At this point, getting to production is paramount. The LE configuration was based on what the most popular choices were. If AWD is not available with the LE (and we are still waiting for confirmation on that) it's reasonable for those who really want it to wait--just like those who want the 600 or 1000 mile batteries. But move to production ASAP with any reasonable adjustments that are necessary.
Yes. Aptera is still going be far more efficient than any 2 or 4 seater plus have luggage space for bikes and a smaller kayak or 2 with the hatch open. And now all the unsprung weight complaints will disappear.
@@ronfarnsworth7074 It's not efficient to be half a vehicle for $40K. Fuel costs are about 1/3 of typical efficient vehicle cost. If Aptera mini commuter cuts that in half for same $40K cost, they are 17% more cost efficient for 50% the vehicle. If someone wants a new toy and likes Aptera more than a Corvette, fine. But for younger people that need to be smart about investing in themselves, Aptera is a joke! Fortunately only the donators have been hurt so far and no one else has had the chance to be conned into a bad decision.
Aptera is smart. Their highest priority now is to get into production. That will require last minute "adjustments" since so many variables are involved -- available parts, suppliers, contracts and the biggie, money. As mentioned in the video, I'm confident the key components and design will not be compromised, so I'm still looking forward to these being finally released into the wild.
Apteras biggest problem is getting enough money to get this car into production. As far as using a centrally mounted motor, this is consistent with the original 2008 design. I have been vocal of using a standardized central motor and off the shelf parts to keep costs down. An enormous amount of money has been now wasted on the hub motor design and torque vectoring controller which is now useless. We will also miss the AWD function of the motorcycle. But one good trade-off is the unsprung weight issue on each axle will be improved. Even spending huge amounts of money on body moulds is going against Sandy Munro's intial recommendations of hand-building the first production vehicles and slowly ramp up production when sales will support having in-laid body and structural moulds made. Now with so much wasted money, how much more will the vehicle cost? Those early estimates of low $20k is now just a dream. I am now only waiting for them to spring another big announcement on the new price. I calculating that it could almost double. What are the shareholders thinking? Have they been duped to invest in a motorcycle whose major components and structure have been re-designed without their knowledge. Aptera was wise to make all those suckered into investing non-voting shareholders.
@@SilverShadow2LWB As an investor myself who knows how to do due diligence, I know that my investment is much closer to actually giving me a return than I would have gotten with most startups.
I still want awd but, I’m open to a more “conventional” drive for Aptera. My main reason for taking any iteration of Aptera is I’m 74 and want to drive it before I need an all electric wheelchair.
This is gonna knock the Aptera back to exactly the configuration I had originally in mind. Front wheel all solar. Think conventional power train is a good idea. Had suspicions about the feasibility of hub motors. Glad if it’s going this way. Waiting to see as we all are.
I could see them staying with the inboard motor up front long term, and then adding a single hub motor on the rear to get the AWD. Or maybe even doing that as a transition to all hub motors.
I’m glad hub motor was changed to traditional motor. Launch edition with 2WD is even better for efficiency and hopefully lower price. May be in the future, AWD can have hub motor in the back. For now, let’s get to production. Go Aptera!🎉❤
If anyone ends up not wanting their spot in line when Aptera starts production, let me know! I’m currently around 42,000th on the reservation list for Aptera because I somehow only discovered them about a year ago. Since then, I’ve been absolutely obsessed with the vehicle. If you’re considering giving up your spot or delaying your reservation for any reason, I’d be thrilled to swap spots with you! :)
@@michaelsmithers4900 I’m too broke to speculate on that 😂. I only have $1000 invested but if I had a hefty chunk of money I would’ve definitely tried to get an Accelerator spot
Reservation holder here. At the risk of sounding heretical, I’m more comfortable with the on-board motor. I had concerns about unsprung weight, the high voltage cables to the wheels, and even simple things like changing a tire being potentially more complicated (possibly risky). I ordered the 1000mi range, and I’m looking forward to driving it
The hub motors, the solar charging, and the AWD, are some of the important reasons I am particularly excited about Aptera. I will rather delay my delivery until I can have them. Meanwhile, I wish them well.
