Video: Aptera rolls into Touchstone commercial
It was a Sunday like any other Sunday. I was on YouTube, browsing through the many Japanese game show selections, when I noticed a clip in English entitled "Aptera rolls into town". Although aptera means "without wings" in Greek, none of the flightless birds I've ever heard of roll, so much as they walk. I quickly realized they were talking about that other Aptera, the ultra-aerodynamic car that is my heart's desire.
Apparently, Touchstone Energy Cooperatives, self-described as "a national alliance made up of more than 640 local, consumer-owned electric cooperatives in 46 states," wanted something in their advertisement that showed they were future-oriented as well as environmentally aware. Works for me. I was poking around the Touchstone website in no time and, thanks to a post by c0mp13x over at ApteraForum.com, I just discovered a pair of recent video interviews done by AlternativeEnergy.com. One is with Aptera founder and CEO, Steve Fambro, looking spiffy and discussing his creation as well as some interesting upcoming plans. The other is with Aptera designer, Jason Hill. Both are well worth your time.
Check out the commercial and interviews after the jump.
[Source: YouTube / AlternativeEnergy.com]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Matthijs 7:58PM (3/09/2008)
The "Official" touchstone-energy video is called "Change rolls into town". But I thought "Hey they do not even name the Aptera on the youtube channel or in the commercial" So thats why I uploaded it with the title "Aptera rolls into town" :-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OI2iCE51R9U
If you would like to know more about the Aptera feel free to visit www.apteraforum.com (No adds or other nasty stuff just people who love the Aptera)
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meme 11:31PM (3/09/2008)
Can't wait to get mine. :)
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David Fox 2:36AM (3/10/2008)
Me too!
David
http://www.greenr.com/blog
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tom 4:03AM (3/10/2008)
Who is going to buy these toys, they are not going to last a month. Who invests millions in these projects, those extended wheels will get smashed too easy. C'mon have we drunk the coolaid here?
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Tachy 4:20AM (3/10/2008)
Aptera for europe !!!!!!!!!
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daniel billinton 12:59PM (3/10/2008)
Sorry there, thought i was watching an episode of the jetsons ;)
The Aptera is not going to be the future.
Why ? because it looks plain ridiculous (pun intended) and far far too different to what people expect a car too look like - and it's not even particularly aerodynamic or light.
You can get a conventional 4 wheeled vehicle down to that weight and CD factor in a conventioal shaped car.
Look at www.loremo.com or similar vehicles that can already do over 150mpg without sacrificing crash protection or practicality.
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Wave54 1:18PM (3/10/2008)
I almost have to agree with Tom a bit -- I admire the technology that's being applied and hope that it finds its way to more mainstream vehicles. Still, in the real world I drive in, the Aptera is in no way a suitable replacement for a conventional car. I see it as an expensive toy to take out on sunny weekends to turn heads rather than a day-in, day-out all-weather vehicle that can handle potholes, crosswinds, road-flooding, debris, etc.
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Charles S 3:11PM (3/10/2008)
For the naysayers, you're right to a point: This vehicle is not for everyone. But that doesn't mean there is no market for it.
Traffic today is probably more hectic than it used to be, but people often put too much emphasis on performance and looks. Some of the traffic problems today is caused by the fact that vehicles perform better. People push the limits; they go faster and now most can't imagine driving cars that goes 0-60 in ten seconds.
Honestly, if the gas prices get high enough that there are less cars on the road anyways, vehicle performance will not be an issue.
Hot rods, chrome wheels, etc. are no more of a "toy" than this Aptera. If someone wants an light EV commuter with a small battery pack, Aptera has a great design.
In the future, there will be other alt-fuel vehicles that can do more, but that's a different market. The Aptera is NOT suppose to be a primary vehicle replacement. Many of us have multiple vehicles at our residents, and this is a great replace for that 2nd, or 3rd vehicle in your driveway.
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KarenRei 3:23PM (3/10/2008)
" Who is going to buy these toys, they are not going to last a month."
You know, two people posted right before you commenting about how they're buying Apteras, so I think your question is already answered.
As for how long they'll last, what on Earth makes you think they won't? They're glass/kevlar/carbon fiber composite foam-cored shell, steel roll cage, very long crumple zones on the front and sides, an excellent deflection structure since the nose is so high and rounded, and it's undergone months of computerized crash tests and is going into real-world crash tests next. What more could you possibly want?
As for the wheelbase, your timing is perfect. Over on Apteraforum.com just yesterday, someone finally got a measurement of the actual tiles the Aptera was sitting on in a photo and so was able to determine that its width is about 7' (some speculation had been that they were as much as 8' wide). That's only six inches wider than my Saturn, measured from mirror tip to mirror tip, narrower than a Hummer H1 or H2 by the same measure, and a whole foot narrower than an RV. Hardly seems like a recipe for getting clipped to me. And it's not like those are dowel rods attaching them; it's a tubular metal connection, just like the wheels in your existing car. Probably stronger.
"Why ? because it looks plain ridiculous (pun intended) and far far too different to what people expect a car too look like - and it's not even particularly aerodynamic or light."
