Aptera

Movin' On Up To the Eastside

A significant Aptera milestone occurred Oct. 3 when we opened our newest facility, a spacious 75,000-sq. ft. office/production plant in Vista, Calif. Located just a couple miles east of our longtime home in Carlsbad, where we'll continue to produce all of the Aptera composite bodies, the Vista site includes ample space for testing, engineering, executive offices and, of course, production of future Aptera vehicles.

"(Co-founder) Steve (Fambro) and I love living in San Diego and we're dedicated to being a major component of the local business community," says co-founder Chris Anthony, a Nashville, TN native who moved west 8 years ago. "We've now opened two facilities in North County, with the Vista space being large enough to accommodate further expansion when we begin full-time production. This is where we will complete the first 2e by the end of December, followed by thousands more during the next several years."

"Our entire staff, which seems to be growing nearly every day, is still in the midst of moving into our new home," said Aptera CEO Paul Wilbur. "And once we're all settled in and regularly rolling Apteras off the production line, we'll begin offering public tours of our facility. I think people will really be impressed when they see how we build our vehicles."

Buzz: Aptera Stars at LA Tech Week

Last month we made a rare public appearance during the LA Tech Week in Altadena, California. The fair brought together an impressive collection of the world's technology leaders, including our own Steve Fambro, for a series of panel discussions and speeches about the state of technology development.

Aptera's participation came at the invitation of LA Times automotive writer and Pulitzer Prize winner Dan Neil, who moderated a panel titled "The Automobile and the 21st Century." Alongside Fambro were Geoff Wardle, director of advanced mobility research at the Art Center College of Design; Dave Barthmuss, group manager of western regional environment and energy policy at General Motors; and Franz Holzhausen, chief designer at Tesla Motors.

"LA Tech Week showcased our company in front of an audience that embraces technology and the innovation found in vehicles of the future," said Fambro. "Few people understand the auto industry like Dan Neil, and we spent an interesting hour talking about how advanced, energy efficient, vehicles will affect consumers around the world. It was also intriguing, as always, to hear everybody's reaction to the vehicle when they saw it for the first time."

The most commonly heard refrains from the crowd of entrepreneurs, investors, venture capitalists, teachers and students included, "Wow!...What in the world is that?" "That is totally awesome...does it fly?" How do I buy it?" and "Up to 300 mpg...I live in LA and I've got to have that car."

Aptera Newsletter 11/19/2008

Product Updates: Looking at mirrors and central-mounted camera

In the last newsletter we hinted at some vehicle refinements. Well, starting with this newsletter, and in all subsequent issues, we're going to do a little more than just hint. We'll bring you inside with continuous updates on how the vehicle is continuing to evolve in the name of efficiency, simplicity and safety. But first we want to give you a heads-up on the naming convention that we are going to take to production.

As you know, up to this point we have referred to our vehicle as the Aptera Typ-1 - a name that has become very near and dear to all of us. However, as we move ever closer to production, we are giving more and more thought to brand development and what it takes to make 'Aptera' a household name. We are committed to putting 100,000 Apteras on the road by 2015, and to get there we have to make sure that everyone knows who we are and what we are all about.

The challenge is that, with the name Aptera Typ-1, we have two names vying for attention: 'Aptera' and 'Typ-1.' With that in mind, we have decided to simplify the name and call the vehicle the Aptera-2e, where the 2 designates the number of passengers and the e denotes the electric powertrain. Our sentiment is that with this convention, the vehicle name will rarely be spoken apart from the brand.

The other hot topic for this issue is our rear vision system. As many of you noted, we have consolidated the three body-mounted cameras, into a single "fin" style camera on the roof. While the initial setup couldn't effectively show the body as a point of reference, the new position and better camera technology provide the driver with an unimpeded view of the surroundings.

"By moving to a single camera and screen - in conjunction with more traditional side-view mirrors - drivers are now placed in the safest, most practical and familiar setup," said Tom Reichenbach, chief engineer of Aptera. "We worked hard to make these changes without compromising our core mission of minimizing drag. "Through our comprehensive aerodynamic studies we've been able to design mirrors that slip right through the air. And because the body-mounted cameras created air pockets that disrupted airflow over the vehicle, the change to the overall drag has been minimal."

As you can tell, we're now focused on final enhancements to the Aptera.

Quick Six Q&A: Paul Wilbur and Marques McCammon

When Marques McCammon joined Aptera Sept. 29, the newly appointed Chief Marketing Officer was reunited with Aptera President and CEO Paul Wilbur. The duo had worked together at Chrysler and, according to Wilbur, who sports 26 years of automotive experience ranging from product planning and finance to marketing and product development, "I've watched Marques quickly mature in this industry to become one of the sharpest, most astute pros I've ever worked with...and he's only 32 years old."

