Aptera Motors To Showcase Its Solar EV at CES 2025

The solar car model that is about to be mass-produced will be displayed at CES 2025.

Aptera Motors has announced that a “production-intended” version of its namesake solar car will be on display at the massive Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas from January 7-10.

According to the company, Aptera offers up to 40 miles of solar-powered driving per day, a three-wheeled futuristic design, unparalleled energy efficiency, and the option to travel 400 miles in an hour on a single charge.

“The announcement of the production intent model means that Aptera-owned vehicles should comply with regulatory requirements and be designed to a level that is manufacturable and meets performance, safety and manufacturing requirements,” said Rob Enderle, president and principal analyst. Endler Groupa consulting services firm based in Bend, Oregon told TechNewsWorld.

“A lot of people in the automotive industry have a lot of interest in Aptera,” added Edward Sanchez, senior analyst for the automotive industry. Technical Insightsa global technology intelligence company.

“This is very different from most mainstream cars,” he told TechNewsWorld. “There are big issues with demand and mainstream appeal for this kind of unconventional design.”

“The company also uses some manufacturing technologies that, until now, have been used mainly in the supercar and motorsport industries,” he continued.

“The company’s goal is to offer competitive price points for its vehicles, so it will be interesting to see how these expertise and materials expand to quasi-mass market vehicles from a volume perspective, and the company Whether competitive operating profits can be maintained over the long term.

Demo under review

Mark N. Vena, President and Principal Analyst Smart technology researchA Las Vegas consulting and research firm insists the scrutiny surrounding the Aptera demo will be intense. “The launch of the production vehicle marks an important milestone in Aptera’s development as it transitions from the prototype stage to a model ready for mass manufacturing,” he told TechNewsWorld.

“This step demonstrates the company’s confidence in the vehicle’s design, functionality and manufacturability, consistent with industry standards and regulatory requirements,” he continued. “It also helps build consumer and investor trust by demonstrating a tangible product that is close to market readiness, setting the stage for final testing, production scale, and final delivery. I’m not optimistic.

However, early adopters seemed less optimistic, spending more than $1.7 billion to reserve 50,000 of the vehicles.

“CES is the perfect stage to reveal the future of sustainable transportation,” Aptera co-CEO Chris Anthony said in a statement.

“Our production vehicles are not only a testament to years of innovation and engineering, but also a real-world solution to reducing carbon emissions and redefining the way we think about energy-efficient transportation. We are excited to show the world that Aptera is ready to hit the road and create a cleaner, more energy-efficient transportation.” A sustainable future.

However, to secure this future, there are significant challenges that need to be overcome. “Typically, there isn’t enough surface area on the car, and current solar panel technology can only run HVAC to keep the car cool,” Enderle explained. “Charging the large batteries in most electric vehicles would take days to weeks using panels on the car.”

power problem

Ben Zientara, solar policy and industry expert solar energy reviewReviews and advice sites claim there is no way to power the kind of vehicles people want to drive with solar cells embedded in the car’s surface.

“Even the most efficient solar cells can only provide a few extra miles of range per day, even when parked in the sunniest spots in the sunniest states,” he told TechNewsWorld. “The average electric car can travel about 3.5 miles on 1 kilowatt hour of electricity. A car equipped with solar cells can generate about 3 to 4 kilowatt hours of electricity per day, which is enough to drive 10 to 14 miles per day on solar energy alone.

He noted that past attempts at solar electric vehicles, such as Sono Sion and Lightyear One, both used solar cells with a peak power of about 1.2 kilowatts in full sunlight. “This means the car needs to be completely cleaned and parked in an ideal location for a few hours on a sunny day to get the maximum range of 14 miles per day,” he said.

Equity strategist Seth Goldstein added: “Unless we see meaningful advances in technology and costs that allow them to compete with today’s existing vehicles, both electric and internal combustion, I don’t see a huge opportunity. . Morningstar Research Services.

He explained that Aptera is targeting a fully solar-powered range of 40 miles, after which the vehicle will become a battery-equipped electric vehicle. “I just don’t think consumers are really willing to pay a premium for 40 miles of solar-powered driving.”

The vagaries of solar energy

Even if the surface generation problem is solved, there are still other vagaries with solar power. “Cars are affected by weather conditions, fallen leaves, bird droppings and other debris, which can cause a loss of solar cell power output,” Zientara noted.

He added that perfectly orienting solar cells on a car’s surface toward the sun would be nearly impossible. “To take full advantage of solar cells, they must be angled perfectly perpendicular to the incoming sunlight,” he explains. “The car has many, many different surfaces, all of which are angled in different directions. If you maximize the direction of one surface, the other surfaces won’t point directly toward the sun.

There’s also the issue of the sun moving across the sky. “Even if you could point one or more of the front sides of your vehicle directly at the sun, they wouldn’t stay that way for very long,” Zientara points out. “And the sun also changes throughout the year, shining more directly into the northern hemisphere in the summer and less directly into the northern hemisphere in the winter. So, regardless of the weather, the solar cells on the car’s surface will produce more energy in the summer, And in winter less energy is produced.

Solar-powered cars may find a niche in the market. “Solar-powered vehicles may be sufficient for use cases where long-duration driving in sunny areas can maximize power generation, such as rural or remote areas with limited charging infrastructure,” Weiner said. “They are well suited for low speeds where energy demands are low. Short-distance transportation, such as delivery services, campus shuttles, or recreational vehicles.”

He added: “Solar cars can also serve as a back-up power source or sustainable alternative for off-grid living, helping to achieve energy independence and reduce carbon footprints.”

“They’re not feasible for most people,” Endler admits, “but for those who can or need to use them to live off the grid or because there are no viable charging alternatives, they could be a godsend. “