Aptera Motors secures funds necessary to kick off production
Aptera unveiled the ‘Launch Edition’ of its three-wheeled solar electric car in January 2023 but admitted it needed more capital to start production. The company then started the crowdfunding campaign and says it raised more than two million dollars just “in the last few days.” Anyone investing more than 10,000 dollars has a shot at “one of Aptera’s first 2,000 vehicle reservation slots.”
In March 2023, Aptera announced a pre-order for 101 of its solar-powered electric cars from SustainabilitySooner. The deal is valued at 3.35 million dollars. Production was initially set to start before the end of 2023. Also in March, the company received a $21 million grant from the California Energy Commission (CEC) to support the company’s vehicle and component manufacturing operations.
But the manufacturer just now says it will use the newly acquired funds for the “initial phases of production.” The manufacturer adds that once “production-intent vehicles have been validated, the last step is to raise capital for the sourcing of tooling and equipment for high-volume production.”
“The Aptera community is full of pioneers, dreamers, and those who challenge the status quo,” says Chris McCammon, Aptera’s Community & Content Manager. “When markets were down, other electric vehicle startups were struggling and the few other solar EV startups that existed disappeared. We knew that couldn’t be our story. With the help of our passionate community, we’re building a solar-powered vehicle for the people, by the people.”
According to Aptera, the “Launch Edition” will have a 400 mile range and be equipped with 700 watts of solar energy. The latter should enable the vehicle to cover about 40 miles with solar energy per day.
“When we first launched Aptera as a solar mobility company, we were amazed by the overwhelming support from thousands of prospective Aptera owners,” states Chris Anthony, Co-founder and Co-CEO of Aptera. “With over 46,000 reservation holders, we are dedicated to securing the remaining funds required for scalable, high-volume production of our solar EV.”
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