Interview with Sandy Munro about the Aptera 

As others have said already, the fact that Chris and Steve (Aptera co-founders) involved Munro & Associates from the beginning, really fuels Aptera's probability of success not only in best design, but in initial manufacturing, and for the scale into high volume production. The fact that Sandy Munro is so excited about the vehicle at this point and the out-of-the-box thinking it represents, speaks volumes!! His praise is not typically easy to come by. My wife and I ordered the roadster in November of '21, and made a small investment shortly after that. I sure wish we had more to invest. We can't wait to be behind the yoke! Fantastic content here Steve, Thank You!!

Congrats on landing the interview with Sandy! He's a really big deal, and I think this interview could bring you a lot of new subscribers. 😀

This is exactly why I was an early investor. Sandy and his team got in on the ground floor. They know how to make vehicles. Can't wait to own one of these amazing vehicles and for my nickels to turn to gold coins.

I’m sure what he meant by launch in 18 to 24 months was going public and getting $500-$600 million from the IPO for full scale production in the global marketplace. To a guy with his experience a single assembly plant producing less than a few hundred a day is not going to register as a full-blown launch.

Just invested. WHOOOOOO. Wanted to do it for awhile but didn't have the funds but do now which is actually the funds for my Aptera. Once I actually get mine I'll have enough saved.

I am so glad I got in a little at $4 or so. I hope I can afford more soon. 😀

Sandy Munro is a straight shooter and has proven why it is very wise to follow his advice. I feel the same way about the APTERA. There's a lot of Smart work from multiple disciplines that have gone into the creation of this vehicle and the company. Really looking forward to receiving mine.

Efficient without being bare- bones. Nothing unnecessary. Singularly focused on its purpose. Quick, sporty, beautiful simply because it's small, light, efficient.

Sure wish I had that kind of money to help them out. I love interviews like that, nice and candid. I initially guessed Sept 2023 for mine, ordered day 2, 12/5/2020... now I'm thinking later after that comment. It'll go quick though... do it right or else everyone will be suspicious.

Great that you got to meet Mr. Monroe. Thanks for your content Steve. 👍🏿

Time well spent. Sandy Munro is highly respected and realistic most of the time. Get out your checkbook!

My interpretation was that an IPO would be in 18 to 24 months not the selling of vehicles. Aptera should be able to build 20 a day in the next few months and build on that.

God I love the opening image with the camper.

I don't think you need to apologize as I expect he is one of your subscribers. Good job on the video.

Another great video, it's great you got time to talk with Sandy, he was great about fielding questions from people were in the Aptera booth. Thank you for asking Sandy questions, recording it all and sharing it with all of us .

Thank you Steve. Getting an interview with Sandy Monroe was fantastic even if you had to "cut in line" to get it. I'm sure if he had known who you were you would have gotten more of his time. There is nothing more reassuring than hearing his expert thoughts and actions as related to Aptera. Do you think it might be possible for Aptera to start producing vehicles, on a limited basis, before their entire manufacturing facility is up and running?

Well this just made me decide to invest even more into Aptera than I already have .. thanks !

If Aptera was going to start selling cars in early 2023, they would need to have the factory essentially set up by now (all the robots, machinery, etc), and starting to test the assembly process. I think that is supposed to be the goal of Delta, which will prove their supply side validity, their subassembly validity, and the assembly line validity. That’s a lot that needs to happen in three months to be able to show a true Delta by the end of 2022 (assuming that what I say above about Delta is essentially correct). I reserved mine in July, and my status says 2023-2024. I am fully expecting mine to ‘maybe’ be available in September 2024, no earlier.

The projections on the money required and the vehicles produced are invaluable. Thanks for the video.

At 4:57 my brother and I can be seen walking behind Sandy. I remember being there because of my interest in Arcimoto. I had no idea at the time that I would become an Accelerator in six months.

This is the most excited I have seen Sandy about a project, besides Tesla. This made me more bullish.

Hey Steve. Good interview. Maybe something to look into getting eventually is a small shotgun mic which can capture the audio better for future interviews. You can make do with current one for now, but good/decent audio is key for video content. Can always get a used one online or locally. My two cents.

Well I hope that Sandy is sandbagging the timeline, or that he means 18 months to full ramped production, or the IPO, or both. It is a fine line to keep momentum up and going strong, and people need to see steady progress. I am hoping that the production intent Delta is still coming out before the end of the year, and that they build at least a few early production vehicles by then. It is understandable to have production ramp up slowly in 2023, but I think that sub-$30K EV competition will expand in 2023 from both legacy automakers and startups alike, so it is vital that Aptera finishes Delta development and testing this year, and starts production ASAP.

This guy reminds me of a neighbor-unassuming but a wiz with mechanics and an overall great guy.

Good on Sandy for being honest about the timeline, It's a shame that Chris and Steve are not so upfront.

I was the one who asked Chris if this new one was built off production tools. Cuz I’m used to 14-16 months of testing of production line built vehicles prior to launch.

