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| Aptera makes big claims for its small trike, finally to be built in 2021 |
In America, crowd-funded company Aptera finally launched its much-delayed two-seat trike, but now with solar cells that the company says will provide power for all ‘normal commuting’ needs without ever needing to use the plug-in recharger.
Aptera claims a range of 1 609 km of range per full charge, thanks to ultra-lightweight construction, a drag coefficient of just 0.13 and the solar array. Models with 400 km, 640 km and 960 km ranges are also listed.
Liquid-cooled electric motors shunt the trike from 0-100 km/h under 4 seconds and on to a top speed of 170 km/h, according to the Aptera.
The trike uses either a front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive. The first models will be produced early next year, selling from $25 900 (about R389 000) in the U.S.
The Aptera trike joins two other solar-powered cars — the four-seater Sono Sion hatch from Germany, which gives 34 km of range from solar power alone and already has 12 300 pre-orders despite its price tag of some R460 600; and the Lightyear family sedan from the Netherlands, which sells for R2,7 million but boasts 12 km of range per hour from its five solar panels.
