It looks like a Jetsons car and costs $25,000. The all-electric Aptera 2e will begin rolling out this fall as another auto company seeks to merge clean energy with eye-popping design.
The Age of Green is ushering in new ideas on auto manufacturing. The latest entry in green design is the Aptera 2e, a dolphin-like car using three wheels to scoot around on city streets. The electric car is scheduled to start production in San Diego county this fall.
Observers have been pointing out the car’s design as a form-over-function highlight. Its nose droops in the front, and rises up to a high center section, and then tapers downwards in the rear. The aerodynamic look reduces drag, the company claims, “much like a bird gliding through the wind.”
Hyperbole aside, the 2e sports some intriguing stats: it weights 1,700 pounds and will have a top speed of about 90 mph. Charging time is eight to ten hours on 110 volts, and half that time with 220 volts. It can seat two people and has enough room to haul three sets of golf clubs or 22 bags of groceries.
Aptera is also promoting its exterior features: “The gullwing doors open upwards, not outwards. So no matter how tight your parking spot is, you’ll never have trouble opening the door wide enough to get out.”
More than 4,000 people have already ordered the $25,000 Aptera 2e, even though production doesn’t begin until later this year.
For more photos of the three-wheeler, see below:
