Do we know Aptera's new address yet? [Archive] - ApteraForum.com

Vasil

07-04-2008, 05:26 PM

In this neck of the woods (northern San Diego County), there are tons of places to relocate: eastern Carlsbad, western Escondido, southwestern Vista, southern Oceanside... Given the size of Aptera's current operations, it could take just about a week to move everything entirely, and some of the best locations would be within 5 miles of the current location. I wouldn't sweat so much about where Aptera is, but how their production system is.

esmith

07-07-2008, 02:52 AM

So, it's July and they haven't even chosen the new location. I expected them to be halfway through assembling the production line. It's starting to look increasingly doubtful that the all-electric version will go into production in 2008, as claimed.

There's an article about CAFE standards in the latest Car and Driver, here's one of the statements:

"...when you hear automakers say new-product lead time has been reduced to two years, that time interval refers to how long it takes to put new cars into production after they've been fully designed and engineered."

As much as I like to think that a job that takes two years for an established automaker with existing production facilities can be done from scratch in four months by a bunch of guys in a startup, I don't think it's very likely to happen.

KarenRei

07-07-2008, 11:39 AM

I completely disagree. Not that the schedule can't or won't slip; that's always possible. I completely disagree that a large factory is needed to start low-volume production (aka, just like how Tesla started producing -- a low production rate while you tweak your process). A large factory is needed to have multiple parallel part lines, storage for parts and finished vehicles, etc. Their small facility was big enough to make the Mk1, and it should be big enough for low-volume production.

I hope you're not picturing them just sitting around in their current facility doing nothing all day, waiting for a new building to open.

kdawg

07-07-2008, 12:05 PM

I don't think any of us can speculate on what they are up to... Unless I missed somthing, there really wasn't a newsletter for June.... Just a stupid survey. I think they need to update the crowd on what is going on.

esmith

07-07-2008, 01:01 PM

A large factory is needed to have multiple parallel part lines, storage for parts and finished vehicles, etc. Their small facility was big enough to make the Mk1, and it should be big enough for low-volume production.

I seem to recall reading that it cost them $1 million to build the prototype. So

1) when they are saying "[All-electric] will be the first Aptera to go into production late in 2008", they really mean "we will focus our attention on assembling 5 more all-electric Apteras manually by the end of 2008, hopefully bring the cost under $500,000 per unit, and give them to our top executives"
or 2) they are still in the design stage.

KarenRei

07-07-2008, 02:21 PM

Most of the cost of setting up for a mass-produced vehicle is design and tooling. These costs change little with how many you produce in the long run; they're mainly fixed costs. That means the more you produce, the lower the unit cost.

I don't know why you'd expect them to suddenly be able to start up the lines and be rolling off a dozen Apteras a day; that's just not how these things work. You need to start in low volume and steadily ramp up; otherwise, you're almost guaranteed to end up with a bunch of bad parts or bad vehicles. And yes, when finished production vehicles (i.e., not those for drivetesting or crash testing) start rolling off the lines, that is when "production" has started. Even if it's at a very slow rate. If you were expecting a dozen or so Apteras a day in 2008, I'm sorry that you somehow were left with this impression; I think most of us around here know better than that.

Reellucky

07-07-2008, 06:44 PM

I know that everyone (including myself) are chomping on the bit to get our hands on our new Aptera, but look at the history of car companies who have tried to break into mainstream car production.

The early Deloreans had numerous quality control issues until they came online for full production. After the Company began to fail, the quality control issues returned as they threw together the parts to produce the last Deloreans built. The mid production series Deloreans were the best build cars that they made.

Personally, I am willing to let the smaller numbers get the "learning cars" if it means my car will have less issues.

My 2 cents (and worth every penny you paid for it) :)

JimmyDreams

07-07-2008, 07:43 PM

True, but early airplanes crashed all the time and rockets blew up time after time. With the advent of modern computer design, engineering and testing, there's much less 'guesswork' involved by the time anything hits the manufacturing floor these days.

