Aptera 2e Prototype: First Drive Page 2

By Tim Healey

Tim Healey

Contributing Writer BIO

Tim Healey was formerly an associate editor at Consumer Guide Automotive in Chicago. Before that he worked in the automotive industry as a service... More

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1,188 views Oct 11, 2010

Aptera 2e production intent vehicle

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As noted, Aptera hopes to launch into production in December of 2011. A company spokesman told me that production will begin gearing up this December, if all goes well, in anticipation of the future launch.

The company claims it will add 2,500 direct jobs and 10,000 jobs through suppliers, and that the Aptera will be sold through existing dealerships that currently sell mainstream brands. Aptera also claims that 90 percent of the car's parts--including the batteries--will come from U.S.-based suppliers. Pricing has not been finalized, but you can reserve a car through Aptera's Web site by placing a $500 deposit.

The 2e will be built near the company's headquarters in Oceanside, California, but future vehicles (e.g. a more traditional sedan) will be built at unspecified locations in the Midwest. When pressed about what future models that company might produce, all the spokesman would confirm is that a sedan is in the works.

"2e" stands for 200 mpg equivalent, and while it's tough to verify those claims without independent testing, my brief drive around Chicago's South Side confirmed that the Aptera works, even in prototype form.

How well it works, however, may be in the eye of the beholder. For an urban runabout with quirky styling, the two-seater fits the bill. As a daily driver? Well, that will depend on what your daily drive is like ... and on how much of an entrance you like to make.