Aptera Motors has unveiled its very first production car at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), claiming that the model will be the only solar-powered vehicle on sale to the public when it launches.
While Aptera has said that its solar-electric vehicles are currently “transitioning from prototyping to validation,” it wants to drive the point that they’re planning to produce the two-seater as soon as possible.
But we’ve seen solar-powered vehicles for decades and they’ve historically been too impractical for the average person. Most trade useful body shapes for improved aerodynamics and lessened weight. However, these were also cars that basically existed to test the concept that solar-power cars could even function and came into being at a time when solar and battery tech were less developed. Modern solar vehicles competing in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge this year may resemble teardrop-shaped entrants from the 1990s. But their equipment is significantly more advanced.
Aptera’s vehicle basically takes the above recipe, leverages newer technologies, and attempts to make the solar car concept as easy to live with as a Mazda MX-5 by adding some creature comforts. It’s basically a hyper-efficient EV that can be charged via the local electrical grid or by way of the solar panels situated conspicuously on its roof.
According to the manufacturer, the model being displayed at CES is capable of driving up to 400 miles after a single hour of charging and an estimated 10,000 annual miles of solar-powered miles achieved via energy sourced directly from sunlight. Designed to be as lightweight as possible, the car boasts only three wheels with a body composed largely of carbon fiber and has a drag coefficient of just 0.13.
Meanwhile, 60 mph is supposed to be achievable in roughly six seconds with a maximum of 198 bhp available from the single all-electric motor mounted to the front axle. Not bad for a vehicle almost exclusively focused on efficiency.
The company has said in the past that the vehicle can recoup up to 40 miles of range per day just sitting out in the sun. While that’s genuinely impressive, it presumably requires the vehicle to be parked somewhere it can take maximum advantage of daylight. Based on how roof-mounted solar arrays perform on homes situated in sunbelt states vs regions where there’s more annual cloud cover, owning an Aptera in Nevada would probably make more sense than somewhere like Vermont.
CES 2025 served as a venue to showcase how far the vehicle had come and provided an opportunity for the company to continue its marketing push, ideally snagging some fresh investors along the way. It wants the world to know that it’s closing in on 50,000 reservations (which is said represents over $1.7 billion in potential revenue) and is presently supported by $135 million in equity crowdfunding.
From Aptera Motors:
This event marks the first public showcase of Aptera’s complete solar array, consisting of four panels strategically placed on the hood, dash, roof and hatch of the vehicle, alongside its production body structure, built from carbon fiber sheet molding compound (CF-SMC). This advanced material dramatically reduces complexity, requiring fewer than one-tenth the parts of traditional vehicles, resulting in a lightweight yet robust design.
“Today marks a pivotal moment not only for Aptera but for the future of sustainable transportation,” said Chris Anthony, Co-CEO of Aptera Motors. “This vehicle embodies years of innovation and relentless pursuit of energy-efficient mobility. CES is the perfect stage to share our vision and invite the world to join us in creating a cleaner, solar-powered future.”
Unfortunately for Aptera Motors, this wouldn’t actually be the first solar vehicle to enter production. The Lightyear 0 (manufactured by the Dutch-owned Lightyer) officially launched in 2022 and saw extremely limited volumes due to its colossal €250,000 price tag. It was discontinued almost immediately, with the company presently repositioning itself to build the Lightyear 2 — which is currently in development and supposed to be much more affordable.
If we go further back in time, General Motors had created a foot-long solar prototype that could propel itself short distances at the 1955 Motorama. A decade later the world would see the International Rectifier Company affixing solar panels to the top of the 1912 Baker Electric to prove that sun-powered vehicles could actually carry passengers. Since then, there has been no shortage of universities or corporations developing what were effectively tech-heavy electric bicycles with an aerodynamic solar array situated on top. But the last decade has yielded more than a few examples that are starting to bridge the gap between those early vehicles and something you might actually be able to use as an everyday conveyance.
Aptera is among those trying to make that happen. But we’ve seen how much trouble novel EV manufacturers have had in the past. Some simply failed to break into an industry that’s notoriously unkind to newcomers while others effectively became money laundering schemes or an easy way to defraud investors. For every Tesla that succeeds, there are dozens of examples like Lordstown Motor, Detroit Electric, Nikola, LeEco, and Faraday Future which do not.
But there are also brands like Fisker, which seem to have the uncanny ability to revive themselves after confronting abject failure. While most novel EV businesses retreat to a permanent state of limbo, others manage to claw their way back into prominence.
Looking back into Aptera’s past, we can see that the company originally wanted to build a super-efficient gasoline trike similar to Elios Motors’ P4. However, the Aptera prototype came first and likewise pivoted toward being an EV before going bankrupt in 2011. The company would be revived by the Chinese Zhejiang Jonway Group, which purchased the intellectual property in 2012. The company was split into two divisions shortly thereafter and basically stopped communicating with the public by 2014.
Aptera relaunched in 2019 as Aptera Motors — with the original team at the helm — and used crowdfunding to restart development. The resulting vehicle is the one that appeared at CES this week. With the above in mind, it’s difficult to say how the company will perform beyond the last couple months of successful marketing. The real question is whether or not Aptera is simply creating the illusion of progress or actually on the cusp of delivering something to the public.
[Images: Aptera Motors Corp.]
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Source: The Truth About Cars
