The future is here. If you’ve seen the latest Star Trek movie, which shows the early life of James Kirk, Spock, and the other original crew members of the starship Enterprise, you’ve seen the Aptera. The electric car was featured in the movie as the vehicle driven around the campus of Starfleet Academy.
Believe it or not, these cars—the Aptera 2 series—weren’t designed for a futuristic movie set, but for today’s city streets. And they’ll be available soon. How is this possible? Because of a lot of smart, outside- the-box thinking and a desire to use the least amount of fossil fuel possible.
Despite popular thinking, an all-electric car is not a new idea. In fact, electric cars were some of the earliest automobiles made. The fi rst electric vehicle, a train, was invented in the 1830s. Then, in the 1880s, the fi rst electric car came along. Companies started manufacturing electric cars manufactured for the general public shortly thereafter. They became so popular that more people drove electric cars than gasoline-powered vehicles in Europe and America up until the 1920s, when large amounts of oil were found in the American West and in the Middle East.
These vast new reserves of oil made gasoline-powered cars more economical than electric cars, meaning they cost less to drive. Engineers focused on building gas-powered cars, and electric cars were left in the dust.
However, now that oil is becoming harder to fi nd and getting more expensive, several small companies and even some of the big car manufacturers are working on building an effi cient electric car that is cheap to run.
Problems—including battery weight and size, run time, and the lack of charging stations—have made the large-scale manufacture of all-electric vehicles diffi cult to achieve. That is, until the Aptera came along.
THE ULTIMATE GREEN CAR
The Aptera 2 series includes the 2e, an all-electric car, and the 2h, a series hybrid. A series hybrid is a type of vehicle in which power is provided by an electric motor that is assisted by a gasoline-powered generator. When the batteries powering the motor run low on charge, the generator starts and charges the batteries while the vehicle is still in motion.
The 2 indicates the car can carry two passengers. The e stands for “electric” and the h for “hybrid.” The Aptera 2e and 2h are considered to be some of the most fuel-effi cient cars ever made.
Aptera Motors, the company that developed and produces the Aptera, has achieved this energy effi ciency by building the car to be as aerodynamic as possible. This means that the shape of the car enables air to pass easily over its body, causing less friction. The company called the car Aptera, which is Greek for “wingless flight,” because the car “flies” on the ground.
One problem electric-car manufacturers have often had is that the weight of the car requires a lot of battery power. According to Aptera Motors CEO Paul Wilbur, a four-wheeled Aptera would be 34 percent less fuel effi cient than the current three-wheeled design. To carry the extra weight of a four-wheeled model, the car would need a battery 50 percent larger.
The Aptera’s designers even made the wheels themselves more aerodynamic by enclosing them in their own casings. This allows the air to flow over and past them more easily instead of getting caught up in the spokes of the rims. Also, the wheels are low-rolling resistance tires, which reduce the amount of friction the tires generate against the road, resulting in higher energy effi ciency.
In another nod to aerodynamics, the headlights and windshield wipers, which catch a lot of air on normal cars, are set into the surface so that they further reduce drag.
All of these aerodynamic and weight design ideas have allowed the Aptera 2e to achieve an amazing fuel-effi ciency rating of 340 miles per gallon (145 kilometers per liter), according to the company’s estimates. That’s almost seven times the average fuel rating for the Toyota Prius. (Although the 2e doesn’t use gasoline, miles per gallon is still used to compare it with most other cars, which do run on gas.)
The 2e can go 120 miles (193 km) on a single charge, at a cost per mile of 1.5 cents (based on a gas price of $2.67 per gallon). This is far better than every other car on the market today, from the big, bulky 6-cylinder, front-wheel-drive Chevy Equinox SUV (13.4 cents per mile) to the incredibly fuel-effi cient Toyota Prius hybrid (5.36 cents per mile).
What a Drag
According to company founder Steve Fambro, an entire 1,500-pound (680-kilogram) Aptera produces less drag than just the side-view mirror of a pickup truck or Lance Armstrong on his racing bike. This means that the Aptera is extremely aerodynamic.
Engineers can measure how aerodynamic a vehicle is by measuring its drag. The measurement of this drag, or air resistance, acting on a traveling object is called the drag coeffi cient. For example, the Aptera has a drag coeffi cient of 0.15, which is the lowest of any car on the market. In comparison, the Toyota Prius has a drag coeffi cient of 0.25.
