Design and fuel consumption
The Aptera 2 Series was designed to be a low-energy vehicle; early estimates of its energy consumption ran as low as 80 watt-hours/mi at 55 mph. Later estimates are as high as 200 Wh for aggressive driving. The company stated in September 2009 that "if Aptera was given an official EPA rating [the fuel-efficiency figure assigned to all cars by the United States federal government], it would be 851 mpg", suggesting that it is 2.2 times more efficient than Nissan Leaf. The Aptera 2 Series has a , compared with for the record-holding General Motors EV1, and for the 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Coupé, currently the lowest for a mass-produced car. The Aptera's atypical shape is a result of extensive optimization in a computational fluid dynamics, virtual wind tunnel, following the designs of Alberto Morelli. It used recessed windshield wipers and low rolling resistance tires. The first prototype attained a by making use of an "Eyes-Forward" rear-view camera system instead of Wing mirror, side-view mirrors, which create a large amount of drag. A September 2008 Aptera newsletter showed a rendering of the car featuring a conventional driver-side mirror and no driver-side rear-view camera. Aptera CTO Steve Fambro stated that the system was simplified to make use of a single camera mounted near the top of the vehicle. The body design was similar to Pegasus Research Company's human-powered "Fusion" vehicle (1983) and the MIT Aztec, but the direct inspiration was the Volkswagen 1-litre car. The Aptera 2 Series was a three-wheeled vehicle with front-wheel drive. On March 23, 2010, Aptera announced their use of BorgWarner's 31-03 eGearDrive transmission for the 2e drive train. An April 14, 2010 press release announced further suppliers: A123 Systems for the 20 kWh lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) battery pack, and Remy International for the 82 kW HVH250 electric motor. The freeway range was promised to be around with two passengers and some luggage. They planned to offer an SAE J1772 compatible charging system, at either 110 or 220 V.Plug-in series hybrid
An early Aptera 2h design used a "small, water-cooled Fuel injection, EFI Petrol engine, gasoline engine with closed loop oxygen feedback and catalytic converter," coupled with a 12 kW generator/starter. With a tank capacity of "up to five gallons," the Aptera 2h would have a claimed range of , compared to the range of the Aptera 2e. The 2h would have been a Hybrid vehicle drivetrain#Series hybrid, series hybrid: The engine would not be connected to the drivetrain, instead being used to recharge the batteries. As with any plug-in hybrid, fuel economy of the Aptera 2h would depend on trip length and battery charge. For trips of less than about after a full charge the engine may not turn on at all, resulting in approximately the same energy consumption as the pure electric model 96 watt-hours/mile. If on the other hand, the car were never plugged in, the Aptera 2h would get . Aptera Motors quoted , which applies to a trip after a full charge. They justified this by stating that 99% of Americans drive less than daily.Safety
Because the Aptera 2 Series had only Three-wheeler, three wheels, most American states classify the vehicle as a motorcycle. This means that safety and Car emissions control#Emission testing, emissions tests are not mandatory, as they are for cars. Despite this, Aptera Motors emphasized that safety had a high priority in the vehicle's design. Aptera Motors performed simulated crash tests using Abaqus Finite element method, FEM software, crush testing on structural components, and was planning real-world crash tests before production. The Aptera 2e featured a Formula One-inspired passenger safety cell and boxed sandwich Sandwich-structured composite, foam core composite structures. Frontal Crumple zone, crumple distance was , large for a vehicle of its size. As the body is above most cars' bumpers, a colliding vehicle's bumper would travel under the body, deflecting the energy. Despite its height, the placement of the heavy batteries lowered the centre of mass of the Aptera 2 Series, a design similar to the highly stable Commuter Cars Tango. Driver and passenger airbag-in-seatbelts were also provided.Accessories and interior
The design intent model, revealed on 14 April 2010, seated two adults, had power windows, cup holders, and of trunk volume. It used Light-emitting diode, LED running and interior lights to reduce power consumption. An optional Photovoltaics, solar panel mounted on the roof runs the heat pump during the day. This keeps the interior comfortable and reduces the size of the heat pump needed. The seats can be heated or cooled by forced air, both for comfort and efficiency reasons. The only comfort downside is that the suspension was described as "hard". Radio, CD/DVD/MP3 player, and GPS navigation were integrated into an in-console touch screen carputer, based on Moblin by Wind River Systems, but the climate control used physical dials. It also had RFID-based keyless ignition and entry and butterfly doors, scarab doors. To reduce the ecological footprint of construction, EcoSpun Recycling, recycled materials and organic dyes were to be used for the seats and flooring, and the dashboard and the door panels were free of heavy metals and plasticizers. Aptera also planned to have leatherette and leather seats as options.See also
*Plug-in electric vehicle *Rumpler Tropfenwagen (1921), first teardrop aerodynamic car *Aurel Persu, improved on Rumpler by placing the wheels inside the car body in 1922-23 *List of motorized trikesReferences
External links