Photo: Aptera
Aptera promised to reveal its first Gamma prototype by mid-July. Considering how much time other EV makers take to meet their goals – months or years, if ever – missing the presentation date by almost a month may not be that much. But it still is a delay. Those that were waiting got the first official pictures of the Gamma prototype. Curiously, Aptera presented the most mysterious part before any other: the interior.
Confirming what the company said in March, the Aptera Gamma comes with a steering yoke. Tesla offers that with the Model S and Model X, while Toyota is still planning to do so with the bZ4X. Despite all the criticism Tesla received, Aptera defended the yoke as the best solution for its electric trike. If it does not have a lock-to-lock turn of around 150 degrees like the Toyota bZ4X will offer, it will be a problem.
Toyota managed to pull that off with drive-by-wire, eliminating a physical connection to the wheels. We don’t think Aptera will do the same with its trike. As it wants this vehicle to be as energy efficient as possible, power steering may also be out of the question. It may not even be necessary, considering how light the trike is. We’re curious to see what Aptera wants to propose. Depending on what it is, it should also offer a regular steering wheel, even if only as an option.
Aptera has probably chosen this design to ensure a better view of the screen mounted on the steering column. You may be surprised to learn it is not for the dashboard: in previous images, Aptera showed two views of the back of the car. In other words, the screen probably reproduces images from side cameras. The speedometer is on the central screen just like it is on the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y.
If that was not enough Tesla inspiration, the Aptera also uses the same charging standard as the Model S manufacturer. Aptera is currently promoting a petition to make the Tesla charging standard mandatory for all automakers in the U.S. instead of CCS. Chris Anthony appeared in a video talking about price (one-fifth of what a CCS charging plug costs) and weight advantages. The Aptera CEO knows it is an almost impossible wish. Tesla could have had a shot at achieving this if it did like Volvo with the three-point seat belts. At this point, that will probably not happen.
The Aptera Gamma exterior should appear this week if everything goes according to plan. As the company was already pretty sure about the design of its solar trike, It should not be much different from the Alpha and Beta prototypes we have seen until now. Anyway, we still want to check what the production version should look like: the Gamma version should have only minor changes to achieve the Delta (production) stage.
Toyota managed to pull that off with drive-by-wire, eliminating a physical connection to the wheels. We don’t think Aptera will do the same with its trike. As it wants this vehicle to be as energy efficient as possible, power steering may also be out of the question. It may not even be necessary, considering how light the trike is. We’re curious to see what Aptera wants to propose. Depending on what it is, it should also offer a regular steering wheel, even if only as an option.
Aptera has probably chosen this design to ensure a better view of the screen mounted on the steering column. You may be surprised to learn it is not for the dashboard: in previous images, Aptera showed two views of the back of the car. In other words, the screen probably reproduces images from side cameras. The speedometer is on the central screen just like it is on the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y.
If that was not enough Tesla inspiration, the Aptera also uses the same charging standard as the Model S manufacturer. Aptera is currently promoting a petition to make the Tesla charging standard mandatory for all automakers in the U.S. instead of CCS. Chris Anthony appeared in a video talking about price (one-fifth of what a CCS charging plug costs) and weight advantages. The Aptera CEO knows it is an almost impossible wish. Tesla could have had a shot at achieving this if it did like Volvo with the three-point seat belts. At this point, that will probably not happen.
The Aptera Gamma exterior should appear this week if everything goes according to plan. As the company was already pretty sure about the design of its solar trike, It should not be much different from the Alpha and Beta prototypes we have seen until now. Anyway, we still want to check what the production version should look like: the Gamma version should have only minor changes to achieve the Delta (production) stage.
It's here and it's better than ever. #Gamma pic.twitter.com/nhu61sriIF
— Aptera (@aptera_motors) August 5, 2022
Let's make EV charging better for everyone.
— Aptera (@aptera_motors) July 26, 2022
Sign the petition → https://t.co/oudfzs2Hka pic.twitter.com/7m9bnHpi8H
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