A Car That Gets 300 Miles Per Gallon
While A123Systems, Altairnano, and EESTOR are developing next generation high-performance batteries, car manufacturers are working hard to develop the perfect electric cars to exploit them. A company called Aptera now claims their latest prototype gets a whopping 300 miles per gallon fuel efficiency. But at what cost?
The Aptera Typ-1 sounds like a dream high-tech commuter car:
The Typ-1 will have a range of 120 miles on electricity alone, with a 600 mile range for the hybrid version when fully fueled. The vehicle seats two in the front, with one seat in the back big enough to fit an infant car seat, according to company specs. With that seat removed and used as a cargo area, it can fit up to 15 bags of groceries or two full-size golf club bags…Instead of typical side mirrors, the car has displays fed by embedded cameras that show a 180-degree view of the rear and side area of the car. Its safety features include a front-end crumple zone to protect passengers and air bags.
Great! And it’s also very lightweight, body constructed of a composite material, with smashing aerodynamics. And if you use it primarily for commuting less that 120 miles a day, you can get by well over 70 percent of the time on electricity alone, extending the fuel economy even further. And it carries a consumer-friendly price tag of $30,000.
And it looks like this:
When I first saw images of the Aptera Typ-1 I was reminded of the old Woody Allen film “Sleeper.” But then when I realized that they were serious, I had to wonder what they were thinking.
People like cars that look like…cars. That’s one of the reasons the Prius is so successful - it doesn’t resemble a spaceship. The all electric Tesla looks like a high performance sports car. With all that the Typ-1 has going for it, why package the goodies in a shuttlecraft?
Innovations like this warrant a good people-oriented body design, the kind our friends at IDEO have produced for years. I hope this is successful, but wish it looked more like a Prius and less like a Piper Cub.
Will YOU want to buy one?
UPDATE: One other fact that I haven’t considered until now: if it’s considered a motorcycle in your state, you might have to wear a helmet when driving it (or should I say, riding it).
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8 Responses to “A Car That Gets 300 Miles Per Gallon”
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Uh, that is NOT what it looks like. That is the old/original proof of concept. aptera dot com has the latest version of this vehicle.
the prius is successful because of the FACT of 4 doors and 4 pass.
why is it so hard to get the latest images/specs/facts for aptera?
Oh, and too bad the big T loses, yes loses, money on every Prius sold.
W
and if you want to see how it drives:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hfv7wMXarig
@ WS - you are right, I had an old image. I replaced it with a new one. It looks pretty much the same, except for additional styling. My comments stand.
that is showing the safety structure. How about just showing the nice outside and the nice interior shots. it does look like it could fly. did you see the video?
W
Interesting thoughts.
The Smart Car didn’t look much like a car when it came out. But it works. People buy them, and eventually there are more around, so we get used to how they look. Opinions on design evolve through success.
the looks of the car is due to the great amount of aerodynamic systems .
the car moves easy with these designs due to the reduction of the air resistance.
I can olso say that some people will buy it just for the reason you refuse it for.
I know some who will buy it because it doesnt look like any car in the street
thanks man for the opinion
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