I took a ride in an electric car that doesn’t need power
At CES 2025I rode in an electric car that you almost never have to plug in. The Aptera Solar EV is so loaded with solar panels and so efficient in operation that the manufacturer claims it can get up to 40 miles of free range each day from that giant nuclear reactor in the sky: the sun. As the oddly shaped EV nears production later this year, I ducked under its wing-like doors on a prototype for an early look.
Although the Aptera’s coolest party trick is its solar power, the first thing you notice when you get up close is how alien the design of the EV coupe is. The automaker designed the three-wheeled vehicle to be as aerodynamic and light as possible. So, its carbon fiber body has a dolphin-inspired shape with a bottle nose and long, tapering tail to cut through the air with about 70% less drag than a conventional small EV. The design limits the EV to just two passengers, but there’s room for 32.5 cubic feet of cargo in the long tail.
Meanwhile, the individual wheels feature narrow, high-aspect wheels and tires with low-rolling-resistance tires to reduce road friction. And the whole vehicle is about half the weight of a regular car. The Aptera is front-wheel drive, which I’m told helps the weight of the 150 kW (201 hp) electric motor over the trike’s wider front end for stability and a more predictable driving character.
Take a closer look and you’ll see that almost every horizontal surface is covered in the brand’s specially designed solar cells – including the curved glass hood, the roof, the tailgate and even the dashboard. In total, there’s about 700 watts of solar-generating capacity, which thanks to the EV’s impressively low weight, drag, and friction, captures enough energy to power the EV up to 40 miles per day in optimal, sunny Southern California conditions. If your commute is around 30 miles, you can handle daily driving indefinitely without plugging in at all.
Of course, if you park in a cloudier climate, have shorter days, or get less than excellent direct sunlight, solar generation will be reduced, but the Aptera can also be plugged in for Level 1, 2, or DC fast charging. All told, the automaker expects the EV to go up to 400 miles before needing a recharge. Even more impressive is that it does this with just a 45 kilowatt-hour battery. A nice bonus of having such a small battery is that the EV can be reliably charged from a regular wall outlet, and a quick DC charge to the full 400 miles should take less than an hour.
During my test drive on the streets of Las Vegas, traffic prevented us from experiencing the full sub-6 second 0-60 sprint, but the Aptera pushed along with a satisfying zip. Ride quality was also quite good thanks to the four-link rear suspension on the single rear wheel, although the full experience wasn’t exactly representative of the final product due to the prototype’s lack of interior and more conventional wide front tires.
Eventually, the brand plans to add an even cheaper Aptera configuration to the lineup with a smaller battery and lower total range (but the same solar capacity of 40 miles per day), followed by a variant with more cargo space. for now Aptera Motors is taking pre-orders for the $40,000 Aptera Solar EV and expects production to ramp up significantly later this year.
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