1) I *love* the looks. About half the people I've seen on random forums on the net and news article comments where it's been posted just love it, and the other half hate it. Extrapolating, that's 150 million people in the US loving how it looks. Even if this is a biased sample and that number is off by an order of magnitude, that's still 15 million people in the US alone liking how it looks.
2) You're ridiculously off in terms of its stats. It weighs around 1,500 lbs and has a drag coefficient of 0.11. The Prius is the most aerodynamic mass market car currently on the road, with a drag coefficient of 0.26 -- *2 and a half times more aerodynamic drag* than the Aptera.
day-out all-weather vehicle that can handle potholes, crosswinds, road-flooding, debris, etc."
1) The wheel clearance looks to be about six inches. You think you go down that far when you hit a pothole?
2) The car has a drag coefficient of *0.11*, and you think crosswinds are going to even budge it?
3) The Aptera rides higher up than most cars, so it should deal with flooding just fine.
4) What about debris? It has normal tires (the ones from the insight, actually), fairly normal wheels, etc. Being a three wheeler adds a little more of a challenge, but nothing major; I don't drive over big debris in my Saturn, and I wouldn't in my Aptera, either.
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WilliamInPDX 7:01PM (3/10/2008)
I'm so surprised that people find that using this vehicle would be such a scarifice. Why? I dive a '93 Mazda MX3. It for all intents and purposes, a light, two seater car with a ton of cargo space. It handles nicely, is beautifuly constructed, and averages 35 mpg. I commute to work during the week and take long drives or waterski and kayak in the summers. I have no kids, but I have room for two small dogs and a friend. But no one really produces a small, light coupe anymore- EVERYTHING is so heavy.
The Aptera in hybrid form would do everthing I personally use and need in a car, at several times the efficiency.
Get over the looks and the three wheels. This would be a great commuter car for the two car family, or for active singles like me. IT CAN HOLD A SURF BOARD after all!
Let's see, I'll probably retire the MX3 around 2011... Aptera Hybrid in Portland and/or Seattle?
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CC 1:22AM (3/11/2008)
To the ones who think it is a toy and will not sell,......today crude oil went to 108 a barrel. Prices for gas will be ever increasing, even though the trend is now less use for the first time ever. Price of fuel alone will have this thing selling. Add in the cool look factor and sale in california. It already has a ready market to sell. Will sell very well all they have to do is start production.
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daniel billinton 12:50PM (3/11/2008)
"2) You're ridiculously off in terms of its stats. It weighs around 1,500 lbs and has a drag coefficient of 0.11. The Prius is the most aerodynamic mass market car currently on the road, with a drag coefficient of 0.26 -- *2 and a half times more aerodynamic drag* than the Aptera."
What's the prius got to do with it ? i was comparing the Aptera to another concept vehicle which will actually begine production in 2009 called the Loremo. www.loremo.com
Cheks the specification of that vehicle and it makes the Aptera look excessively radical and inefficient.
The loremo has
weight 1,320 lbs
CD factor 0.22 (in a 4 wheel convetional car shape)
120mpg (US)
emissions ~50g CO2/km (half that of the hybrid prius so beloved of Hollywood gliterati)
"2) The car has a drag coefficient of *0.11*, and you think crosswinds are going to even budge it?"
This shows you don't understand aerodynamics or crosswinds. The CD factor of 0.11 is measured in line with the vehicle ie. from the straight ahead - cars rarely achieve this precisely due to crosswinds - with a 20 degree yaw angle the aptera with it's fussy design would be terrible aerodynamically as the wheel has to flow ovet the wheel arch and then the main body. The high drag from the side combined with the high design combined with the lightweight would make it a real handful in windy conditions.
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Domenick Yoney 1:18PM (3/11/2008)
The Loremo will get less than 50g/km now that it's electric. We did a piece on it not long ago...
http://www.autobloggreen.com/2008/02/22/loremo-will-go-all-electric-skipping-this-years-geneva-motor-s/
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Doug Korthof 12:27PM (3/12/2008)
As usual, ABG is FOS. There's nothing strange about an EV, except that the auto makers and paid media liars don't want people to drive clean cars.
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Mike 5:32AM (3/14/2008)
Daniel, Daniel, Daniel...
Aptera, "excessively radical and inefficient"?
Yes, those Loremo stats are impressive. But have you actually stood next to a Loremo? It's the size of a large go-cart!
It's never shown in press releases with a person standing next to it, because 2 real size people can hardy fit their shoulders in it:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/loremo/1396831922
The Loremo has a pretty shape, but like the Aptera, it has it's own set of compromises, like scale!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/loremo/1292839496
I would be very reluctant to put my 2 children in the back of this vehicle...
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Richard Elder 11:21PM (4/19/2008)
Interesting how sexy a similar planform vehicle can look when it is designed for performance rather than efficiency of packaging. (http://xprizecars.com/CarPages/FuelVapor_Ale.pdf)
Congratulations are due to Aptera for incorporating the first composite roll cage and progressive energy absorption structures into a road vehicle. Hundreds of racing car drivers walk away from more severe crashes than the typical road car fatal accident each year because of this technology.
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