FEATURE
Driving on Sunshine CARLSBAD-BASED APTERA PRODUCES ELECTRIC CARS THAT RUN ON SUN BY MACKENZIE ELMER
Modeled after a shark, the Aptera’s sleek shape maximizes air flow
to increase e ffi ciency.
Picture this: You’re cruising to Las Vegas, bopping in and out of the HOV lane as you please, fueled by sunshine. If this sounds like a good time, the three-wheeled electric vehicle from Carlsbad-based company Aptera might be your huckleberry. While it’s technically a motorcycle (hence the HOV access), its size and strong carbon fiber frame make it far more similar to a car, driveable by anyone with a regular license. The Aptera breezes through the 332-mile trip with ease. Its battery pack affords it 400 miles on a full charge, while its solar-powered skin draws on the sun to constantly top off the battery as you drive, no specialized charging stations necessary. Aptera co-founder Chris Anthony modeled the vehicle after a shark—a key design choice in the company’s effort to create the most efficient car on the market. “Sharks swimming close to the sea floor figured out millions of years ago that if they developed a hump on their back, it sucks away a lot of the pressure that builds in front of their nose,” Anthony says. Aptera paid the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to test the unique design with the same kind of supercomputer that tests
rockets. Looking something akin to a hovercraft, the sloping shape allows air pressure to effortlessly flow over the surface of the vehicle, unlike the boxy nose of a traditional SUV barreling down the freeway. “We found that out through computational fluid dynamics. We were like, ‘Oh, that’s what fish do, too,’” Anthony explains. Sea creatures weren’t the lone muse for the vehicle. Some of Aptera’s inspiration comes from Italian supercars composed of a lightweight carbon fiber cage that Anthony says is many times stronger than steel. Formula 1 vehicles use a similar body. I got the chance for a test spin in an earlier model and can confirm that this car is zippy, reaching 60 miles per hour in just a few seconds and hitting a top speed of 101 miles per hour. Its capacity for quickness is thanks to the simplicity of how electric motors work—and why vehicles driven by electricity came well before gas-powered ones back in the early 19 th century. “The electric motor has only one moving part. The electric field spins the rotor connected to the wheels,” Anthony says.
The back of Aptera’s two-seater is large enough to fit a sizable sur fb oard or convert into overnight shelter for outdoor adventurers.
74 NOVEMBER 2023
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