Aptera presents production-ready solar-powered trike at CES

It's been quiet around the solar electric car maker Aptera Motors. Now, the company is in Las Vegas, presenting its production-ready vehicle at CES25. But it is still not clear when the first units will be handed over to customers.

Aptera first presented the Lauch Edition of its solar electric vehicle (sEV) in January 2023, saying it would kick off production later that year. However, the startup did not have enough cash to keep its schedule. One year later, the company announced that it raised 33 million dollars and was ready to go. However, the solar-powered trike from California has yet to hit the road.

Now, Aptera says it received a total of $135 million through equity funding and will be “accelerating its path to series production and delivering a future where every journey is powered by the sun.” However, it does not say when production will start or when the first units will be delivered to customers.

There seems to be great interest in the small sEV. Aptera reports that it has received “nearly 50,000 reservations representing over $1.7 billion in potential revenue.” 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.

Aptera also expanded to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) last year, where it offers the limited production version called ‘Union (or Etihad) Edition.’ Deliveries there are scheduled for 2026.

But back to Las Vegas: According to the current press release, there seem to be no technical changes between the Launch Edition presented two years ago and the production-ready version now on display in Nevada. The sEV has a range of up to 400 miles (643 kilometres) and can charge up to 40 miles of range per day via the integrated solar panels. In “sunny climates,” the car should be able to cover more than 10,000 miles per year powered only by the sun, Aptera claims.

The car features four solar panels “strategically placed on the hood, dash, roof, and hatch of the vehicle.” The vehicle is lightweight and uses a carbon fiber sheet molding compound (CF-SMC). The company partnered with Vitesco Technologies to use the lattter’s EMR3 drivetrain, while the battery cells are sourced from Eve Energy.

“Today marks a pivotal moment not only for Aptera but for the future of sustainable transportation,” said Chris Anthony, Co-CEO of Aptera Motors. “This vehicle embodies years of innovation and relentless pursuit of energy-efficient mobility. CES is the perfect stage to share our vision and invite the world to join us in creating a cleaner, solar-powered future.”

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