When they get IWM sorted this is actually a plus since the induction version of the EMR4 can be fully shut off. that means under normal driving conditions you can use only rwd with the hub with less loss of efficiency when the PM in wheel motors. This also mitigates a lot of the maintenance unknowns since it would only be used for the rear. Personally I really feel AWD is critical and I want this as my midlife crisis sports car so going from the original 3.5 seconds to 5+ kinda sucks.
@@user-xp3oi7rj9f Same but scale production is needed to make anything economically make sense. The bill of materials was $29.9k for all the components and that is likely with this drive unit. Add in profit margin and more expensive IWM and I suspect the cost of the 400 mile would be $36-40k. Keeping the drive units from Vitesco in front long term is pragmatic, simpler and cheaper. I'm hoping it will be possible to retrofit early vehicles with the AWD IWM option later but time will tell on that.
our "trust in our team" has eroded significantly ! sorry more piecemeal dribbles of truth the 2 wd will be an ill-handling beast no thust vectoring possible . the rear is just along for the ride ! BOOO! almost $40 K now ! MSRP ! not worth it !
@@jackdale9249 Where do you get that MSRP? I have worked for many startups, both as an employee and a contractor. The rate of making information available is not controlled by Aptera due to NDAs forced by their suppliers. We don't yet know what the handling or value proposition will be on this new design, but it will be available much sooner than it otherwise would have been.
@@jackdale9249 I think you are jumping to conclusions that aren't warranted at this time. There are almost a million vehicles on the road with this drive configuration and none of them have been cited as "Ill handling". We know know that Elaphe has demand from other established manufacturers. With two startups that they were going to supply going bankrupt, they made the least risky choice at the moment for them, and fortunately Aptera has a backup that will not cause much further slip in deliveries. My guess is that the final price will be significantly below $40K, the operating cost will be significantly lower than anything else on the road, and the lessened environmental impact will be well worth it for all of us, potential customers or not.
It's disappointing to see the fallback to a traditional motor - driveshaft arrangement, but that doesn't change my desire to get a launch edition. I've been thinking about the Aptera at least once a day and whenever I have the opportunity, I pull out my phone and have a show and tell session.
Removing power and cooling lines from the wheels may even improve aerodynamics and weight. Recent suspension tuning in Italy may have been validating vehicle dynamics without hub motors for chassis design.
It would be nice if we could option one of the more powerful versions of these motors. I would be willing to take the efficiency hit for more performance.
My thoughts were that maybe they’d offer 2WD with over 150KW which would equal the power of the current LE configuration. With most of the weight over the front wheels, the performance might end up being close.
How do these massive changes not translate to massive delays? There is an electric motor inside the front crush structure now and the entire suspension system will need to be redesigned for different loads and unsprung mass.
Aptera has been covering up the transition away from IWM for awhile now. Sandy Munro leaked the transition almost a year ago at this point, Aptera PR said he was wrong...transparency at it's finest am I right?
It might be easier for Elaphe to make the hub motor for the third wheel. It's not the primary drive wheel, and just one required per vehicle. I wouldn't be surprised if that's what Aptera does next.
I wanted a front drive Aptera anyway, so I’m agnostic on inboard, or hubs. I think it would save some cost and complexity by using the single inboard motor. Price is going to be an issue soon with several automakers getting into the mid $30’s, although with tariffs, some will be blocked or delayed. Aptera will still be the only one where efficiency makes solar viable. Lucid is now getting 5miles/kWh and Aptera is still pretty safe around 10 miles/kWh, but Lucid is a large 5 passenger sedan. Personally, my 23 ID.4 can get 4m/kWh up to 60mph and 3.3 at 75mph, but the 24 VW is slightly more efficient and it’s a crossover. With my 275 mile range battery, I am looking for charging on road trips every 125-150 miles. If there were more chargers I might push that further. I have the 600 mile Aptera reserved with the idea that it could only need one chargers per day on a road trip, but I constantly think about going to a 400 mile version because stopping a second time is not a big deal and I would save money on the battery. I do think about the 250 mile version too because most of the time I am near home and don’t need the range. My older EV’s had less range and I lived with them for many years with no issues.
our "trust in our team" has eroded significantly ! sorry more piecemeal dribbles of truth the 2 wd will be an ill-handling beast no thust vectoring possible . the rear is just along for the ride ! BOOO! almost $40 K now ! MSRP ! not worth it !