But hey, I'm an optimist!!

:)

JimmyD

esmith

07-07-2008, 08:23 PM

Delorean is a good example of what can be realistically expected.
Company founded: 1975
Factory construction begins: October 1978
Factory completed: February 1980
First couple of production models: January 1981
Assembly lines start, initially at ~10 vehicles/day: March 1981
First shipment of 80 cars leaves the factory: April 1981

The factory was 600,000 sq.ft., and their intended production volume was 20,000 units/year (although they've only managed to build 9,000 in 1.5 years before going out of business).

Total time from laying the foundation of the factory to the first unit delivered to a customer: 30 months. Aptera will be renting an existing office so I'll shave off 6 months for that. They will be building on a smaller scale, they might be nimbler, and typ-1e's construction is simpler than DMC-12. So, instead of 2 years, it will only take them 1 year. If they sign the lease on their new factory tomorrow, that would place first typ-1e deliveries around July 2009.

KarenRei

07-07-2008, 09:54 PM

So, if you're going for the De Lorean schedule, around when are you scheduling Aptera to need a complete redesign and their production process to have to be scrapped?

JimmyDreams

07-07-2008, 10:08 PM

Reellucky

07-08-2008, 11:31 AM

Delorean sold cocaine? I didnt think anyone remembered that anymore. I have the personalized plate COKMACH (Coke Machine) on my Delorean and nobody gets it anymore :)

I agree the Delorean example was more complicated than building Aptera's, but then again, Delorean didnt have to work with carbon fibre.

As far as the joys of modern design techniques, weren't they used to design the solid rocket boosters on the Challenger? :(

I will still wait for the e-models to work out the bugs while waiting for my h-model.

KarenRei

07-08-2008, 11:52 AM

Delorean didnt have to work with carbon fibre.

On the other hand, he did have to work with stainless steel, which isn't a cakewalk, either ;)

To be fair about the cocaine stuff, it clearly was entrapment. They initially approached him as normal investors, and only later broke out the part about the drugs. And I think it's pretty clear that he feared for his life if he backed out.

Apteratude

07-08-2008, 03:42 PM

Keep in mind the signifigantly reduced number of parts required in the Aptera vs. an ICE powered car. The powertrain of the Aptera consists of some batteries(outsourced), a controller and a motor(Also outsourced). That's 3 parts. Sure there are other details like electrical connectors and wiring, but that is the just of the motor! The shell is made out of several molds and is in house. The number of parts required to make this car vs. a normal car is not even comparable.

As far as Tesla goes, they had transmission problems due to a high output motor that set them back. We'll see though. I'll live if it takes 6 months longer than expected to get my Aptera.

AS far as the new building, it's only necessary that they occupy the new building once mass production begins. No need to pay large sums of $$$ for rent on a building when production is 6 months away.

esmith

07-08-2008, 06:08 PM

Actually I'm not sure if can really say that Aptera is less complicated than Delorean.

Instead of a V6 internal combustion engine, it has a big electric motor. (Delorean did not build its own engines, they were outsourced as well) Instead of a fuel tank, a carburetor, and fuel lines, it has a battery and a lot of wiring. It requires sophisticated electronics to route tens of kilowatts of energy between battery packs, superconductors, and the engine. Neither Delorean nor Aptera have power steering (AFAIK). Aptera has more sophisticated and exotic suspension. Instead of a basic cassette radio, you have three daylight-view LCD monitors and video cameras.

KarenRei

07-08-2008, 06:28 PM

It requires sophisticated electronics to route tens of kilowatts of energy between battery packs, superconductors, and the engine

I assume you mean "supercapacitors". And actually, they're buying their inverter and charger from other companies. The inverter and motor are even designed specifically for each other, and are made by the same company. It's a case of "connect the parts".

