help with torque vectoring.

I think it is worrying that this major design change is coming so late in the development process. In the early ‘70s, as a college student, I bought an aircraft kit for the BD-5. They kept making late changes to the design and drivetrain and ended up going bankrupt. This seems similar to me. As an investor and reservation holder I hope I am wrong.

When I heard the world 'Continental" I was looking around for John Wick and the Manager.

Typically you would only have one motor in the front with a half shaft/axel out each side. I wonder how this is going to impact the shape of the vehicle? There doesn't seem to be enough room in the front of the Aptera as designed to house the motor and gearbox associated with this type of motor/gearbox drive train.

This is excellent news! Thanks for digging into it for us!

One motor would be cheaper, simpler, and lighter. Plus it would likely use less power than 2 motors. But without AWD or two motors the Aptera would have a harder time breaking that 4 second 0-60 time that helps justify the $35k price, and appeals to people who want a sports car AND super efficiency. I could see the later 250 mile model having a single motor (and 20kWh battery pack), but I hope that they use two smaller motors for the performance and wheels control that was promised in the AWD model (with 210HP).

Only FWD for the LE edition?

Ugh, axles and differentials! Basically certain the differentials are open so I hope Aptera will develop software for the braking system to emulate locking differentials to enhance traction on slippery surfaces. Otherwise we will see one wheel spinning like a typical front wheel drive vehicle.

Well, well, German technology again. The Aptera vehicle remains a highly European vehicle. Regarding the Vitesco EMR3 / 4 platform, it is a so-called E-AXLE which means there is one motor per axle. Not per wheel. Reason for using the "older" EMR3 platform - which is about 5% less efficient - might be cost. Cost of buying and cost of integration. ADDITION: as Vitesco state that the EMR4 platform is more cost-efficient to produce it might well be cheaper to buy. It basically comes down to purchasing negotiations. As this is one motor per axle, there naturally cannot be torque vectoring as this requires independent control of each single wheel. There were e-axles for hybrid systems with "kind of" torque vectoring even back in 2015 but they used clutches and have inherent loss that was back then compensated by the Internal Combustion Engine (see BMW i8 or Porsche 918 Spider), so you did not see the losses on the pure electrical range. Yet that concept did not make to mass market vehicles. And the clutch losses would clearly show in the range of electrical vehicles (BEV), especially in high efficiency ones like Aptera.

Unless they are going to mount the motors next to the wheels I don't see any advantage to having two motors. They might as well have a single motor and differential which would be cheaper, simpler and lighter than using 2 motors. Of course torque vectoring would not work with a single motor, but I am not sure how vital that is.

2x 80kw is a lot of power for a lightweight vehicle like Aptera. My Toyota Yaris has an 80kw engine, and that weighs slightly more than the Aptera. I went to the Vitesco website and apparently they developed the drivetrain for the first generation Renault Zoe. When I searched that vehicle, it only has a single 68kw synchronous motor. OK, that isn't going to get the Aptera from 0 to 60 in 5.5 seconds, but I suspect that they may go with a single motor of a higher output rather than the 2 motors. That would also weigh and cost less than putting 2 motors in there.

I'm feeling pretty foolish for having defended Aptera in the past; it seems like features just keep getting cut. I expect we'll soon hear about the accompanying range cut, due to the less efficient motors, and then that the solar doesn't really produce as much power as they were claiming, then...? I really wanted to believe in Aptera, but now I'm expecting another six months of "We were going to do cool thing until it turned out to be too hard, so now we're doing the same thing everybody else is." before they announce that Aptera will just be a rebadged Chery.

If it's this motor, i'm not happy. The Stellantis platform is terrible in efficiency. The EMR4 is a complete powertrain with differential so the will be probably only one motor for the front axle.