I pre ordered the 1000 mile range version, and I want 3 motors. why don’t they use 3 Zero SR/f motors? they can mount the rear motor, the same way it’s mounted on a zero motorcycle… it’ll also have a combined 339 horsepower..
I am wondering what the efficiency will be with the new drive train ? And we still need to see real solar data with a PI with full solar. I wonder how much of what they've promised can they deliver on ? At $39k or $40k I think they are going to lose some reservation holders. @TailosiveEV
@@PandaKnight52 I agree. I love the car, but if they raise the prices lot, I'm out for sure. I at the price they are currently asking, it makes sense to me. If it were a 35k or 40k vehicle, there are other options with much more space.
The advantage of starting with a central motor is once Elaphe is ready, the swap won't be impossible to make. Existing units with minor alterations will be able to change over.
I ordered my AWD because of snow conditions since I live in Colorado for AWD is a must, I hope that maybe they could offer one with hub motor on all three wheels 🤞
I'm glad they decided on FWD instead of RWD. This is key for the North East, snow country. AWD will be nice eventually but production is key. I can't wait till I get one for the long commute I make which is all highway driving, making aero super important!!!
Sometimes technology promised can’t be delivered you have to be flexible enough to keep moving forward. While hub motors were intriguing the amount of unsprung weight was always a concern for me along with how many shocks the motors and conductors would be continuously exposed to. I have absolutely no issue with the change in technology my biggest concern was and is getting to production.
I'm guessing that other cars driving into the front wheel pods in parking lots may be the most common accident involving Apteras. I'm also guessing that having regular wheels in the pods with the motor under the hood, will be a lot cheaper to repair, than if there were hub motors in there. So that may be another plus side to this.
I agree. I'm excited about the Vitesco drivetrain which seems to be exactly what Aptera needs. Can't wait to see the Apterae rolling off the line in 2025...
Living in Maine, with many Spring potholes, I was worried about what that would do to hub motors. Last winter a pothole destroyed a wheel bearing in our Prius, and wheel alignment is always at risk. On the other hand, it’s a real comfort to have AWD in the snow. On balance I think the change may be a plus. I imagine the changes to the suspension all round will be complex, but maybe it will all save a few pound!
There will be a small reduction in efficiency and mass because of the drive system, but there will be improvements to mass and safety because of having much less HT wiring. That shorter wiring and the simplified electronics will also have fewer losses than longer wires, improving efficiency. Also, one larger motor likely weighs less than three in-hub motors. So the trade- off will be better than it might appear to be at first glance. Maybe less than a 2% hit, which is less than 12 km / 8 miles of range for a vehicle with an original range of 600 km / 400 miles.
Thank you! I've been freaking out a little bit about these changes. I just looked up the Vitesco EMR4 motor and Hyundai placed a $2 billion order for these motors in 2022, so that makes me a little more positive about this change. I am still so in love with the look of the Aptera and the solar charging, so I won't be giving up my place in line.
I really hope they eventually go with in wheel motors... I understand all the economic and technical challenges around getting them to work and go into production, but it was a really huge blow to my excitement when they switched to a traditional centralized motor. I definitely went from wanting and being excited about the launch edition to "oh great! Now I'm going to have to wait like three extra years, if ever." 😢
The situation of the hub motors being subjected to constant vibration and shock (plus additional unsprung weight) is something that concerned me from the very beginning. This change is a good thing. There was no way that those hub motors were going to be as durable as a traditional motor connected to the wheels via a shaft. Good call, Aptera.
Those heavy motors bouncing up and down would have been hard to control in such a light vehicle, and their vertical motion would have continually changed the traction of the attached tire.
