Introducing the Worlds First Mass-Produced Solar-Powered Car
Aptera Motors announced mass production of the first solar-powered car in 2021. It will be the first solar-powered electric vehicle in the world. It is fitted with solar panels which contain an array of solar cells necessary to convert light to electricity. Aptera electric trike is a three-wheeled car with a 1000-mile range, much greater than Tesla S’s 370 miles range and costs as low as $250,000. It is equipped with 34 square feet of solar cells that provided enough electricity to power the car. During rainy days and at night, the batteries can be charged. Unlike EVs, it needs just 15 minutes of charging, and you can drive up to 150 miles without stopping. Moreover, leaving it in the sun for a day can provide users with a range of 40 miles, which is equivalent to filling your car with two gallons of gasoline. Therefore, this is an electrical upgrade of standard cars in Subaru dealerships. But what are the advantages of solar powered vehicles?
Instead of having 200-300 automotive parts, the Aptera has four parts to the main structure making it easy to assemble. The material comprises fiberglass, carbon, and aluminum, most of which are designed to be 3D printed, reducing emission production and costs. It is said to be four times better than an electric car.
Within 24 hours of being released, Aptera had sold about 330 new cars and received 7500 people willing to deposit for a future order. While many car dealers strive towards providing environmentally-friendly vehicles, Aptera has firmed that it is possible to produce 100% environmentally friendly cars. There are specific automotive insurance providers for electric cars as they are faced with unique risks.
Are you an environmentally cautious person? You might be interested in the advantages of solar powered vehicles. Go for Aptera electric strike solar-powered cars. Aptera motors are among the top car dealers that provide 100% environmentally friendly cars. It is equipped with solar panels that convert light from the sun into the energy sun necessary to drive the vehicle. While Subaru dealerships have a culture of being environmentally friendly, they can adopt a new brand line of Aptera new cars to promote their culture.
As a solar-powered car, Aptera electric trike is equipped with a solar panel and has a backup battery for rainy days or at night. On a sunny day, the solar panels recharge the PV batteries, which convert solar energy into electricity. Thus, while you can run on the solar panels during the day, at night, the car will use batteries. The danger of being stuck at a place because the sun has set before arriving at your destination is entirely eliminated. Out of all the new cars in the market from other dealers, Aptera electric trike is the best as it is environmentally friendly.
It comes in two versions, paradigm and paradigm-plus. The paradigm version provides the user with up to 400 miles while paradigm-plus ranges to 1000 miles. It can go from 0 to 60mph in just 3.5 seconds and at a high speed of 110mph. While it costs between $25,900 and $46,900, if you are interested in a solar-powered new car, you can only reserve it for $100. It is, therefore, an estuary of various technologies coming together to complement each other.
How do the solar panels convert sunlight into electricity necessary to drive the car? The solar panels consist of hundreds of solar cells arranged in an array. These PV cells are responsible for converting sunlight to electricity-producing over 2kilowatts. They can be mounted in six different ways. The horizontal array gives the most power during days with high or low attitudes and has little interaction with the wind. The vertical arrangement aims at harnessing wind energy as opposed to solar energy. Therefore, it is limited to morning, evening, and during winter or when the vehicle is pointing in the right direction. The adjustable solar arrays can be adjusted to face the direction of the sun. Also, when the car is parked, it can be tilted. The integrated arrangement is where all cells cover the whole car surface in which some will be optimally facing the sun while others will remain under the shade. Other arrangements include a trailer and remote. The choice of the solar array arrangements heavily depends on the power output, aerodynamic resistance, and car mass.
How efficient is Aptera’s new car? Research data indicate that about 90% of the power produced by Aptera’s solar panels is used to move the vehicle. Besides, it does not have fuel injectors as it is fully powered by solar energy. However, in a gas vehicle, only 12 to 30% of the gasoline fuel is used to propel the car. The remaining 25% is lost through the wheels resisting wind, while about 72% is used for heating. As such, there is maximum utilization of power with Aptera electric trike. It is 13 times more efficient than a gas-powered pickup and four times more than an average electric vehicle.
How Is It Designed For Efficiency?
The overall product description is as follows:
- The aerodynamic shape: The Aptera electric trike’s body shape does not look anything like other car models that you might find at other car dealers. It has a curved nose, wide along the body, and tapered toward the trunk. Therefore, it assumes the likeness of a small, speedy aircraft, thus reducing drag or the force of the air blowing against the car motion.
- Reduced drag: It has undercarriage swoops in the shape of a dolphin’s belly. This assists in lowering drag that comes from the turbulent air between the vehicle and the ground. It has a drag coefficient of 0.13 instead of other models such as Tesla, which has a coefficient of 0.23. The drag coefficient is the measure of the amount of resistance an object encounters when in motion.
- It has less friction: The engineers used ten different wheels to test the one with the least rolling resistance or friction. This is the friction generated between the wheels and the ground. Also, the engineers opted to design the car with three tires eliminating any touchpoint where energy could be lost.
- Light frame: Since lighter cars require less energy to travel, Aptera electric tricycles are made of ultra-light carbon fiber composite materials and glass fiber windows. Its arched shape mimics the physical principles of an eggshell, making it as strong as steel. More importantly, some of its parts can be produced on a 3D printer, making them cheaper.