Hey Steve, just a thought, your title seems slightly inaccurate. Aptera's drivetrain has not yet been revealed, only the drivetrain manufacturer has been revealed. Not a big deal if you don't feel the need to change that, just wanted to point that out. Great video as always! Love your channel! 👍

Good find Steve! One item of note is Panasonic is listed as the battery supplier for the 2170's. This is a power & reliability upgrade over EVE IMO, though every battery maker will say they have a better battery. Wonder if it will be made in US? Too bad this didn't come out before you interviewed Tim but does explain his grin when you asked about potential brands. Will wait to see if the motor you found is the item. It should save on some inverter cost for FWD and some overall weight. Along with cooling lines and power feeds and one less motor. Either range goes up with slight speed gain or horse power as the drive train looses efficiency? Maybe an offset of getting bi-directional charging capabilities would add some value to this design and hope that AWD via hub motors is still possible in the future. Your deep look at the two Chris's hinting at the change to FWD was augmented with Anthony stating they weren't giving up on hub motors entirely just yet. Convertible notes! From an investor standpoint this depends on the terms but gives the investor interest until they convert [and the details of when they may]. To me FWD limits the vehicle to 3 season driving other than local driving, single inverter means no vectored thrust and would require a limited slip differential for snow, ice, sand or mud. Often chains are required when it snows in the mountains if you do not have 4 wheel or AWD along with proper snow/ice tires. From European's with experience on that motor you site it does not have an LSD built in? If not, it would not be good going into the mountains in the winter or the few days of snow per year in the lowlands. With the AWD I was interest in taking it to the Oregon sand dunes to see how it would fair... it would be light enough that a few people could pick it up and move it easily if it got stuck. I estimate 4 max to do that from experience of backing my 65 mustang into a ditch with 5 passengers onboard. They picked it up and pushed it uphill until the rear wheels were on the road. How did we get 5 passengers in? Three in the back, one in the front passenger seat and smallest laying on the front seat backs. lol Also in college one particular guy who thought he was privileged parked his VW bug in front of his dorm blocking the road. So 6 of us picked it up and moved it two steps up to a landing to get it out of the way and nobody would help put it back until the dorm manager came out to deal with the issue. Just had this last thought; icing in the outboard fairings?

Your pronunciation of Citroen is pretty good. "Vitesco" sounds like a subsidiary of a British grocery store. I have long wondered what was keeping Elaphe afloat up to now.

It seems that due to the light weight of the Aptera a single motor would be all that is necessary. And why not the older model motor, a startup company with proven technology is going to be more attractive to investors.

If Aptera is going for transaxles with cv joints, then I would like to see some love put into the cv joints to make them more reliable and to last more than 100k miles. Better materials, especially for the cv boot would help. Maybe figuring out better sealing techniques, and though highly unlikely, better geometry of the cv joint. At the minimum they need to do a big think on the cv boot. It'll be more exposed, possibly to sunlight.

If you look closely at the picture that you're displaying at minute 4 1/2 there are two axle connectors on that motor

Thanks for bringing this analysis to us so expeditiously! For me, a little too early to assess the new drivetrain as the whole drivetrain architecture is not released yet. Need to know the tradeoffs for selection of the design, performance expectations vs. the original in wheel motors, strengths and weaknesses. Impact on price and delivery schedule. Reliability. And important, impact on right to repair (Easier, harder ???) I think clear is that there will be no all wheel drive variant as long as this motor configuration is used in the Aptera. A disappointment to many that live in areas with bad weather. (Not me I live in FL) My bottom line; should have been revealed in some manner before the accelerator campaign, but OK technically with it if performance is comparable to in wheel motors and, as a secondary benefit, some cost/price reduction affect. If the net cost (Engineering, procurement, production, labor etc.) is more, then I rescind my endorsement.

This just makes sense. There is no way the small benefit to range from not having axles would be worth it at scale. this will be more reliable and serviceable than hub motors in my guess

Hub motors are an EXTREMELY difficult engineering challenge. Wonderful on paper and to dream about but, so far, impossible to make. No reason they wouldn't just use a single motor through a gearbox. That's what nearly every other EV uses.

please dont go for a massive horsepower engine! It's less efficient and will cost everyone extra insurance. My 2017 Ioniq had 120 HP and it was perfect (and it is still the most efficient EV on the market!!)

It's possible that they could install a motor in the back, and then belt drive the rear wheel, similar to a can-am spider.