The shape of a vehicle is one of the main factors that determine how aerodynamic a car is. Boxier cars have a higher drag coeffi cient, while sleeker, rounded cars have a lower one. Race cars, which are always very slim and low to the ground, are more aerodynamic. This means they produce less drag and can therefore move faster.
Because the teardrop-shaped Aptera glides so smoothly through the air, when the driver’s foot is off the accelerator the car doesn’t jolt to a slower speed as most other cars do. Instead, the Aptera settles into a coast and gradually slows down.
The company’s green philosophy goes beyond fuel effi ciency and emissions. Many of the materials used in the Aptera are ecofriendly. The seat covers and flooring are made from recycled plastic bottles and colored using organic dyes. Even the steering wheel is made from recycled materials. Also, the interior lights use lowenergy light-emitting diodes (LEDs).
The Aptera 2e was one of the fi rst cars to be entered in the Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize, which is a competition to create supereffi cient vehicles to reduce America’s dependence on oil. The three top winners will share the $10 million prize.
AN IMAGINATIVE IDEA
While stuck in packed Los Angeles traffi c, Aptera Motors cofounder Steve Fambro started thinking about all the wasted fuel and how much better it would be to zip around the city’s highways and streets in a zero-emissions, highly effi cient car. He couldn’t stop thinking about it.
Eventually he contacted a friend of his, a boatbuilder named Chris Anthony, who loved the idea. He brought to the venture his experience with boatbuilding and his knowledge of the unique materials used for boats. That’s where the idea for the Aptera’s lightweight yet extremely strong chassis, or frame, came from. The Aptera’s chassis is made from the same material used to make boats, which can withstand impacts and strong water pressure.
Fambro and Anthony joined forces and approached Idealab, an investment company, for fi nancial support. Idealab’s founder, Bill Gross, was psyched about the idea and invested in the new company, called Aptera Motors.
Fambro and Anthony then assembled a team of engineers and began to make their dream a reality. Work got underway in 2006. Aptera Motors grew, and was almost ready to release its fi rst production models after about four years.
Believe it or not, these cars—the Aptera 2 series—weren’t designed for a futuristic movie set, but for today’s city streets. And they’ll be available soon. How is this possible? Because of a lot of smart, outside- the-box thinking and a desire to use the least amount of fossil fuel possible.
Despite popular thinking, an all-electric car is not a new idea. In fact, electric cars were some of the earliest automobiles made. The fi rst electric vehicle, a train, was invented in the 1830s. Then, in the 1880s, the fi rst electric car came along. Companies started manufacturing electric cars manufactured for the general public shortly thereafter. They became so popular that more people drove electric cars than gasoline-powered vehicles in Europe and America up until the 1920s, when large amounts of oil were found in the American West and in the Middle East.
These vast new reserves of oil made gasoline-powered cars more economical than electric cars, meaning they cost less to drive. Engineers focused on building gas-powered cars, and electric cars were left in the dust.
However, now that oil is becoming harder to fi nd and getting more expensive, several small companies and even some of the big car manufacturers are working on building an effi cient electric car that is cheap to run.
Problems—including battery weight and size, run time, and the lack of charging stations—have made the large-scale manufacture of all-electric vehicles diffi cult to achieve. That is, until the Aptera came along.
 |
| In March 2009 Aptera Motors employees brought the Aptera 2e to Washington, D.C., to protest the car’s exclusion from the Department of Energy’s loan program for fuel-effi cient vehicles. Members of Congress and tourists took the opportunity to ride in the 2e. |
The Aptera 2 series includes the 2e, an all-electric car, and the 2h, a series hybrid. A series hybrid is a type of vehicle in which power is provided by an electric motor that is assisted by a gasoline-powered generator. When the batteries powering the motor run low on charge, the generator starts and charges the batteries while the vehicle is still in motion.
The 2 indicates the car can carry two passengers. The e stands for “electric” and the h for “hybrid.” The Aptera 2e and 2h are considered to be some of the most fuel-effi cient cars ever made.
Aptera Motors, the company that developed and produces the Aptera, has achieved this energy effi ciency by building the car to be as aerodynamic as possible. This means that the shape of the car enables air to pass easily over its body, causing less friction. The company called the car Aptera, which is Greek for “wingless flight,” because the car “flies” on the ground.