@JustWasted3HoursHere I'm starting to wonder about Aperta....it is sounding more and more like another Fisker. Something as important as the motor, should have been a fundamental design decision, that shouldn't have taken this long to figure out. It is not newly discovered technology and/or unforeseen technical issues. Changing the motors is major design change, that will change the driving characteristics and more. This could present a long delay to production and they are already short on cash for production.
@@tonespeaks Yes, all you say is true. But even without a body redesign, the switch to an inboard motor-with-differential will mean an improvement in the suspension and tolerance of bad terrain. And it will probably also mean more reliability.
@@tonespeaks I don't doubt that the hub motors were extensively tested by Aptera for durability and performance. I believe that the major issue is not physical but more logistical. That is, the vendor is not quite up to the task to deliver in large enough quantities for an agreed upon price, etc. Yes this will require a design change and will push back the release of the vehicle, but I'd rather they get it right. They have been super open about the development of this vehicle from the get-go. Fisker's problem was that they didn't really have an appealing car and when they finally released it, it had several issues. Let's hope that the openness of Aptera will be to their benefit and we'll get the full details soon.
Edison Motors required months of integration work to slightly change our motor positions and configure regenerative braking. I sure hope they have a bench tested drivetrain, because this stuff takes time - Edison deals with 100x the power draw.
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?
I think the reason was the former wheel hub company not being able to ramp up for production of the hub motors fast enough to meet Aptera's needs. The new motor is a compromise, it is dissapointing, but as long as it maintains its range and efficiency numbers, I think the new motor will be okay. My reservation number is in the 1700s for the launch edition. I really wanted all wheel drive. I'm keeping my order for the Aptera in place.
The piece of FWD with a traditional drivetrain - is the additional aero drag from having the spinning half shafts out in the air stream. This was one of the positives of a hub motor - the cables can be routed out of the air stream. Most of the drag is coming already from the suspension and steering rod, in the "pinch point" where the air flow is the trickiest between the wheel fairings and the main body.
I might have preferred the one with the fewest mechanical linkages, but if everybody waits for the perfected hub motor version, there won't ever be a hub motor version. See also the Osborne effect.
Ever since I was a little boy I wanted to put a deposit on an Aptera, but could never afford it (a deposit). Now that I'm a grown man who owns a home, a truck, a model S and a motorcycle, I'm fully capable of putting a deposit on this awesome piece of technology, and more reasons now that it just got got a motor swap! Maybe in 20 years I'll put another deposit, if they make it flight-capable, and my grandchildren might even have a chance of putting a deposit on one that can go to outer space (if they can afford the deposit, that is)!
Thanks for a very informative report, keep it up. I feel better about the switch from hub motors to the traditional drivetrain motor, especially to get to production securely, and reliably.
In snowy areas AWD is almost required. It was a requirement for me shopping for my current EV and will be for the next. Hopefully by the time I get the next one Aptera will be shipping AWD as well.
This video is FUD. Don't let tesla nuts meme Aptera into solvency. They will not switch to an inefficient in board motor. The chance of that is literally zero.
You can survive just fine in snowy areas without four wheel drive. My family is originally from Michigan and Vermont they both get plenty of snow and no one in our families ever had four wheel drive. We just learned to drive in the snow and got snow tires.
@@matthewhuszarik4173That’s true of course. I grew up in VT, NH, and MA with RWD then FWD, then eventually AWD (4WD is rarely needed). The thing is.. AWD is so much more reliable and safe for people comfortable and uncomfortable in snow that I simply wouldn’t consider regressing again. That said.. I have no idea if this whole motor swap story is BS or not. I think highly of Aptera regardless and hope they succeed. They are vastly more transparent and appear to have greater integrity than some of their competition.
When placing order 2 years ago, I wanted the 1000 mi model. Now, so anxious to get an Aptera, any model is acceptable including 1 or 2 wheel drive in LE.
The big problem is Aptera promised AWD as part of the LE but now it is only FWD. That means they need to slash the price to compensate and also allow LE owners to choose which wrap they want. Now the only difference between my original order and the LE is the wrap, Sol vs Luna, so it should not be a problem to drop the mandatory Luna wrap.
