One of the most hotly anticipated concept cars in recent history, the Aptera solar-powered car took a large step towards reality recently as the first-ever production-grade body arrived at Aptera Motors headquarters in San Diego. The three-wheeler is advertised as containing 34 square feet of solar paneling that actually powers the car as it drives or while it’s parked, but so many aspects are completely new in a commercial automobile designed for mass production that extra precautions and preparations are needed before it can hit the road. The team is hard at work finalizing the cable routing, connectors, and placement of components in preparation for their first builds. According to the company, all the parts for its production-intent battery packs and other non-structural components have been ordered and are currently being “validated” in Italy by the company’s supply partner. Instead of having 200-300 parts to the body, the Aptera has four parts to the main structure, and that makes it much easier to build, track, and assemble. The company says the Aptera’s solar panels will deliver 40 miles of range from charging per sunny day, but the car can be plugged in like any other EV. Aptera also maintains that its vehicle will have 1,000 miles of range because of the perfect aerodynamics, low-weight, and efficient drive-train.
