Andrew plugs in to mean, green, electric machine
Andrew McLean holds up a pic of his dream car. What would a vehicle looks like if it prioritised efficient and aerodynamics? That was the question that Aptera asked. And this is the result.
It’s a two-seat, three-wheeled vehicle, classified as a ‘auto cycle’. It can travel up to 1600kms in a single charge courtesy of inbuilt solar panels.
And Maleny man Andrew McLean is getting one hot off the production line.
Manufacturer, Aptera, has created the world’s first ‘never charge’ transportation solution, Andrew says. The average Australian commute is around 30 kilometres a day. If you leave the Aptera in the sun all day, solar panels will give an extra 65 kilometres of ‘free from the sun’ travel. “It’s like a petrol fairy putting free fuel in your tank,” says Andrew.
“It is, of course, electric, but it has the equivalent efficiency of 300 mile-per-gallon (0.8 litres per 100kms)”.
“I’m a mechanic, and five years ago I heard that we would be driving cars that use just 10 percent of the energy of today’s cars. I didn’t believe them. Well, it’s just about to land.”
The Aptera, which means “wingless flight” in Greek, is more aerodynamic than the side mirrors of a Ford F150! The three-wheel-drive version will do 0-100 in 3.5 seconds, with the 2WD version a more tame, but still snappy, 5.5 seconds. It, of course, can be charged like a normal EV.
Due to come into full production in California at the end of the year, with a right hand drive version to land in Australia in 2024, the base model costs US$25,900.
“Some say it’s a mix of the Jetsons, a spaceship and the Batmobile, but one thing is for sure, it will turn the commuting world upside down,” said Andrew.
Contact Andrew at amclean42@gmail.com if you are interested in more information or reserving one.