At the end of the San Diego Fully Charge show, Chris opened the front hood of the Gamma vehicle, and he made a point that I could not film it. I believe the reason was that with the hub motor, the inverter, and cooling, it was like a compact spaghetti dish with no room for anything. Maybe now, with the Vitesco all-in-one motor inverter package, it cleans it up.
I only need 2WD living in the Phoenix area so this change is insignificant to me. Of course this assumes that handling, turn radius and safety are not affected.
Either motor choice would be fine with me, because I am sure Aptera will test and confirm that they have a good product before delivering. I have two Apterae reserved, neither one AWD because I have not needed it yet driving in snow. Glad to have front wheel drive.
Boo!. I get it, but still not not happy. I was really happy with the 3 wheel motors because of the lack of torque steer and the reduced wheel spin. And now that will be just as bad as every other small car made these days (except for Miata which is a convertible which is fun for 12 day per year)
Yep! Bleeding edge technology can make you bleed! One questions though: Does this mean they have to redesign the front of the car and create a new mold to accommodate the drive train?
I don't know where they're going to find the space for that motor and axle. I agree with your point, which is that they need to get the thing out to market.
I am still an investor and a fan, but I was really hoping for all-wheel drive. All that said, if some less crucial items have to be altered, I am good with that.
I know there are a lot of what ifs concerning the hub motors, but the technology sounds so cool to me. I'm a little disappointed. However, I'll get over that. What is a tougher pill for me to swallow is removing the AWD. I was really counting on that. I want to take my Aptera up the canyons here in Utah to ski. Snow tires and AWD are often required to drive those canyon roads in the winter. I'm on the fence about this vehicle now. I still love everything else about it, but the AWD was important to me. I'll be interested to see what the new performance numbers look like and whether they have sacrificed a lot with the new motors. The sub 4 second 0-60 is definitely a selling point to me.
I too would much rather have 3 wheel drive... but a front wheel drive vehicle with winter tires is proven technology for winter driving. I drive a rear wheel drive BMW i3 and it does great in the snow... with winter tires... without... not so well : )
@@GullWingInnMoclips yeah, I also currently drive RWD and use snow tires in the winter. Can't use that car to go skiing though. Those canyons are often closed to any vehicle that doesn't have both AWD and snow rated tires.
@@brianrosenlof388 So chains are out? That's peculiar. The i3, like the early VWs I used to drive, has more weight on the rear wheels than most rear wheel drive vehicles. I would go anywhere there was enough ground clearance.. not through 2' of snow probably : ) I had to make my own chains for the i3 using 2 sets cobbled together since nobody makes them in the right size.
@@GullWingInnMoclips Actually, I think chains may be allowed. I'm not sure. I wouldn't want to mess with chains. It's a long ways up those canyons, and they are very twisty roads. In fact, maybe I wouldn't want to take an Aptera, even with AWD. That rear wheel being centered would put it outside the ruts made by the other cars, which might make the drive a little sketchy. 😨
The loss of AWD and in wheel motors should not be concerning..it certainly is not for me. I agree that getting Aptera to production with a good quality product should be the priority. This car will be perfectly fine with FWD. We opted for AWD because that was in the Launch Edition
@@carlbushnell509 I drove through many New England winters in all sort of vehicles. My opinion is that with a light weight three wheel vehicle AWD would be a huge benefit in the snow. If you spin out or drift in the lane on the narrow back roads of New England that get much narrower with the huge snow banks, from months of snowstorms and plowing, your Aptera will probably be toast. The last vehicle I drove in New England was 2010 FWD Kia Soul with with 1.6L engine and manual transmission. It does have 4 wheel disk brakes/ ABS and electronic traction control. I lived in hilly Central Massachusetts and had about a 35 mile commute each way. It did ok but I had 35 years of experience driving in New England winters under my belt. I wouldn't hesitate buying a FWD version if I wasn't planning to make or "back home" with it at some point. If FWD only is their current plan I hope that they pay close attention to the rear braking and have it tuned with the electronic stabilization and ABS system.
