About three years ago, we began following the development of Aptera Motors. The Carlsbad, California, company was founded in 2004 with big dreams of building a little car with an electric powertrain and a 100-mile range thanks to new-age composite body construction and the Cessna-like aerodynamics of its wildly futuristic three-wheeled body. But the startup carmaker, whose executive team included several seasoned vets from the Big Three, was plagued by various delays. Initially, production for the 2e was to begin in late 2009, but design changes, staff reductions, and funding challenges postponed the introduction until 2010 and then early 2011—or at least that’s what the company said when it rolled out the 2e’s final design in April 2010.
That was the last we heard from Aptera until chief marketing officer Marques McCammon confirmed that the company is shutting its doors due to a lack of funding. The business plan hinged on private capital and a Department of Energy grant for which the three-wheeler initially did not qualify. Ultimately, Aptera was able to get a letter of commitment from the DOE for up to $150 million, though only after the company presented plans for a second, high-volume sedan model (pictured) with an Accord-sized interior, 15 cubic feet of cargo space, a 100-mile range, $30K base price and, alas, four wheels. But by then, many investors interested in EV development had been tapped by Fisker and Tesla, McCammon says, and much of the private money was gone.
No one here is particularly surprised that Aptera, whose name means “flightless bird,” couldn’t get off the ground. But as a symbol of fresh thinking, risk taking, and moon-shot ambition, it was a hard company to root against.
No comments:
Post a Comment