Californian car maker Aptera successfully tested its first ‘production-intent’ three-wheeler vehicle

  • This three-wheeler solar EV just completed testing
  • It has a solar-powered range of about 40 miles
  • The actual range could go up to 1,000 miles on a full charge

Published on Nov 04, 2024 at 12:27 PM (UTC+4)
by Siddharth Dudeja

Last updated on Nov 04, 2024 at 12:28 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by Tom Wood

A company based in San Diego, California, called Aptera Motors, is on track to complete the development of its solar EV that might hit the roads soon.

You read that right — a solar-powered EV (sEV) that will charge ‘naturally.’

Aptera says it’s getting there, and this new not-quite-a-prototype has the ‘production-intent’ label.

The car looks like a spaceship and is a three-wheeler — but all for good reason.

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Aptera Solar EV is a three-wheeler that completed initial tests

The California-based company recently announced that it completed testing its first successful unit for the three-wheeler solar EV.

Dubbed ‘PI2,’ this all-electric spaceship-esque vehicle will feature 40 miles of solar-powered range.

You could essentially be able to travel for ‘free’ if you only drive less than 40 miles every day — all thanks to the power of the sun.

However, if you decide to take longer trips, Aptera boldly claims that the eventual PI2 will feature a range of a whopping 1,000 miles on a full charge.

Although that’s the advertised range of only the top-end variant with the largest battery pack, the other variants shouldn’t be too far off.

An absurdly high 1,000-mile range

To be fair, 1,000 miles isn’t a number to be messing around with — because the most popular EVs today can’t reach that number.

This guy’s Tesla Model 3, the best-selling EV in the US, has a range of 232 miles after three years of use.

While we have seen some individuals or companies attempting to build a vehicle with an absurd range estimate, Aptera’s upcoming car could be the first production vehicle to shake the market.

Take this guy who created a custom Tesla with a 1,600-mile range, for example.

As exciting as Aptera’s newest creation may sound, the solar EV is far from being complete.

For now, the company has completed a simple driving test in which it drove the PI2 without essential body parts.

Hence, it might take a year or two before we finally see this unique-looking vehicle on the roads.

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Siddharth is a tech nerd with a secret love of all things cars. He has been writing for a few years now, and on his free time you would find him gaming when he's not procrastinating.