- Energy-saving interior: While parked, heat is automatically removed from the car reducing the air conditioning workload. The electronics are built with wires offering the least resistance, ultra-efficient LEDs, and low-power displays while not in use.
- Accumulated efficiencies: This is among many new cars that require less fuel. It uses about 100 watt-hours of energy every mile, which is about the same as a desktop computer consumes in 30 minutes.
What Are The Unique Features Of The Aptera Electric Trike?
- Three wheels: Unlike other cars that you might find from Subaru dealerships and others with four wheels, Aptera is a three-wheeled car. It has two wheels in the front and one in the rear. This minimizes the touch point surface area where the energy could be lost as the wheel grid on the ground.
- It is powered by solar power and electricity: both solar and electric energy power Aptera. During summer or sunny days, this car can entirely rely on solar energy to operate throughout the day without the need to recharge. At night and during rainy seasons, the vehicle can utilize the power from its battery stored when the sun is up. Solar technology is designed to store enough sunlight enabling the vehicle to travel over 11000 miles annually. However, during winter, the car will be required to use its battery which can be recharged at a charging station similar to a standard electric vehicle.
- It is equipped with solar panels: They convert light from the sun to electricity. The Aptera’s solar panel is equipped with about 180 solar cells that allow photons to knock electrons out of atoms thus, generating electricity. The electricity is directly used while the car is running, or when parked, it is stored in the battery for future use.
- It has a carriage capacity of two adults and a pet: If you are searching for an electric car that suits a maximum of two persons and is environmentally friendly, Aptera can be your best choice. According to the manufacturer, the vehicle can carry two adults and a pet if need be.
- It is small-sized: It measures 4.4 meters long, 2.2 meters wide, and 1.4 meters high. If you want a small-sized vehicle, Aptera is your best shot.
- It has a range of up to 1000 miles on full charge: This is more than what most motorists cover on a single day. It is suitable for short distances like going to work. This electrical upgrade is designed to store enough sunlight capable of supporting a reasonable distance.
- Solar panels equipped with 180 solar cells: These cells are integrated into the car body. They are responsible for converting light from the sun to electricity. They can be configured to provide up to 45 miles range daily. This feature enables this car to entirely rely on solar power. The solar cells occupy about 34 square feet.
- It is rechargeable: Like any other electric car you might find at a dealership, Aptera can be recharged at a charging station or using a code. This makes the batteries environmentally friendly as they are not disposed of every time they run out of charge.
- It is light: Its overall frame is made of lightweight but high-quality materials. The Aptera electric tricycle is made of ultra-light carbon fiber composite materials and glass fiber windows. Its arched shape mimics the physical principles of an eggshell, making it strong. Some of its parts can be manufactured on a 3D printer, which makes them cheaper cars than other dealers (for example, Subaru dealers).
- It has an aerodynamic shape: This design of a small, speedy aircraft reduces drag or the air-blowing force against it while in motion. The smaller the amount of force exacting against the car, the reduced amount of energy is consumed.
- It comprises four automotive parts: While most vehicles are composed of 300 parts, Aptera electric trike is made of fewer parts, making it smoothers and cheap to produce. Thus, the cost of production also translates to the selling price, becoming an affordable car given its technological advancement and luxury.
- It has an energy-saving interior: When the car is parked, heat is automatically eliminated from the car, which lowers the air conditioning load. It is an electrical upgrade of the standard new vehicles found in a dealership.
- It has a user interface: This feature informs the user of ways to conserve energy to maximize the car range in real-time. This ensures that one does not run out of power unexpectedly while on the road.
- It has level two autonomy capacities: This electrical upgrade can control the steering, acceleration, and breaks. In other words, it does not require a driver. However, it is best to have a driver behind the wheel just in case of an emergency.
What Are The Advantages of Solar Powered Vehicles Like The Aptera Electric Trike?
- It is affordable: It costs about $25,900. This is cheap compared to other standard electric cars.
- It is environmentally friendly: Unlike fueled cars that emit carbon into the air polluting the environment, as an electric car Aptera electric trike is an environmentally friendly car as it is solar driven.
- It is very fast: This car can go at a speed of 60mph per second and 110mph.
- It keeps charge for long: It can go for up to 40 miles without needing to be charged daily during a clear sky. It is covered by 34 square feet of solar cells that convert light to electricity.
- It has solar panels
- It has fiberglass windows
- It does not require a fuel injector
- It is the best electrical upgrade on the market today
- It has a fast-charging battery: It only takes about 15 minutes to fully recharge the battery and hit the road.
What Are The Cons Of The Aptera Electric Trike?
- It has a small capacity: It is not a family car as it is limited to two persons.
- It is not entirely solar dependent: During winter and prolonged cloudy days, one may be required to charge the battery using electricity.
- It can easily cause collisions: The solar panels fitted on the top occupy larger space than the car body, increasing the risk of colliding with other vehicles on the road.
- The automotive parts are not readily available
- It can only be insured by a specific automotive insurance provider due to its unique risks.
The future of automotive is promising to be more environmentally friendly. With such an electrical upgrade, it is clear that new cars will be environmentally conscious by maximally utilizing the natural and non-depletable resources. So far this is the best electrical upgrade that we got in the market. However, Aptera motors should move towards producing large-capacity vehicles.