Onboard solar charging.

[MEDICALJMP]

Average American man is 191#, woman is 159#.
These auto engineers should have done a little research. Or just look around at how fat we all are. (20 years ago the avg. American woman was 135#. I remember that from a stint in oncology.)

Sponsored

 

[HaulingAss]

not to drive another discussion, but I listened to the Aptera review this morning and it scared the hell out of me......was told that the load capacity would only be 500 lbs....... they figured it on 2-people weight 150 lbs each (300lbs) and 200 for gear.....well I am 220lbs and my wife is 110 lbs...thats 330 lbs.....leaving 170 lbs for all camping gear, cooler, clothes etc......even on a road trip, luggage will weigh more than 100 lbs.......re-thinking camping and road trip with this machine......btw, will the aptera be registered as a motorcycle?

500 lbs. is actually a huge payload capacity relative to Aptera's vehicle weight of only 1800 lbs. for the 40 kWh release version with solar power. That's 28% of the curb weight as cargo.

In comparison, the Hummer EV Pickup only has a payload capacity of 1300 lbs. which means it is so weak it can only carry 14% of it's 9,000 lb. curb weight. That's half the capability of the Aptera!

The Hummer EV truck ought to be ashamed to call itself a "truck" when it can only carry 14% of it's unladen curb weight as cargo before being officially over-loaded. That's not a truck in my book.

 

[Crissa]

btw, will the aptera be registered as a motorcycle?

Depends on the state, but yes. As an enclosed autocycle, I don't think there's any state that requires a motorcycle endorsement, though.

A couple require helmets.

-Crissa

 

[happy intruder]

Depends on the state, but yes. As an enclosed autocycle, I don't think there's any state that requires a motorcycle endorsement, though.

A couple require helmets.

-Crissa

wonder what kind of road tax the governor will be charging us at registration time.....both my cars drive less than 5k a year, but we pay road tax on 14k each......

 

[ldjessee]

you mention renters with on-street parking. Of those, how many have reliable on on-street parking locations that aren’t materially obscured from the sun by trees, neighboring buildings, etc.? And of those with sufficient light in the first place, how many will have on-street parking on a north/south oriented street such that they can orient their vehicle towards meaningful charging? And of those how many are even home during most of daylight hours, rather than at work? And of those who are at work most of the week, is their work parking unobscured, facing S/SW, etc?

Forgive the piling on, but it’s sort of the point: it seems like a needle-threading effort to think of who will have the correct conditions for what… gaining a couple miles a day? Offsetting vampire drain?

Take yourself for example. You say you want solar on the CT because you work from home, but that you won’t put solar on your home - in part - because it’s obscured by tall trees.

But your driveway isn’t?

And if you’re home, why not … plug in? Even a 120 trickle charger would do an order of magnitude more than an on-vehicle panel, much less one in partial shade.

Anyhow, your situation may be a needle threaded. But I would find it strange if, after consideration, Tesla didn’t decide that the squeeze ain’t worth the juice for on-vehicle solar.

offer instead a deployable solar windscreen shade and call it good

I could see people, instead of vying for a parking spot on the street close by, to get one exposed to the sun...

Yes, the end of my drive way is less shaded than my home, as there are less trees near the road.

Because the government nor the utilities have not found a way to charge for and/or tax the sunlight. Sure, I have a Leaf, I plug it into 120 only... It has a tiny solar panel on it, but it is tiny, it fits on the rear spoiler... but never had an issue with the 12 volt battery going dead, so even though it is tiny, it is doing the job they designed it for.

And I am good with the deployable solar panel as well... but the tyranny of the default / lowest effort means that I do not have to remember to deploy, or move it out of the way for when people want to drive by my truck, etc...

I definitely think the size makes it most likely never going to be worth it from a cost perspective.

But I never worry about the accessories for my motorcyle to be cost effective...

 

[Zapharus]

https://twitter.com/JRussell614?ref_src=twsrc^tfw|twcamp^tweetembed|twterm^1197889310550216704|twgr^2fa465e41abd25dda4b30520506d3b18459c360e|twcon^s2_&ref_url=https://d-17533633851440350924.ampproject.net/2304132133000/frame.html

Other than this Tweet I haven't heard anything.

For those who rather have a screenshot:

 

[Crissa]

wonder what kind of road tax the governor will be charging us at registration time.....both my cars drive less than 5k a year, but we pay road tax on 14k each......

Yeah. My 8 year old e-Motorcycle cost as much to register as my 10 year old Mazda 3.

-Crissa

 

[happy intruder]

Depends on the state, but yes. As an enclosed autocycle, I don't think there's any state that requires a motorcycle endorsement, though.

A couple require helmets.

-Crissa

also, wonder how USAA insurance will classify it.....since enclosed, probably a car

 

[happy intruder]

Yeah. My 8 year old e-Motorcycle cost as much to register as my 10 year old Mazda 3.

-Crissa

I saw a different post earlier, and I kind of agree, USAA will probably classify it as a car.....gonna call them today and ask

 

[cvalue13]

I saw a different post earlier, and I kind of agree, USAA will probably classify it as a car.....gonna call them today and ask

If they balk, just send them the Sandy Monro quotes saying the CT isn’t a truck

Don’t tell them about

Spoiler

camper shells

 

[charliemagpie]

Rack with solar is what I will now prefer. I don't have plans to put anything on top, just a side awning.

 

[LDRHAWKE]

With newer higher efficiency solar panels coming on the market, that are less effected by partial shading that are flexible and roll open , it may easier and cheaper to get buy one and lay in in the truck bed in the bed when it isn’t in use and simply open the cover.….after you figure out a way to lock it down so it isn’t ripped off. With all cameras on the truck maybe Musk can include an app that screams out “get you dirty hands off of that you are on candid camera”

Sponsored