I too expected a 3 wheel drive vehicle with hub motors. That is what I based my original reservation on. It is also why I invested in Aptera. As an investor, I don't think a two wheel drive version is a good thing. Questions; will the new powertrain add weight to the vehicle? If so, it will surely cut mileage distance and that is one of the biggest reasons that sold me on Aptera. I also wanted the longer distance version and now it looks like it is so far down the pike that it may never come to fruition. Don't pee on my leg and tell me it is raining! These new changes don't appear to add any value to the vehicle, and if anything some of the changes are going to be detractors. Will Aptera still be around next year? I hope so, I don't want to lose my initial investment! Please don't take Aptera down the wrong path!

It's possible that they are developing or have developed hub motors that are not on the web site showing what is currently being used

All wheel drive three wheel traction control rear wheel regen all a must for me. I hoped that the engineers at Aptera realized this but maybe not.

I thought they were going hub motor. That sucks

Vitesco also makes drivetrains for electric motorcycles. Maybe AWD is not dead….

This motor company also produces high-voltage electric motors that are smaller and lighter. High voltage is the trend in EV world. Aptera is a 12Volt EV (battery, main motor and smaller motors are all 12 Volt), because many car industry products are based on 12 Volt. So I don't expect Aptera will use a higher voltage motor in the near future, also indicated in Steve's interview with Tim. Higher voltage means many design changes.

So the 40 mile range you get from solar is if you drive at 25 mph. At freeway speeds expect 20 mile range.

I wonder what this will do for the weight limit.

A burning question: will the new motor design have any negative impact on the molded carbon fiber components?

I understood that there wasn't a 'bonnet'. You'd need one with a motor in the front.

Steve, did you find any information on the expected lifetime / miles of these motors? It would be good to know how long we should expect the motors to hold up for.

Of importance to me in order of priority are efficiency and awd. Although fwd only might not be a deal breaker if the drive unit has traction control. If i am able to buy one, it might eventually end up in New England. I've driven a number of fwd vehicles through New England winter, but I think that a light three wheel vehicle might not do as well w/out awd. Also, they should discount the price if they are planning to launch with fwd. If the efficiency is too far north of 100 wH/mile I will probably pass.

Whatever works it's all good, but what about the rear wheel drive motor? The launch edition is set to be all wheel drive.

My ardor is cooled. I think it probable that Torque vectoring is gone. Half-Shafts and CV Joints are added. Three Wheel version is probably Gone. I have driven Front Wheel Drives with lotsa Power, and Steering when driving with Verve results in the Vehicle steering Me. Sub-Optimal! Hope I am Wrong on Most or all Counts. Awaiting Resolution.

Hey Steve, do you know if this will be one unit per wheel, or is it capable of driving two CV drive shafts at one time?

I'm glad there is no more hub motor. Hub motors are used in the lower end, high end uses in board motors. The driving dynamics will be way better with less weight at the wheels.

They sold 1000s AWD Launch Editions so the rear wheel question needs addressing.

Looks like they might have been working on this for sometime. If so it would be good to know if any of the Alpha, Beta or Gamma vehicles changed such that they use this new mechanism? I believe in making the room for this will be big design change. If any of the prototype vehicles have been enhanced/ changed to move over from hub-motors then it would be interesting to check them out

Maybe Vitesco have hubmotor that are not displayed on the website. Changing configuration is huge deal

What drive train? I thought there was going to be wheel mounted motors?

Wow, almost 6 years in and they’re going to a different motor and a non hub motor. Sheesh

AWD is the only way I can get up my mountain home. I hope they can get in wheel hub motors worked out in a few years when my order # comes up!

Do you know what happened to elaphe (misspelled) hub motors?? I would think there would be one motor to power the front wheels

Looking forward to my Aptera but. Major design changes late in the game, maybe see mine in 26

Vitesco EMR4 vs EMR3: - Weighs 25 percent less at the same power level. 66 vs 77 kg. - 5.6% efficiency advantage in the WLTP. - Smaller. So the big question (to ask) is WHY the EMR3!? Has Hyundai bought up all the EMR4s for the next 5 years or something?

my order says delivery in 2025 but mine is for all wheele drive so unless there is a hub motor for it I assume 2026 is more likely.

I hope it’ll be just the one motor, keep cost and the weight down a little more, doesn’t need to be sporty.