Thinking of the Aptera, why do proposed high-mileage 'green' type cars always look so...not like a real car.

Question

Most look positively inconvenient to use. Can't a car be made with all those specs and look like something the average person could own?

Answer 1

If the car is inconvenient to use then it is even more green because you will use it even less.

Answer 2

The mileage figure is only the most basic part of a cars fitness designed to give the incompetent an inkling of a cars history. In truth there is only one way to decide if a cars fit, listen to the engine!! If it sounds sweet, ticks over almost silently, revs without any knocks, and pulls properly then the engine is fit. If when doing 40 in second with your foot off the accelerator there is no whine the thrust bearings are good, if the clutch is taking early and doesn't smell or slip it's good, do the doors fall open or do the hinges feel strong? Does it overheat in a traffic jam? If you can answer the obvious correct answers to all these questions then irrespective of the mileage the car is good. I have a Ford Scorpio that I use for work, meaning it regularly carries 5hundred weight of booklets, then 3/5 fully grown adults inside, it has done 311,000 miles now, and in 6months the only fault I have had is a new battery. It had it's MOT last week and went straight through with no faults. Mileage is still of some issue as it affects resale value, but if a car does 200,000 motorway miles its rarely accelerating or braking and the peripherals are not receiving any real wear, therefore it's probably almost as perfect as when it left the factory.

Answer 3

Aptera looks that way because it has a tiny drag coefficient. The lower the drag coefficient, the better mileage efficiency a car can get. The purpose of an electric car is to maximize mileage efficiency.

However, there are EVs in development which look like regular cars. The Miles Javlon will look like a normal sedan:

http://milesev.com/

The Phoenix SUT and SUV will look like regular trucks and SUVs:

http://phoenixmotorcars.com/

The ZAP-X will also look like a regular SUV:

http://www.zapworld.com/electric-vehicles/electric-cars/zap-x

Answer 4

I agree. The aptera will knock out most of their potential buyers because people don't want to look like they're driving a spaceship. That said, the Prius is one of the ugliest cars on the road, but it is outselling the Civic Hybrid by about 10 to 1. Why? Because people want you to know they are making a statement by what they drive, they don't just want to conserve.

Answer 5

What does a "real" car look like, pray tell?

The Aptera carries three passengers and can carry 15 bags of groceries... and is going to be a real conversation-starter!

I already have mine on order, I live in California less than an hour from where they're going to be manufactured.

Answer 6

In my honest opinion, the reason is to discourage the consumer from buying it. The fact of the matter is that making "green cars" is actually more expensive in some ways then to build an "old fashioned" one. But that would mean less dependency on oil, gas, and other fossil fuels (not to mention the vehicles that use them), i.e. the items of interest that is generating more income for the upper class, namely "our boys" who own these car co.s. Hence the desire to make them look as unattractive as possible, so as to steer the consumer back into SUV's and the like and continue making money.

Answer 7

The efficiency to weight ratio has not been calculated to conform to the desires of the American public. The problem is the number of batteries required. Until a more efficient battery is found, the designs are going to be clunkers.

Answer 8

I just found this link for a blog while doing a web search for this new group that is called 'Club Aptera'
Many of you guys seem to really like the Aptera....You might want to join....Its free and took me about 30 seconds to sign up.

http://clubaptera.blogspot.com

Answer 9

This is a new technology, and it has to go through several technology generations before it starts looking smooth.
Think of the ford T car, would you buy a car that looked like that today? but 100 years later, car makers learned how to make better cars.

Answer 10

Convenience is not the goal of the auto maker. Their top priority is total economy. This can only be acheived with no A/C, radio, and the like. Creature comforts add weight and weight takes aways from its efficiency.

Answer 11

I agree!
If they would spend less money on making them look spacey and focus on how they are going to power them it would make more sense to me too, but they seem to like blowing their budgets on looks rather than function.
Now if they would focus on conversion kits for pre-existing cars, that would make a lot more sense!