Thanks Steve, I don't know if I'm happy or sad to hear Sandy has money in the program. The production line sure looks like the Dodge Viper that Sandy was part of as well.

How are you on this sunny morning in 🌏Goonellabah on North Coast NSW🌏? I watch 🥰Sandy🥰 all video and 💥Aptera💥. I hope to see Aptera next year The Team and I Fully Charged LIVE-Sydney 11th to 12th March 2023. I will be there in Sydney. We promoted the project on the film on stand team taking a project and future projects. Cheers, Ian Cleland Sustainable - Urban - Community - Homes Rethink -Reimagine-Reinvent-Disrupt

Thanks for this video !!! We "ordered" an aptera and would like to introduce and drive it in Europe.

Interesting to hear Sandy put his estimated timeline for launch at 18 months to 2 years in comparison to Aptera's timeline which they continue to suggest will see a launch in 2023. I also think that this timeline is more realistic. I think that, while Aptera in general seems to be doing a lot of things right in my opinion, they are either severely overestimating their ability to bring the Aptera to production in a short timeframe or are providing the public with a timeframe they know they can't hit.

As Sandy will get the the first Aptera in Michigan, I hope he will refrain from taking it apart until there are a few more in state for people to see and let some people to see his.

Would be interesting to get the latest estimate of the funding needed to get to INITIAL production. And, related, how much capital has the current funding round brought in so far?

We all know this is a good concept, the question really is who will make it happen.

The 500 million figure would most likely be derived from an IPO after initial production has begun.

Also if Sandy could compare and contrast Arcimoto manufacturing with Aptera that could've been helpful since we see how Arcimoto is going.

I've been saying all along that 2025 is a realistic time frame for production... IF Aptera doesn't go bust first. Sounds like Sandy confirmed that.

he's consulting with them. if he says 18 months, id bet its 18 months. the other guys are marketing. sandy knows the real numbers when it comes to nuts and bolts and any manufacturing. even if aptera is simple to build in concept scaling takes time and work with good teams.

As a new influencer, you get the mulligans for mistakes made. One thing I think you have learned by now is that your MICROPHONE is an extremely important piece of kit, and if you do any more interviews, you gotta get a good mic and move it close to the person talking, which granted, could be quite awkward at first.

I think when he refers to launch he's talking about higher volume production.

350k per year? That's Camry levels in the before -time. Just don't see that happening.

It seems that about $200M in new/additional funding will be needed to get all the parts of Carlsbad up and running, but that includes a ton of R&D and development money, and that's just to bring up the FIRST final assembly line. My guess is another $300M will be needed to bring up the next factory, which should be 8-10 times larger (and not in SoCal). If we look at timelines, the transition from Gamma to production (Epsilon?) will be "blurry", as many stations will start with manual assembly until the automation is perfected. Essentially, the first "production" vehicle, expected early next year, will likely be almost completely hand assembled. The level of automation and the rate of production will increase together, maybe reaching full rate a year from now. Then at least another year or two to bring up the second factory to deliver 200K+ vehicles per year. So, that's $500M and two years to get from today to truly high-volume production. Optimistic, to be sure, but not impossible. Even taking three years would be great! What matters now is getting the first 1000 vehicles made and on the road, with the production trickle starting within 6 months and ramping up quickly. Watch for when Aptera starts their steep production hiring ramp-up. They will need a large pool of talent to build production line, a team to operate it, and a team to push vehicles through it. On top of this, Carlsbad will also need to train teams for the massive second factory. Carlsbad is Aptera's prototype factory, much like Fremont is/was for Tesla. I expect Aptera's second factory to be far more impressive than any Tesla Gigafactory, coming up faster, cheaper and better.

I think it'll be more like 6-8 months for first few vehicles off production assembly line, it'd be nice if he clarified exactly what he meant by 18 months to 2 years so we wouldn't need to do speculate.

He mentioned writing a 150k check. So at over 10x current valuation, he is doing pretty good. But he is hoping for it to up a bit more if he is expecting 300k vehicles per year as a production level.

I ordered 3 about 2 years ago. My understanding was deliveries should start in about 6 months. The main advantage of a longer wait is getting a cheaper, better battery. Now, I wish I had bought a Tesla in early 2019. I could sell it, break even or make money and have the fun of driving it for 5 years.

He said the 500M capital and the 300K/year production will be 2, 3 years after launch. He then clarified that "this is going to launch in 18 months to 2 years, something like that. So two 2, 3 years after that..." Most probably, by "18 months to 2 years" he was referring to the time period from the initial launch of the Aptera Alpha vehicle in December of 2020 till December of 2022 when the first production-intent Delta is due to launch. It cannot refer to a two-year delay launch of Delta IMHO.

I wonder if he thinks 18-24 months until you can order one as a non preorder. Like two years from now someone can say I want one and get it in a few weeks or months.

Anthony in the webinar a couple of months ago mentioned a 4 wheeled vehicle in early development. That maybe the vehicle that will go global in a couple of years. Volume production of 30k vehicles a year for the three wheeled vehicle starting this winter is not mutually exclusive with volume production of a vehicle in 3 years from aptera the car company.