Also, while the suspension is different, it doesn't appear particularly complicated. And hooking up the StreetDeck system is no more complex than wiring in a radio.

esmith

07-08-2008, 08:19 PM

It's not just a case of "connect the parts". A good example: regenerative brakes. You can't connect supercapacitors in parallel with the battery and forget about them, because you want them to be empty when the driver hits the brake. There has to be some kind of logic that disconnects the battery and connects capacitors when brake pedal is detected. Furthermore, braking power of a simple motor-capacitor system depends on engine RPMs and charge state of the capacitors, and you want it to be a function of position of brake pedal. So you need to adjust inverter ratio dynamically in a non-trivial way. You need logic that unplugs capacitors when they exceed allowed voltage, logic that slowly discharges capacitors into the battery (or, maybe, uses those capacitors to power the engine) during regular driving, logic that engages front disk brakes when engine's braking power is exceeded. On top of all that, you want some kind of a backup system (if all your brakes are electronically controlled, your car would lose all braking capabilities in the event of an electrical failure, that would be nasty).

gg222

09-14-2008, 07:41 PM

apteraclub.com said that Aptera is moving into their new warehouse on Scott St. in Vista, CA. Has this been confirmed? http://apteraclub.com/clubinfo.html (bottom of the page)

drivin98

09-15-2008, 01:05 AM

There's only a couple buildings on Scott street 100,000 sq ft in size and they seem to be occupied.

JimmyDreams

09-15-2008, 10:29 AM

apteraclub.com said that Aptera is moving into their new warehouse on Scott St. in Vista, CA. Has this been confirmed? http://apteraclub.com/clubinfo.html (bottom of the page)

Apteraclub has NO 'inside' information. That site will take information (including pics, graphs, etc) from other sites and post it as if it's their own creation. Just look at the bottom of the page on apteraclub.....they have about a dozen variations of Apterafun.com, apterasandiego.com, apterasanfrancisco.com, apterafunSD.com...etc. They're nothing but a squatter site trying to make money off of other people's efforts. In wouldn't trust any information found there.

Or do I sound a bit harsh??
:fighting0003:

JimmyD

Apt3448

09-15-2008, 01:36 PM

Or do I sound a bit harsh??
:fighting0003:

JimmyD

Just a tad. The person running that site is also a member of this forum and has at least sat in an Aptera. (and been at their place, etc). Regardless of what you make of that site, do not discard whatever you see there out of hand. If drivin98 tell us that none of the buildings on Scott street of appropriate size are available, that would be more important. BTW, drivin 98, have you checked it out? RU positive?

esmith

09-15-2008, 09:41 PM

I found a document with the list of all industrial space available for lease in Vista as of July 2008. The largest property (and the only one with more than 100,000 sf of office/warehouse space) is in fact located at 2980 Scott St, Vista, CA. I also found an ad for this property. It seems well suited for Aptera.

http://showcase.costar.com/approot.aspx#645abf0d-e7a9-4cd9-883c-3adf6d71885d

Apt3448

09-15-2008, 10:50 PM

Hey, thanks for that reference, i had been trying to find that sort of info for a while. This seems indeed interesting/relevant. And I noted "There are plans to increase the parking capacity via a parking deck" Which might come in handy when you manufacture cars.
On the negative side: this space is still available?? I thought they were supposed to move into new facilities in August, if they haven't yet clinched a deal we are running behind, no?
But I cannot find any evidence of a comparable size space having been sold recently. No info on the rental front. Anyone any idea how to find out?

esmith

09-15-2008, 11:20 PM

It may mean that the site is outdated, or they didn't sign all papers yet. I'm going to drive by tomorrow. It's pretty safe to assume that they are not going to buy the building, it's too expensive and they aren't drowning in cash. The only other possibility in Vista is 1335 Park Center Dr. and I see an ad for that property that's dated 9/12/08.

They could stay in Carlsbad or move to San Marcos. But if they are in Vista, 2980 Scott seems to be the only option.

