Aptera Returns Deposits for EV

Not all green cars are heading for a bright future judging by how things are evolving for the Aptera EV or should we say how thing are not evolving. For those clients who were waiting for the Aptera since 2008 there are more bad news to come. The California based company is returning all deposits made by customers who signed up for purchasing the Ampera 2e all-electric car or the 2h hybrid model.

The Aptera managed to stand out from the crowd by entering the Automotive X Prize in 2008. The three-wheeler which has 2 seats was announced to have a 300 mpg rating, at a price of less than $30,000. It was scheduled that the vehicle will head for production in December that year. A year later, the car still had not been produced as a result of financing problems and engineering changes.

After the first episode, the company estimated that the electric car would be available in 2010. Another problem surfaces these days as Aptera says it is returning deposits due to a problem with its credit-card processor. Apparently their system is designed for transactions to be completed in a six-month window, which was far over due by the prolonged production time of the vehicle.

Also, Aptera released a statement last week saying that the “reservation-holder contact information will be moved to our newly created VIP database and used to provide you with exclusive information about future happenings at Aptera. As our production date approaches, we will use the database to direct you to your local retailer so you can be among the first to own an Aptera vehicle,” as related by autoweek.com.