Dear Steve, thanks for all your hard work! 🙌🏼😎👍🏼👍🏼 I just had an idea that I think might help Aptera get into production!!! 🧐😁 I suggest this to the Aptera team: Ask the pre-order holders and investors (I happen to be both:-)) if they would consider FOREGOING MULTIPLE EXTERIOR PAINT COLOR OPTIONS? Having only ONE exterior color IN PRODUCTION would simplify manufacturing and reduce the costs greatly! Eventually, as production ramps after a few years, add another color or two. I myself would be fine with white, as it’s best for keeping cool while the Aptera charges in the sun. 😎🌞 And anyway, Paint Protective Films come in ALL the colors! 😂 I was planning on getting mine wrapped anyway!What do you think? It looks to me like this could be an opportunity to get into production sooner and more cost effectively. This is just my subjective opinion because it’s the way that I feel, but I bet that most people would prefer to have this happen and get production going than to have a bunch of color choices, even if the only choice were white. Also, WWSMD??? What Would Sandy Munroe Do???🙌🏼🤩😎. I think that he might agree with me! 🧐😁😉

Now I know that I invested before Sandy! I invested at .34!

I eagerly wait a third party independent evaluation of the production vehicle. Until then I see all this as insider hype and marketing. Note that The Aptera is not a "car". I don't think they have stated they intend to pass the required crash testing standards that a car is subject to (NHTSA). Without that they are hard pressed to get any EV rebate. The Federal Tax credit was not renewed for motorcycles so I gather that is the issue.There are some state rebates nowhere near $7500 as has been stated.

Did you hear about the homeless fellow who got a quarter from a businessman who walked by every day? One week, the businessman was absent because he got sick. When he passed the homeless fellow again, he said "hey, you owe me $1.75!" By the way, this video is late!

Congratulations! You kept the subject in frame. Next time raise the camera. Progress.

I think Sandy is looking at the overall economic picture right now when he says 18 to 24 months when the whales might consider putting up money to expand production. Or it could be that he thinks public exposure will drive up demand and that it will take that long to really reach awareness in the market? Maybe both? For 100,000 production we need 5 assembly factories running at 20K per year. Double that would get us to the goal line he believes in I think. So I think the $ number he is thinking about is enough to start 10 and supply them and find manufacturers in those areas where the various mods are built. I have shown this to relatives and friends and most are very skeptical and always raise the top 10 myths about the design. I liken it to the 80's when I was in the snow ski business. Ski makers had decided not to cut a groove in the base on everything that was not a downhill or super G race ski. Because the only time there is a need for it was +60 mph. Many were skeptical today it's normal. I will be giving those folks rides someday to make their preconceived fallacies a myth in their mind.

"The doors are one piece." And here I thought there were two distinct doors.

They may want to do another small investor round. I would be very willing to put in another few hundred dollars.

How did they not start with bicycles, scooters and motorcycles? Step by step...

At 6:20 "he sent me some Pizzas 🍕 " n I wrote a Check "I'm not shitting you" PizzaGatr they sleep

Aptera is the manufacturer what will be the model's name ??

The fact that sandy is an investor means he’s biased. He has vested interest in seeing stocks go up regardless of product. As an investor I need unbiased information

As much as I respect Aptera and Sandy Munro, I think their three wheeler will always be a niche product. I really doubt 300,000 units per year will ever happen, unless they branch out to other designs, hopefully incorporating brand DNA like excellent aero, skin cooling, hub motors, solar assist, structural composites, etc. For their current design, their efforts are better focused on manufacturing methods that can be profitable at 20,000 to 50,000 units per year, which I think is more realistic for a three wheeler.

I don't think he's being pessimistic. Just like lucid end Tesla before that they're probably gonna start of slowly till they ramp up production.

THANKS FOR HANGING OUT AND INTERRUPTING SANDY 🤗😁 He is as the saying goes PUTTING HIS MONEY 💵 ,WHERE HIS MOUTH IS 🤗👍💚💚💚

Did I hear Sandy say at 5:40 that Aptera is going to launch in 18 months to 2 years? Did he just leak something he wasn't supposed to? We are all expecting the launch to be in 2023 not 2024.

"18 months" seems more pessimistic than pragmatic. In the $25k to $35K range, competition will get much tighter by then. The good news for the company is that Sandy says they are designing a manufacturing process that will make money at even low volume. Not sure that is good news for us 35,000 reservation holders.

I can't help but notice he looks almost nervous. Like if all his guidance and investment was all for naught

,

Sandy is a big deal.

I desperately want to buy an EV that is Actually environmentally friendly not just hype. That might mean I have to wait 2 or 3 years unfortunately the Country I live in will pour trillions into crypto because greed.

Sandy seems to be in this for the $$ reward and not that sincere to me.

Never going to be made and produced for customers - so who cares what he says.

He's missing an important point. There's only so many customers that want ugly.