One problem electric-car manufacturers have often had is that the weight of the car requires a lot of battery power. According to Aptera Motors CEO Paul Wilbur, a four-wheeled Aptera would be 34 percent less fuel effi cient than the current three-wheeled design. To carry the extra weight of a four-wheeled model, the car would need a battery 50 percent larger.
 |
| Aptera Motors founders Chris Anthony (left) and Steve Fambro stand in front of the Aptera. |
The Aptera’s designers even made the wheels themselves more aerodynamic by enclosing them in their own casings. This allows the air to flow over and past them more easily instead of getting caught up in the spokes of the rims. Also, the wheels are low-rolling resistance tires, which reduce the amount of friction the tires generate against the road, resulting in higher energy effi ciency.
In another nod to aerodynamics, the headlights and windshield wipers, which catch a lot of air on normal cars, are set into the surface so that they further reduce drag.
All of these aerodynamic and weight design ideas have allowed the Aptera 2e to achieve an amazing fuel-effi ciency rating of 340 miles per gallon (145 kilometers per liter), according to the company’s estimates. That’s almost seven times the average fuel rating for the Toyota Prius. (Although the 2e doesn’t use gasoline, miles per gallon is still used to compare it with most other cars, which do run on gas.)
The 2e can go 120 miles (193 km) on a single charge, at a cost per mile of 1.5 cents (based on a gas price of $2.67 per gallon). This is far better than every other car on the market today, from the big, bulky 6-cylinder, front-wheel-drive Chevy Equinox SUV (13.4 cents per mile) to the incredibly fuel-effi cient Toyota Prius hybrid (5.36 cents per mile).
What a Drag
According to company founder Steve Fambro, an entire 1,500-pound (680-kilogram) Aptera produces less drag than just the side-view mirror of a pickup truck or Lance Armstrong on his racing bike. This means that the Aptera is extremely aerodynamic.
Engineers can measure how aerodynamic a vehicle is by measuring its drag. The measurement of this drag, or air resistance, acting on a traveling object is called the drag coeffi cient. For example, the Aptera has a drag coeffi cient of 0.15, which is the lowest of any car on the market. In comparison, the Toyota Prius has a drag coeffi cient of 0.25.
The shape of a vehicle is one of the main factors that determine how aerodynamic a car is. Boxier cars have a higher drag coeffi cient, while sleeker, rounded cars have a lower one. Race cars, which are always very slim and low to the ground, are more aerodynamic. This means they produce less drag and can therefore move faster.
Because the teardrop-shaped Aptera glides so smoothly through the air, when the driver’s foot is off the accelerator the car doesn’t jolt to a slower speed as most other cars do. Instead, the Aptera settles into a coast and gradually slows down.
The company’s green philosophy goes beyond fuel effi ciency and emissions. Many of the materials used in the Aptera are ecofriendly. The seat covers and flooring are made from recycled plastic bottles and colored using organic dyes. Even the steering wheel is made from recycled materials. Also, the interior lights use lowenergy light-emitting diodes (LEDs).
The Aptera 2e was one of the fi rst cars to be entered in the Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize, which is a competition to create supereffi cient vehicles to reduce America’s dependence on oil. The three top winners will share the $10 million prize.
AN IMAGINATIVE IDEA
While stuck in packed Los Angeles traffi c, Aptera Motors cofounder Steve Fambro started thinking about all the wasted fuel and how much better it would be to zip around the city’s highways and streets in a zero-emissions, highly effi cient car. He couldn’t stop thinking about it.
Eventually he contacted a friend of his, a boatbuilder named Chris Anthony, who loved the idea. He brought to the venture his experience with boatbuilding and his knowledge of the unique materials used for boats. That’s where the idea for the Aptera’s lightweight yet extremely strong chassis, or frame, came from. The Aptera’s chassis is made from the same material used to make boats, which can withstand impacts and strong water pressure.
Fambro and Anthony joined forces and approached Idealab, an investment company, for fi nancial support. Idealab’s founder, Bill Gross, was psyched about the idea and invested in the new company, called Aptera Motors.
Fambro and Anthony then assembled a team of engineers and began to make their dream a reality. Work got underway in 2006. Aptera Motors grew, and was almost ready to release its fi rst production models after about four years.