I'm glad for the inboard motor, hub motors are really a lower end option, too much unsprung mass...the pros of hub motors, I don't think, out weighs the cons. I would prefer awd but fwd is fine, more efficient, less weight, lower cost. Most important thing now is for Aptera to get to production.
It may not be a primary reason for the change, but this way too it gives Aptera something to 'refresh' for future models. With their desire for efficiency, there's not a lot they can do to the outer look of the Aptera, because it's perfectly styled to be as efficient as possible (pretty much every Aptera from here on out is just going to be interior refreshes). But this way, not only do they get their vehicle out sooner, they can introduce the 2030 'refreshed' Aptera with hub motors. That's how I see it anyway... refreshes will all be about new interiors and whatever new technologies they can swap in to help increase the efficiency. So at this point, any changes they make that make the vehicle more of a reality (even if it means some promised specs go bye-bye) is fine with me.
I just hope they make it to production! I am not in line to purchase however, I want to see this succeed. I was very disheartened when Arcimoto went down along with several others. I am still very much every day and want to see something radical and efficient come out with a success story. 39K price tag, pushing me away to a Tesla when the time comes again, I hope they succeed and produce radical and efficient model.
The transparency around Aptera is one of the main reasons why things like delays and changes can be seen and understood as the positive things they are, rather than "Ugh, [product] is delayed again for seemingly no reason." I wonder when I'll stop being surprised by Aptera...
never ! our "trust in our team" has eroded significantly ! sorry more piecemeal dribbles of truth the 2 wd will be an ill-handling beast no thust vectoring possible . the rear is just along for the ride ! BOOO! almost $40 K now ! MSRP ! not worth it !
bruh It's not as if all handling is literally perfected by thrust vectoring. They know what they are doing, and you'll get your AWD Elaphe hubmotor Aptera for under 30k if you wait a while. The EMR3 also means way less unspring weight (good) and pre-validated drivetrain components (good).
This change makes the Aptera impossible in a snow zone like the northeast or Midwest. The combination of all wheel drive and the heat from the motor keeping the snow out of the wheel. Well made it a very reasonable option. Without those, it’s going to be hard to see it working in the current stage in the snow.
I think the assumption ha the heat from the wheel motors was going to be some great benefit helping to melt the snow in the wheel pants and rear wheel well may have been optimistic. IN the wheel pats you had tires that move with the wheel pants and there is not a lot of gap between the tires and inside of the wheel pants. he friction of the spinning tire would maintain a gap and unlike conventional cavernous front wheel wells, where the tires must turn and move up and down in, there is no danger of your front wheels not being able to turn (steer). The rear well could possible see frozen build up that may hinder it from moving up and down but the tire friction would still maintain a gap for the tire to spin.
My Aptera will most likely make it back to my native soil in New England. I was looking foward to AWD and what I assumed would be the superior traction control that three IWM's could provide.
Of all the compromises they’ve made in the past year, the loss of AWD is the only one that has made me question whether or not I will purchase my accelerator LE.
A price drop should be in order but I am glad Aptera on their pursuit in reliability is making needed changes which will make them or break them being first product on the market.🤞🤞
I am crazy for the in-wheel motor design and its dual function of providing an in-wheel heat source to keep the wheel covers clear of ice and snow. That being said, I will accept this change, but find it very disappointing. I'm looking forward to learning what happened to cause the design shift and how the inverter/motor unit(s) integrate into the vehicle. Now we will have CV shafts to replace and their additional drag in the air-stream out to the wheels. Maybe the transition back to in-wheel motors will happen very soon, that's my hope.
@@TildaAzrisk That is a good point. However, the coolant lines and high voltage cables bundle nicely against the control arms, whereas the drive lines will have to align with the center of the wheel, a new location in the slipstream.
I am disappointed in the change away from hub motors. I'm not dropping my reservation, but I might end up having to upgrade as soon as hub motors are available. Drivetrain loss is a huge efficiency killer, and I am curious about the range estimates now that there's extra moving parts involved.