Apt3448

09-15-2008, 11:39 PM

The only other possibility in Vista is 1335 Park Center Dr. and I see an ad for that property that's dated 9/12/08.

They could stay in Carlsbad or move to San Marcos. But if they are in Vista, 2980 Scott seems to be the only option.

I guess they keep the add up until the very last moment or longer, just in case. The Park center Dr property is billed as warehouse, not manufacturing, so vista, Scott street seems best suited. Please do drive by and report! Take pix is relevant and thanks!

n_dawg

09-16-2008, 01:36 AM

This is relevant to my interests.

Ardie3301

09-16-2008, 02:29 PM

Y'know, if Apterian officers stated something about setting up facilities in the South, then there's no need for Aptera to BUY a building here in Southern California.

Maybe they are leasing for short-term (< 3 years), and will eventually move their actual high volume production elsewhere.

-- Ardie

esmith

09-16-2008, 04:49 PM

2980 Scott is vacant, there's a "for lease" sign in front, no cars in the parking lot. There's one other building that's half-occupied but only 37k sf are available. All other offices on Scott St. are occupied by other companies.

gg222

09-16-2008, 05:03 PM

Thanks for the info esmith.

Apt3448

09-16-2008, 08:11 PM

Thanks for trying, really appreciate that. So we are back to square one: we have no idea how far along they are. They should have been in a new place making stuff by now, but there is no indication of that. Anyone recently checked that they still are in the old facilities?

So many questions, so few newsletters...:mad:

esmith

10-03-2008, 04:43 PM

This just in:

I have it from reliable sources that Aptera is currently in process of moving their stuff from their old office to 3151 Scott St. in Vista.

aptera1213

10-03-2008, 04:54 PM

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=3151+Scott+St.+vista,+ca&ie=UTF-8&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&resnum=1&ct=title

mmmm, looks big....does anybody know the size?

esmith

10-03-2008, 04:58 PM

Its around 75K square feet. I saw an ad for that place before, but it was only for half of the building (37K). The other half was occupied by Heritage Paper. I don't know what happened, but it does not look like there are any other occupants at the present time, maybe they got the whole building for themselves somehow.

OC-LA driver

10-03-2008, 05:15 PM

Right by Carlsbad Raceway...hey maybe we get a few laps there if we pick it up at the factory? Woo hoo!

esmith

10-03-2008, 05:26 PM

Right by Carlsbad Raceway...hey maybe we get a few laps there if we pick it up at the factory? Woo hoo!

You mean FORMER Carlsbad Raceway, now properly called Carlsbad Raceway Business Park.

It used to be a dirt MX track and a drag strip, but it's been completely torn down and replaced with industrial buildings a few years ago.

OC-LA driver

10-03-2008, 05:34 PM

Aw man, I was going to trick this thing out for dirt :-)

jstdadd

10-03-2008, 05:48 PM

Aw man, I was going to trick this thing out for dirt :-)

Just park it outside during fire season - Voila! All tricked out with dirt!

(Oh, wait, you said FOR dirt. Sorry.)
:aptera:

KarenRei

10-03-2008, 05:48 PM

Great -- now I know where to head when I'm in Carlsbad late this month. ;)

Nice sized building there.

aptera1213

10-03-2008, 05:49 PM

75 k is a good start....after a bit maybe they can grab the building just south also...

aptera1213

10-03-2008, 05:50 PM

Great -- now I know where to head when I'm in Carlsbad late this month. ;)

Nice sized building there.

take a long lens camera and some camo outfits

KarenRei

10-03-2008, 05:52 PM

Lol... should I show up in a Ghillie suit? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghillie_suit) :)

aptera1213

10-03-2008, 06:04 PM

ha, that would be good...but better would be to wear a steve fambro disguise...you could get tons of info and a test ride too

http://www.aptera.com/images/steve.jpg

Pooky

10-03-2008, 06:32 PM

wow...they are going to be literally 1 mile away from my work place...cool...maybe i'll drop by the place during lunch every so often...

