We Drove America's First Solar Car 

Shoutout to Aptera's pledge to uphold owners' rights to repair.

This is what future EV cars should be, cheap efficient and and aerodynamic. Not 5000lb monsters with brick aero and unnecessary huge batteries. I hope the best to Aptera for their brave decisions.

Shoutout to Aptera listening to their community. Originally they weren't going to have DC fast charging, but the community petitioned for it and they implemented it. Not to mention making the Tesla charging port standard in North America.

Glad more RU-vid channels are reviewing the Aptera. I am an early investor and reservation holder. I love the principles they are living by, keep it simple, focus on efficiency and safety. How can you go wrong. I am interested in hearing what the insurance will be on this thing when it hits the market as you can’t just take it to the local dealer. I really do hope they get this out there and support it and are successful!

This is what the people want! Simple transportation. Not overly priced electric cars filled with bells and whistles that break. Just the basics.

I like that the door takes JUST long enough to open you have the split second of doubt

Only $25k is wild. If they can pull that off, these things will be everywhere in California. I live in Michigan and the sun isn’t out enough for it to be viable now, but I’m still excited.

2 seater with enough room in the back for some groceries, few luggage bags would be all we need 99% of the time. I think someone has sat in the back seat of my wife's car maybe twice in the last 15 years.

I absolutely love the focus on efficiency. It always bothered me we drive around in huge pieces of metal shaped like bricks, when 95% of the time we drive alone or just with two people.

Feels like theres so very few instances where a company is actually trying to make something new that people may find useful

As someone who isn't a fan of EV's. This thing is pretty neat. The self-reliance of solar energy is far more attractive than plugging it in at places that are few and far between in some parts of the country. If it is as efficient as they say, then this could be a big deal.

25k would sell well, especially for those of us in places like FL, TX, AZ, CA, etc. where sun is readily available.

I think the 110V charging might be the most underrated aspect of this thing. Because it's so efficient, it doesn’t need a huge battery pack to get decent range. So even a standard household outlet can give it a decent amount of charge.

I am rooting for this company since I saw it on Rich Rebuilds. Their right to repair stance with QR coding each part tying it to a video is also very cool.

The Aptera right to repair is awesome and probably will give rise to a modding community around this car.

I love that the company shows their appreciation to all their supporters and everyone who has ever donated money and who else donates the most they get the first car that’s unheard of I love it

Honestly surprised that no company has committed to the full aero design until now, seems like the customer satisfaction would massively increase if you can increase range by like 50% from cutting induced drag.

I really hope they succeed. This thing is cool af.

Thanks for covering the Aptera. It will be the most efficient fully-enclosed vehicle on the planet and an extraordinary bargain. First principles design produced a unique vehicle and it looks like they should be able to get into production soon. Once their cutting-edge assembly line is up and running I hope you go back to share that with your viewers and test drive the production model as well! Love your work.

Im so excited about this car. If it can really last for 500k+ miles like theyre claiming with easy and cheap self-repair when things go wrong, over the lifespan of this vehicle it could save you tens of thousands compared to driving some of the SUVs on the road right now. Not just in gas, but in maintenance (with in-wheel motors, there literally isnt even a drivetrain with moving parts anymore; just copper cables and cooling hoses), insurance (since itll be registered as an autocycle instead of a car), and the right to repair when things finally start breaking down. On that last note- I just read an article about how replacing a taillight assembly due to water intrusion in some newer Fords can cost $5,000 due to it needing to be brought in to the dealership to re-sync the proprietary DRMs on the light controller. Won't have to deal with that BS when you’ll just be able to buy and install the parts yourself using the QR codes on all the parts

It looks absolutely ridiculous. I want one!

Director of Operations for the University of Minnesota Solar Vehicle Project here, really cool to see solar vehicles starting to become consumer vehicles! We've been making race solar vehicles since 1990, so it's awesome to be on the team when these are starting to actually come out.

8:38 Is that the “Tesla” NACS charging port!? If so it might be one of the first non-Tesla cars that have it!!

I hope they are pursuing fleet sales. This would be the perfect urban vehicle for things like parking enforcement, food and small parcel delivery, and such.

The car looks so nice that it’s almost hard to believe that it works

I’m definitely rooting for these guys, if they can deliver on specs and price it’s gonna be an absolutely killer product

Stoked to see a Donut review of this car. I have been following Aptera since its original inception as a 100mpg ICE concept. I drove a Honda CRX for years so lightweight, super efficient, zippy handling hatch backs have always made sense to me. I guarantee my CRX drove more dirt roads and hauled more lumber than the vast majority of trucks and SUV's on the road today. For someone like me without a family to haul around, a hatchback is super practical. I really love this care and the approach that the company is taking to design and production and customer interface. I am really hoping they finally get these beauties out not the road. My current ride is a 2004 RSX. There is no newer car that I want more. If anything I want to go backwards to simpler cars that were affordable and that I can work on myself. The Aptera is the only car yet to be produced that truly interests me. Honestly, I would love to see a gasoline version for those of us in harsh winter environments or who regularly do long cross country drives. Though someone mentioned solid state batteries that could solve the cold weather, ultra-long range needs. My only request to Aptera is to make the battery packs modular so someone could start with the $25K 250 mile range base battery pack and later add more batteries to increase range as batteries become more efficient and affordable.

