1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Aptera electric car saved by Chinese-American partnership

Discussion in 'Prius, Hybrid, EV and Alt-Fuel News' started by massparanoia, May 12, 2012.

  1. nerfer

    nerfer A young senior member

    Joined:
    Mar 1, 2006
    2,507
    235
    28
    Location:
    Chicagoland, IL, USA, Earth
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    That's pretty funny. How about instead you T-bone a Tundra with a Prius, and see which one has more serious injuries?
    It's not the weight necessarily, it's the angle of impact and where your airbags and crumple zones are.
     
  2. nerfer

    nerfer A young senior member

    Joined:
    Mar 1, 2006
    2,507
    235
    28
    Location:
    Chicagoland, IL, USA, Earth
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Agree on Fisker and A123. I think Aptera had some good design work done, but perhaps most of it was on aerodynamics and crash test modelling, not in hardware so much.

    I'm not hopeful. Jonway also makes the Zap electric cars. They're interesting, but last I heard you need to be an electrician/fabricator to fix their factory mistakes and keep it rolling. That would explain how they expect to get the Aptera out to market in a year's time. It won't be a finished product, most likely.
     
    austingreen likes this.
  3. lonestarv

    lonestarv New Member

    Joined:
    May 23, 2014
    2
    0
    0
    Location:
    Bryan, Texas
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    Three
  4. hill

    hill High Fiber Member

    Joined:
    Jun 23, 2005
    19,865
    8,168
    54
    Location:
    Montana & Nashville, TN
    Vehicle:
    2018 Chevy Volt
    Model:
    Premium
    and roll over potential which suv's are notorious for doing compared to lower profile vehicles.
    .
     
  5. Troy Heagy

    Troy Heagy Member

    Joined:
    Apr 21, 2013
    1,218
    4
    0
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
    Model:
    One
    That Chinese car is still safer than if you bought a "classic" American or Japanese or European car from pre-2000. NHTSA ran an offset test on an older car & it was absolutely destroyed (passengers killed).

    Jay Leno reviewed the Aptera and I thought it was a sexy-looking aerodynamic car. I'd buy one to replace the insight, since the Aptera would be the new high MPG king.
     
    #45 Troy Heagy, May 29, 2014
    Last edited: May 29, 2014
  6. hill

    hill High Fiber Member

    Joined:
    Jun 23, 2005
    19,865
    8,168
    54
    Location:
    Montana & Nashville, TN
    Vehicle:
    2018 Chevy Volt
    Model:
    Premium
    . IIRC, the (other EV motorcycle) 'Zero', below, has an MPGe of over 400 ... more than double the Aptera
    [​IMG]

    ...... unless we're only talking MPGe for the super niche EV motorcycle /enclosed cabin category
    ;-)
    .
     
    #46 hill, May 29, 2014
    Last edited: May 29, 2014
  7. Corwyn

    Corwyn Energy Curmudgeon

    Joined:
    Mar 6, 2011
    2,171
    659
    23
    Location:
    Maine
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Everyone who says that the physics is obvious, hasn't done the physics.
     
    nerfer likes this.
  8. Troy Heagy

    Troy Heagy Member

    Joined:
    Apr 21, 2013
    1,218
    4
    0
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
    Model:
    One
    Given the same engineers designed the crumple zones & airbag protection, I'd rather be in a Toyota SUV than a Toyota compact when an accident occurs. The SUV will win.

    I know one person who died on a motorcycle (my uncle who I never got to meet), one person who almost died, and two who are permanently disabled. Motorcyclists weat helmets on their head, but still leave their body exposed. I prefer to put my helmet around my entire self (a car like the Aptera).
     
    #48 Troy Heagy, May 29, 2014
    Last edited: May 29, 2014