I commute 130 miles a day to work. I need cost savings ASAP. I switched from 2 wheel drive to launch edition to get it sooner. Give me whatever asap.im sure I will love it.
I'm have one of the accelerator slots. But now I'm reconsidering. Unless they take some off. I was looking for something that had all wheel drive handling.
The drag coefficient has definitely taken a hit...could be quite large or maybe just a small bit but definitely a hit....It also increases the amount of maintenance....I am interested where they are going to mount the brakes now.....That could determine the amount of the drag hit....
I strongly believe the inboard motor is far better. I had concerns with the weight of the wheels and motors out there with no suspension. I have switched to two wheel drive to get my vehicle sooner.
I'm still looking forward to receiving mine, but a little bummed about the motor switch. But this is also why I did not opt to get one of the first-off-the-line models, and I am content to wait until my "number" comes up (25580). By then, I hope all the design features have been nailed down, newer options available and the bugs worked out. Yes, I will be a bit jealous of those that have one, but I'm ok with that.
Hub motors were just cute features that were not well thought out for the Real World. BOUNCING UNSPRUNG WEIGHT being a major tire traction, steering, and directional stability problem for such a light vehicle. HIGH VOLTAGE being out where common "fender benders" occur pose a fire and/or electrocution problem. WATER, MUD, and SNOW being an accumulation problem for the motors and the insides of the wheel pants. Now the question arises about whether outboard wheels and their pants are such a good aerodynamic idea...
Great points but, my biggest concern is how the tub mold can be adapted to include through holes for the drive shafts. Otherwise hole cutting during manufacturing will be required and this actually takes a lot more time and weakens the structure. My second concern is the loss of useful volume inside and taking away space in the footwell area is maybe annoying ergonomically. The ride might be less harsh but it will definitely be better handling on rough roads due to lower unsprung weight.
I don't want to make assumption but the available space in the front end to to the use if wheel motors allows for a large front crumple zone. Hopefully, the placement of the drive train does not negatively affect it.
Main thing I'll miss with AWD is the blazing performance. I hope they at least make the 2wd powerful enough to be significantly quicker than the previously announced 2wd version. Doesn't need to be 0-60 under 4 seconds... but somewhere at, near, or a little south of 5 seconds would be sweet.
Aptera being so light means it doesn't need a ton of power output to go fast. The previous hub motors together equalled about 150kw which can be easily achieved with an inboard motor
@@TailosiveEV for sure... it's just a matter of what motor they actually choose. Though 150kw up front will still not likely yield as good of a launch as 150 at all three corners. However, I recognize most, myself included, are not into this for drag racing. Ha!
I am sure they weighed their options ditching the hub motors. Yet hub motors exist from other manufacturers as well. The now defunct Lightyear solar car company was using a similar hub motor. New EV planes are using a new incredible compact electric motor as well performing at high aviation standards. So hub motors will be a thing in cars in just a few more years. But Aptera has to start ASAP and enter the market before the window of opportunity closes. I wish them all the best.
My concern is mostly one of stability. For an innovative 3-wheel design, AWD seemed like it would provide more traction options in less-than-perfect driving conditions. Also, I signed up for - and invested in - an AWD vehicle and their persistent paring back of their innovative points (hub motors, skin cooling, 0.13 drag coefficient) disappoints me and makes me wonder if they would convert it into a diesel powered car just to keep the minimal wind resistance and get it to market.
Will need to see how well it does in crash tests. Will have to redo the Moose test again as the weight in the wheels is not gone which pulled the center weight down.
@@garywozniak7742 the risks in body development have changed dramatically (and they had to know this 1.5+ ago during die development with CPC) the “motors” used to be in the wheels but now in the body, so crashes and crumple zone to ensure the now current motor doesn’t end up in your lap, changes a lot. Hub motors would have been out to the side and could easily break away
After having just invested in expensive machined binc molds, are those now scrap with the addition of a motor in the front bay? Are hardened mounting points now necessary? Axle penetrations? Some sort of weather seal attachment points/grooves? Can the existing molds be modified?
