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Aptera Ditches San Diego As Home of Electric Car Factory, Blames Economics

 
1,331 views May 18, 2011
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Remember Aptera, the plucky San Diego firm responsible for the three wheeled Aptera 2e electric car which resembles an airplane but is technically a motorcycle? 

After the firm lost out in last year’s Progressive Insurance Automotive X-Prize it went mysteriously silent, save for the occasional newsletter assuring its potential customers that it was working full tilt to get its two-seat ‘car’ to market just as soon as possible. 

But in its latest newsletter to customers, Aptera has detailed not its rollout plans, but a surprise manufacturing move away from its San Diego home while its main offices are destined to stay, moving into offices in Carlsbad. 


The Oceanside warehouse originally earmarked as the Aptera factory will soon end its lease, leaving Aptera just its corporate headquarters in San Diego. 

It all boils down to cost. Speaking to SignonSanDiego.com, Aptera spokesman Marques McCammon put it bluntly, saying, “The economics of the facility we have we don’t think make sense.”

Instead, Aptera said it is now in the process of looking for a manufacturing facility outside of California where it can keep its overheads low and take advantage of the “very generous multi-million-dollar incentive proposals from other states” it claims it has been offered to relocate. 

But until Aptera can secure Department of Energy low-interest loans or find alternative funding of equivalent value it will not be building any factories. 

Despite a bill passing in 2009 which classified 3-wheeled vehicles like the Aptera - considered motorcycles in most states - as electric cars for the purposes of obtaining DoE funding, Aptera executives are reportedly still in discussions to satisfy other criteria before any DoE funding is granted. 

In its latest newsletter, Aptera is its ever-buoyant self. But with every major automaker due to release a plug-in car in the next two years we can’t help but wonder if anyone is still interested in buying a niche electric vehicle with only two seats, limited dealer support and not even a set price-tag. 

Are we viewing the death-throws of yet another small-scale electric car firm, or witnessing a rebirthing of a new type of car? Let us know in the Comments below.


HI-RES GALLERY: Aptera 2e




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Comments (10)

  1. Thomas Posted: 5/19/2011 12:08am PDT

    Sad as it is, its dead. Why? Well, except for some enthusiasts the vehicle doesnt realy offer any extra value. Actually its quite impractical because of its size. Secondly, I dont think it will have an adequate safety standard. Therefore, almost nobody needs such a vehicle. If there is no clear need, why would somebody finance such a project?
     
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  2. fb_100000458268753 avatar Neil Blanchard Posted: 5/19/2011 6:09am PDT

    I am quite doubtful about Aptera ever selling a vehicle. In order to secure the funding they need, I think they should have been showing that they are continuing to develop their design -- with their abysmal performance at the X-Prize with both severe handling issues (bad Cg) and only mediocre efficiency -- the Illuminati 'Seven' is more efficient; and it seats 4 and accelerates much more quickly.
    Aptera should have been able to build an "SO-2" unit that addressed these issues. And if they had managed to deliver a few vehicles to their early depositors, who would proudly drive them on the road; they would probably find the money flowing in.
    I have been designing the CarBEN EV ever since I lost hope to ever drive an Aptera.
    Neil
     
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  3. Snowdall Posted: 5/19/2011 8:26am PDT

    I've always been a big fan of Aptera and have been rooting for them all along. But frankly I'm tired of waiting. I fear that they are quickly missing the boat. I think the only thing that can save them at this point is getting cars on the road quickly and at a range a price point that would make them stand out against other manufacturers. I wish them luck still ... but I fear it might be the beginning of the end.
     
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  4. steve Posted: 5/19/2011 9:19am PDT

    I waited for over 3 years to get an Aptera. The dream died when the founder, Steve Fambro was ousted.
    Now I drive a 2011 Nissan Leaf EV.
     
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  5. fb_1564735781 avatar Douglas Stansfield Posted: 5/19/2011 9:33am PDT

    This car is to futuristic in size and shape for the main stream. Therefore, investors aren't going to fund it as it hasn't proven to be a winner in the marketplace. That's why I convert other peoples cars to run on Electric. Take the gas stuff out and put electric stuff in. That way you have the car of your choice to drive in. www.TAEC.co
     
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  6. deposit money back Posted: 5/19/2011 10:21am PDT

    Aptera. A phrase usually pops up, something like "can't share the details yet". WHEN? DEADLINE? FOR YEARS I could say that I have an electric car company and in the press say "I can't share any details yet but it sure is going to be great!". I could continue to just keep perfecting a design, moving to new locations to feel busy and collecting paychecks and benefits from investors or DOE? And survive any layoffs or reductions. The real question is, why would investors put up with this stuff? GET CARS ON THE ROAD TO CUSTOMERS OR GET NEW PEOPLE WHO CAN. YEARS later, here we are. Would the DOE loan just be more of the same and continued larger paychecks? Hey Aptera, maybe the DOE loan IS the final business/money GOAL, not cars. YES? NO?
     
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  7. Kirk Posted: 5/19/2011 10:23am PDT

    Don't understand the "Ditches San Diego", Carlsbad is really just North San Diego Co. Even today they are not in the City of San Diego, just the Co.
     
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  8. fb_100000005296979 avatar Kent Beuchert Posted: 5/19/2011 12:22pm PDT

    "Ditches San Diego" refers to the move of 99% of their company. Only an office will be retained in overlytaxed California. They are just doing what millions of ordinary Californians (non-illegal aliens,that is) have done over the past ten years - left California to find a decent place to live.
     
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  9. Noel Park Posted: 5/19/2011 3:06pm PDT

    "Turn out the lights, the party's over". Too bad, I really love the look of it.
     
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  10. Dan Posted: 5/28/2011 8:46am PDT

    Sad to see them fail. Very sad. They had a key piece of the EV puzzle: light weight.
    It's amazing that a bohemoth like GM could beat them to market, even while going thru bankruptcy, bailout, etc. I would think that a little co. would be more nimble. But it shows that this is a difficult undertaking. They should take what they have, move to China or India, scale it down to a smaller/cheap vehicle and find a market.
     
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