Commuters that don’t carpool, running 20-30 miles into work. Charge up at work, come home. Compact for parking. Awesomeness

Their first design used a rear mounted motor cycle engine instead of electric and was estimated to get 330mpg thanks to its ridiculously low drag. Unfortunately they had overheating issues and they had trouble getting loans to continue development because of the three wheel design. Glad to see they came back with a new game plan. With the average commute in the US being around 27 miles it's feasible that some owners would never need to plug in outside of road trips.

We desperately need more inexpensive solar vehicles. Bring them to the consumer. We want them. Most of us commute less than 60 miles to work. This car would mean free transportation to work every week. Which would free up so much income for low to middle class families.

Simple and efficient design that's actually viable for day-to-day use, clicked expecting an overpriced novelty and got a car that i can actually picture people using

Been watching the production of this thing for a few years. So happy to see they’re only moving forward!

If they can really do it for $25k, I'll be the first in line to buy one. That would be the perfect commuter car for me. And with the solar being able to charge it enough for my commute back and forth for most days, it would be almost free transportation.

I'm putting this on record right now: there is NO WAY they get this thing out for $25,000.

Incredibly svelte and gorgeous. The only 3-wheeler / electric car that doesn’t look weird. Big auto co’s have a shared “electric” design language that looks deliberately odd. (Tesla not withstanding) The Aptera is a work of art. Would not look out of place staged in an art museum. As for price and functionality, this vehicle is THE paradigm shift. Welcome to the future.

Nice to see someone do a full-on driving review of this car without the Aptera minders. I think it's a little small and wondered if I would even fit at 6'2, but you two are not small and you looked pretty reasonably comfortable in there. Still on the fence on whether or not to order one, but I think that's because Delta has yet to appear and I'm waiting to see what the full production model looks/drives like. As for the yoke, I think it's probably better than the Tesla yoke, but it's entirely necessary given the way they've set up those side-camera screens right above it. If you had a full wheel, you wouldn't be able to see those screens. Anyway, great review and thanks for sharing it with us. Really excited for Aptera.

If it actually hits production and price stays the same as promised I’d have no problem buying one. Would make a killer daily driver.

I drive maybe 5 miles a day to and from work, and almost no other driving. I also live in Florida ... this car would be so perfect for me. No more gas stations, no need to ever charge it. Oh what a dream.

Wow, they understood what aerodynamics and solar energy in synergy means. Elegant, affordable and clean driving. I just love it!

This is what I imagined the future of EV transportation to be, practical, simple, cheap and elegant. It looks so good!

The first 3 wheel micro car I really like. I’d drive one in a heartbeat

I was saving for a Tesla 3. I saw this and put my reservation in the next day. Glad you guys reviewed it. Your honesty in your videos is compelling and it’s why I keep coming back to watch your stuff.

Finally an electric car not based on fuel car design, this is finally sick

What a gorgeous ride! It would be perfect for someone like me, who mostly commutes to and from work. I wish Aptera the best of fortunes in making this a success!

Love those positive and negative pedals AND they're recycled skateboards! So cool! Also, that knock to open!

This is one "start-up car" that, for once, actually looks like it has the right formula and practicality.

I'm more excited for this than I am for any of the current EV's out on the market. The current crop of EV's out there aren't really green, they have the perception of being green but they're just as wasteful as ICE vehicles. This minimalist approach by Aptera is the closest thing I've seen to an actual green vehicle. If they can make it to market under $30K and it meets expectations, they're going to sell a lot of these as it'll be actually be affordable for folks who don't need a large vehicle and who will just be transporting themselves or another person.

This actually looks really good. One of the first EVs I've been excited for!

This is the only new car I wish I could afford when it comes out. When the world in general seems to be going down the cyberpunk dystopia path, the Aptera is like a refreshing breath air of literal solarpunk. I have to imagine when the first customers start getting them, people are going to be super confused and they'll get a lot of attention from people asking what the heck they're looking at. It really is a beautiful and unique design, and probably the most truly optimistic new car in the world right now. I really hope they succeed.

