EXCLUSIVE APTERA 2

EXCLUSIVE: APTERA 2
An exclusive drive oa an aerodynamically slick electric vehicle that looks to change the world, three wheels at a time.
I'm accelerating and cornering-hard-on three wheels, little wips of fire smoke curling out of the slender front wheel pants as steering is cranked in and 'throttle' applied. And no, I'm not in an early Volkswagen GT! That hikes up its inside near fire. Rather, I've been given a drive in the Aptera2e, a soon-to-be-produced electric vehicla whose shape is slipperier than a Teflon-coated salmon on glaare ice, and whose composite construction offers both lightweight and impressive structural integrity. Btter yet, the 2e is scheduled to begin rolling off the Vista, California assemply line, this October for an as-yet-to-be-determined prive between $25,000 and $40,000. Charge it overnight from your ll0-volt home outlet, and it's claimed to have a range of 100 miles...in the carpool lane, if you wish.
Pie in the sky? Nope. The business model looks sound; nearly 400 deposits have been placed (Robin Williams among the clientele), enthusiastic investors are locked in, and co-founders Steve Fambro and Chris Anthony have assembled a team that balances Detroit low-volume niche-production experience with California 'anything is possible' attitude. Chief engineer Tom Reichenback was formerly vehicle engineering manager for both Ford, Chrysler and ASC. And Fambro, a biotech engineer and private pilot intrigued by his aircraft's composite construction, and Anthony, a composities specialist with a background in boat design and fluid dynamics, seemed predestined for this partnership.
But back to Aptera itself. I'm in the pre-production prototype called Punch, so named for upholstery whose color matches that oft-spiked party drink. But the fabric's long gone, as Punch gets lots of track-testing duty and is tuned now with suspension settings and an a/c motor/controller that are nearing final production specs. With the rotary 'shifter' clicked to D3, the most aggressive setting, it's responsive, easily modulated and resonably quick: Reichenbach says 0-to mph in under 10 seconds with a 90-mph top speed with its pack of lithium-phosphate-ion 'pixie dust' cells-that last part suggesting that their exact composition is a secret.
But flinging it around the streets near Aptera's headquarters, it seems quicker still, partly due to a go-kart-like agililty that's carried off with a surprisingly civil ride. Adding to the feel is a view of the road rushing up at you (the base of the aircraft-evocative windshield plunges toward the pavement) and those wheel pants articulating with the inboard rocker-type front suspension, visible out of the dramatically forward-raked side windows. Steering and brakes are unassisted, but efforts are reaonable as the curb weight is only 1700 lb; about half the weight of a base Honda Accord.
Earlier, I rode with Reichenbach in another near-production prototype whose interior and exterior intailing is nearing final spec. Entering gracefully through the quasi-gullwing doors takes a few tries, but the door openings are large and once seated, the cabin width seems to split the difference between a Lotus Elise and a Toyota Coralla. There's a large hooded digital speedometer and bar-graph battery state-of-charge indicator, along with a central infotainment screen that offers mind boggling possibilities. Leg- and head room were surprisingly generous for even my 6- foot-3 frame. And safety is preeminent in the Aptera's design-the final version will have both frontal and side airbags. And if there was any doubt about the strength of the composite construction, it was quelled as eight Aptera employees stood on a roof of a development shell. And that was after the shell had gone through government roof-crush testing!