Wilbur: I've known you for about nine years - ever since you were just a kid in this industry. I've watched you grow up, from the early days when you helped create the Dodge SRT4 and Chrysler's SRT moniker, to being General Manager of Saleen. You were even honored by Crain's Detroit Business as one of 40 young execs making an impact on Motown, and the rumor is that you were being courted by another "new tech" auto company. So what about Aptera made this the company of choice?

McCammon: "From the beginning, my goal has been to become an automotive entrepreneur. That's the reason I first went to Chrysler, and each career move has kept me pointed in that direction. Moving to a start up was the next logical step, and when I looked at the Aptera product and market thesis, combined with the developing management team, I found a model I could believe in. Now, I'm on the ground floor of an automotive start-up that I'm convinced will make a positive impact on the way people live, work and drive.

Wilbur: Who do you view as Aptera's competition?

McCammon: "Simply put - everybody. We're looking at every vehicle that's used for daily commuting as a potential competitor. This approach will help us to never become too intoxicated with our view of the world."

Wilbur: There's a lengthy list of new car companies that have failed in the past. What have you learned from history that you'll apply at Aptera?

McCammon: "The auto industry is one of the most mature industries anywhere, accounting for a significant portion of the GDP of every developed nation in the world. It's complex and requires an organization that understands and respects that. For Aptera to succeed, we need to focus on our core business; to learn from history and not bite off too much too soon. We need to practice a strategy of patience."

Wilbur: Who'd have ever thought two career car guys like us would wind up so far away from Detroit ... in Southern California?

McCammon: "You've got to love record high temperatures in November instead of snow. And from a business perspective, California is a hot-bed for automotive trends and innovations, as well as being the nation's leader in the adoption of environmental regulations."

Wilbur: As Chief Marketing Officer, what do you hope to accomplish at Aptera?

McCammon: "I want to help make Aptera synonymous with the transportation future in the U.S. and beyond our borders. It's my job to assure that consumers look to Aptera for quality, safety and efficiency. Additionally, I hope to position Aptera as an Efficient Commuter Vehicle (ECV) that goes significantly beyond the boundaries of simply being a motorcycle or a car. Actually, as I say ECV, it starts to sound good to me--maybe we'll use that acronym to market the vehicle."

The Founders Mind: Thoughts from the pen of Steve Fambro

"Open up any book on automotive design and styling. Look at how they begin drawing a new concept vehicle. They almost always start with a rectangle!!!! From there, they [the designers] begin shaving off here, trimming a little there, smoothing and nudging until they have something that they like. It's like baking a cake and throwing in random ingredients because they "look" nice to the stylist, but with no idea or care for how the cake will taste. That's crazy!

Here's the really crazy part--almost everybody does it! The art and process of automotive styling has not evolved to our modern world and is still as it was in the 1930's when it was first defined by Harley Earl. Why is it crazy? Because about 65% of the gasoline we use as a country is used by our cars just to push the air out of the way due to their *styling*, or more correctly, the high aerodynamic drag due to their styling. Now, knowing that, why wouldn't we design cars to push the least amount of air out of the way as possible? (........silence........crickets)

This understanding of designing for low drag is fundamental to Aptera's core. It enables Aptera to chase its goal of designing the most efficient vehicles in the world. Now, it is no secret that the 2e is streamlined just as many birds and fish are. There is a very close connection here: nature abhors inefficiency, as does Aptera. Birds and fish have evolved for millennia to expend the least amount of energy while moving through the air or water as swiftly as possible. So in many ways, Aptera looked to Mother Nature and simply re-discovered what has evolved for millennia.

Now, how does all of this equal 100+ miles per gallon? Well, it's quite simple. By radically lowering the drag of our vehicle, we more than triple the efficiency compared to any other vehicle on the road. But we go further. By designing for a streamlined three wheel vehicle instead of a boxy four, we lower the rolling resistance and the weight of the vehicle, and therefore their associated losses significantly.

Finally, by using composites instead of heavy steel (last century's material), we cut the weight of the vehicle by 50%. All of this means that the Aptera has less drag and is more efficient than any car, motorcycle, scooter or even a bicycle at high speeds and therefore is capable of extraordinary miles per gallon.

So, the next time you look at a shark, hawk, fighter plane or the Aptera, take note--it is their smooth shape that lets them slip through the air using the least amount of energy possible.