Rich rebuilds did a longer video on one of these maybe a year ago if anybody is interested in a little more detailed look at this thing. It's quite the ambitious project, and more in the direction I'd expect electric cars to go in the future- cheap, lightweight, actual range, etc.

i love the camping add on that i think they will sell from aptera directly, and too bad you didn't talk about or show the trunk space, or try to make use of it, like do a real world picnic/camping outing and fill it up with the stuff you would bring. missed opportunity there i think to show the true practicality of this gorgeous 3 wheeler.

The combination of aero, solar, and pricing is very convincing. It feels like Prius 2.0.

One of the very few start-up automakers I actually follow. Glad to see them just about to launch. For 25K the price is right, the look is right, the design philosophy is right.

What's crazy is that there are probably so many people who can get this car and won't ever have to plug it in while still using it everyday

Made me want this vehicle even more! Thanks for the awesome review.

I've wanted one of these since 2007 when I saw an electric car show, and this company came in close second, but was the only one that was a legit car (electric 3 wheeled motorcycle hybrid, to be fair). WANTED to buy one, was on preorder list. So sad when I heard they went under. I heard they were back, still cautiously optimistic, but I am BUYING one if they actually start selling.

If they release a 4 door, I can see this becoming the new taxi vehicle.

I'm hoping this succeeds, this would the kind of EV I would consider... affordable, smallish, efficient, but still has some sport!

One thing people aren’t talking enough about is how the Aptera is not a car, it is produced as a three wheel motorcycle. This may seem like a technical detail, but that comes with several complications. In some states, drivers and passengers will be required to wear helmets and PPE while driving, including most federal bases and installations. A motorcycle license is required to operate these as well, and the Aptera itself will not likely be able to pass the average motorcycle skills test because it is simply too wide for the agility maneuvers. Insurance companies are also likely to consider the Aptera an exotic or luxury vehicle, meaning that insurance rates are going to be remarkably high for new owners. Owners who are just newly licensed to operate motorcycles are already going to have high insurance rates since they’ll have new license with no years of riding experience. With how Aptera themselves are downplaying the motorcycle aspect of their vehicle, I would not be surprised to see a lot of customers not understanding what they’re getting into. Imagine being pulled over and finding out your car is a motorcycle that you’re not licensed to drive it, now you’re charged with driving without a license.

I actually can see this one working out.

It's a solid plan, I hope they can nail down that cheap price. One thing I saw on another channel was availability of repair information. That's a business model I can get behind. Something intended to be repaired, and built to last. Their really trying to be a different kind of company. I hope it works

if they actually end up selling units at 25k and get a few of them off the line i can definitely see this being the company that finally gives telsa comp in the electric car field

I remember reading about Aptera in a popular mechanics magazine when I was a kid, wild to see that it's finally being made

I love that they gave it comparable performance to a conventional car by designing it to be lightweight and energy efficient. Throwing a 3000 lb battery into an EV is the wrong approach: a waste of the rare metals and an extra burden on road infrastructure. I hope other OEMs take inspiration from this design

As a technician, I would take this over any full-battery EV. This makes way more sense, and I'm really happy that this is finally getting a chance to move forward. 🔥

Thank you so much for giving Aptera Motors this publicity, Donut!

I want one so bad. It looks like it would be fun to zip around mountain roads in this thing. Its like a motorcycle but safer.

I like the way it looks overall, it kinda reminds me of the Frutiger Aero aestetic which is always a bonus IMO, although I can see why some people dislike it. Aside from that though, regardless of if they pull this off (Even if they have to bump the price up a bit by the time of release) or not, I think this is a decent omen for Solar Powered cars going forward, sort of a 'proof of concept" showing that something like this is actually viable without being prohibitively expensive and will only be more viable as time goes on and tech gets better!

The first thing I noticed was the SVX style widows. The skateboard pedals are pretty dope too

I am so happy you guys decided to check out Aptera. I think this is an amazing vehicle for a lot of people. I would like to own one for sure, but I live in the Rural midwest, so I need lots or range, or the ability to charge it everywhere. Also it snows a lot here, so it will be interesting to see how it performs in the snow.

So happy to see everyone as excited about this as I am.

If they come out with the base model being 25k, I feel like this thing could really pop off. I always feel like all these projects are a bit too good to be true, but most of them have not gone through 20 years and do not have a no-bullshit prototype that they give to influencers (like "oh, it does only 20 miles on a full charge right now, but in 3 months, we plan to improve it to 800 miles" kind of nonsense).

Feels like the beetle of the future, a small, cheap, mass production car. This could be it

Bruh, a legit car (ok, electric motorcycle hybrid), can get you to work, that can charge itself, easily from a standard outlet IN MINUTES if need be, has enough room for 2 peeps and a few groceries, saving $3k per year on gas, that costs $25k (obviously will be higher in real life, but WAY cheaper than even BASIC new cars today). Dude, car pays for ITSELF in 8 years and gets you off the gas treadmill FOREVER?? Cheap, gases itself, pays for itself. GAME CHANGER. This slippery little car could DECIMATE the car industry!!

