When two Aptera workers drove the Gamma prototype in a video, we confirmed that the solar trike would have at least three Tesla characteristics that could compromise the driving experience it would offer. The central screen that concentrates most functions in the vehicle, the steering yoke, and a gear selector that is also on the central screen are Tesla ergonomy mistakes, but it is not alone anymore. Delta design shows Aptera will double down on them.
The startup revealed the final version of the Aptera on December 31 in a CGI video. It shows all parts of the solar trike coming together and the final product when all components are mated to each other. In the end, the Delta prototypes will not be very different from Gama vehicles, which is quite predictable as the solar trike approaches production lines.
On March 27, 2020, a German court in Karlsruhe fined a driver €200 ($212.60 at the current exchange rate) for trying to adjust the windshield wiper speed at the central screen of his Tesla Model 3. The problem is that this driver got distracted with this task, left the road, and hit an embankment and some trees. He tried to argue that it was a safety feature in his vehicle, but that did not convince the German court. In its interpretation, the infotainment screen is a distracting electronic device. He also lost the right to drive for one month.
Despite such issues, Aptera is pursuing the same path instead of adding more controls to its steering wheel or even a stalk that could take care of that. A speed selector would also be welcome, but Apture placed it on the central screen. The explanation may rest on manufacturing concerns.
Aptera asked Sandy Munro for advice on that, and the engineer is a confessed fan of Tesla’s methods. Munro is also an Aptera investor and admitted to making a lot of money selling Tesla stock in 2021. He said he bought $22,000 in April 2020 and sold these shares for $170,000 in early 2021. The engineer has always praised Tesla’s solutions for making manufacturing easier and its cars more profitable.
That said, Munro must have advised Aptera to follow the same strategies. As clever as that may seem from the production perspective, it makes operating the vehicle more difficult. While drivers are used to activating windshield wipers on stalks and gear selectors with levers, the Aptera controls everything on a single screen. If it fails for any reason, there is no way to safely drive the vehicle.
The good news about Aptera is that the company is pursuing something Tesla fights against: the right to repair. The startup said several times its components are made to last, but that the driver may fix the solar trike at home if they wish to do so. Tesla asked its customers to vote against Massachusetts's Right to Repair initiative in 2020. It lost.
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