10:23 If you live 3 miles from work you may try a bicycle...

Living in Texas where everything is baking in a constant assault from the Sun, this seems like a great idea. Especially with the ungodly amount of roads I have to travel for simple tasks, this thing would always be at 100%. I do find the tone of the video to be a little TOO positive though. I get that it's pre-production and won't be anywhere near the claimed 1000 miles per charge, but they could have at least tried to show some battery consumption metrics. How much charge did it use over the four hours they drove it? How much was gained (or lost) while sitting in traffic with A/C and infotainment system running? How much drained while in the garage (outside of sunlight) with the in-car electronics turned on? Also, the "double tap to open the door" seems like a terrible idea. Something vital like being able to get into the car quickly doesn't need a gimmick. A simple mechanical handle would be fine here. I'd love to know what the fallback is. At 25k though, I am hopeful this comes out as promised.

As a cyclist I appreciate the effort that went into getting this car so aerodynamic.

Thank you for doing this! Excellent presentation that two cool dudes perfectly rocked the aptera! Awesome!

The more I see the price of new vehicles, the more thankful I am for my $6000 2010 Camry.

Hell yeah, I've had a reservation for one for two years now. I really can't wait for this car to come out. It's just tough deciding on which version. I believe the 400 mile range one comes out first, the 1,000 mile range one will be last. They have a few other ranges in-between. I really want the 1,000 mile range one, but I also want it sooner :(

This could legitimately be the car of the future and end up being like the next model T and completely change the game

So excited to see a cool looking car that seems to actually be a good option for an EV

I'm pretty impressed by you guys. I've been following aptera for years but somehow managed to learn new interesting things about it.

Omg, please Aptera, bring this to France, we need this here ! This car is a banger ! I don't like EVs because of the "recharging batteries problem" but damn, the solar part of this is just the best idea ever =) This would solve the main problem of EVs (finding somewhere to plug it for a 8 hours recharge).

I'm an Aptera per-orderer and this thing is rad as hell. So stoked that Donut got to drive it! Can't wait for mine!

Love the design ! reminds me of The Jetsons futuristic cartoon I watched as a kid

This car reminds me of the late 70's "The Dale" only like two were made and its design was three wheeled also. Im excited about this one.

Finally a electric/Solar car that actually looks and sounds reasonable ❤

How that guy at Justin's parts shop felt about the Aptera, is how I used to feel about Elio Motors. I've since learned to never get hyped until the car is actually available for sale at a local dealer :P

Investor here and it's wonderful to see you guys in the Aptera and hearing your honest thoughts about it. I love the look, the thought and the technology behind it and do believe it could be a viable option for people as a primary or secondary vehicle if they have a family. We used to have 2 passenger vehicles that were smaller. Or rather they were "4" passenger vehciles but you really couldn't fit anyone in the back, so where does the criticism that it's only a 2 person vehicle make it a big concern?

Hell yea. Ordered mine at the lbcc at electrify america. Also nice to see donut media showcase pv and some of the car culture there.

The world needs smaller cars like this. I hope this gets super popular.

Finally, something happening in the near future that doesn't absolutely terrify me!

I want this SO much for my best friend and I to go on adventures in it! We're both compact, lightweight, and low-maintenance while traveling, so we could probably spend a week on the road living happy and comfy in one of these as long as we found a couple showers along the way, and with minimal fuel and lodging costs, it'd be practically free! Not to mention the fact that we'd never have to charge it at home, cause all the places we usually drive are less than 10 miles from our house.

I've been following Aptera for a while and really been looking forward to seeing some cartube channel coverage, so thanks for checking it out guys! Glad it seems to be living up to its goals so far.

As an Accelerator I can really appreciate your fresh take on the Aptera. Your footage of the vehicle on the road looks amazing, the epitome of wingless flight. Very exciting for us that expect to take delivery next year. One thing about the company history you did not mention, the first iteration of Aptera was dissolved after the two co-CEo's left due to mismanagement. These two guys became successful elsewhere and ten years later bought back thier IP and reformed Aptera Motors, keeping the same brand name that previously failed. This was in 2019, now in 2023, they're as close as ever to production. An epic story of passion and perseverence.

I remember seeing the Aptera online back when I was in college in the early 00s, and man, it's so cool to see it actual be in production soon. Definitely the right direction for the future for commuter cars.

Thanks guys that was way informative and exactly what I've been wondering about.

Great to see the car finally available to buy. Remember that even the best Silicon solar cells are only about 22% efficient these days. Silicon is still the most reliable choice but when the panels double in efficiency, the range gain per hour will also double.

You should have talked about the storage space. It is actually comparable to a Tesla Model 3 in the rear, and even big bois should be able to sleep/camp comfortably in the rear