Apt3448

10-03-2008, 07:53 PM

So it was Scott street al along... Well, I'm glad is clear now. Very close to the old facilities, and I am guessing some of the recent sightings involved getting the already build Aptera's to the new building (three in a row?!). While the move did happen later than expected (didn't we hear August at some point?), it is at least all still very much in line with what we knew. I like that: no strange new movements, but the little info we got seems correct. Aptera Motors is not erratic, impulsive, etc.
And I sure hope some of us nearby will be able to report on the progress from as seen from the street!

garygid

10-11-2008, 03:23 AM

Perhaps Aptera is just taking half the building for now, and they
plan to get the other half when the other tennant's lease is up?

garygid

10-13-2008, 11:16 PM

I visited the new Aptera factory location (3151 Scott St, Vista 92081)
today. No tours yet, probably have to wait until year end, they said.
However, there was a nice, large conference table and room just inside
the factory's reception area. I asked for some of the Aptera Logo decals,
which they kindly gave me (black, and white, apparently no green).

Leaving, I looked back through some office windows on the front of the
building, and could see three vehicles in the big back "manufacturing" area.
I did not see the "new" triangular window on any of them, and I could
not see the suspension since the view was from the side.

Also, Heritage Paper is still in the northern end of the building.
Aptera is in the southern end.

The old office is still open, and I could smell the strong oder of fiberglass
resin even in the reception area, just inside the front door. So, I would
guess that at least some of the molds are still there, and they are
making some parts. Perhaps they have to wait for a ventilation system
to get working in the new "factory" before they make resin parts there.

But, they are one step closer to manufacturing.

Apt3448

10-13-2008, 11:52 PM

Thanks gary, appreciate the update. You don't speculate about seeing some unfinished cars without the rear windows. Any suggestions? I have been thinking that the eyes forward system might be optional (extra cost of $3000???), in which case some :aptera: would have the rear view window, others not. Any other suggestions?

Also good to hear they are making vehicles, at whatever location

Edit: I see you didn't say they were unfinished vehicles. So much for my complot theory...

garygid

10-14-2008, 12:17 AM

The three vehicles might have been the three that somebody photographed
going down the road ... perhaps as they were headed for their new home.
So, no new news or observations on construction.

TimmyBim

11-14-2008, 12:26 PM

I think the one thing we CAN assume from these threads, is that Aptera Motors, INC really has revolutionized the way we think about localized transportation. New ground has been broken, and America has responded.... very enthusiastically. Naturally, we want to be kept in the loop. However, we're not on the board, and most of us aren't the investors here, so there's really no reason for us to know more than what we've already been told. More pics/vids to sate the masses would be nice, but let's leave the details to the experts. We all know we're drooling. I've even considered taking a vacation to Carlsbad, CA just to have an excuse to find Aptera's facility, and ask for a tour.

Bottom line: If Aptera gave out more candy, there would be a lot less 'whining.'

TimmyBim

11-14-2008, 12:41 PM

esmith:

It would seem that anyone with a high-level understanding of electronics would also realize that second-guessing the production mechanics of an up-and-coming automobile manufacturer, WITHOUT first being employed by them, is nothing but mere speculation. Yes, I'm sure you're proud of your intimate understanding of supercapacitors, and logic. But the fact is, unless you're an employee of Aptera working in that department, everything you say here is irrelevant.

Patience, young Padowan.... patience. We'll all be able to drool freely in time. For now, we'll just have to deal with the 'lull' in information-disclosures. :)

n_dawg

11-14-2008, 07:20 PM

But the fact is, unless you're an employee of Aptera working in that department, everything you say here is irrelevant.

That's a little rude. Sure he doesn't work for the company, but he resides in the same universe (the same planet even, and I'd venture the same continent ;))

TimmyBim

11-30-2008, 05:30 PM

I guess I was a bit harsh in my last post. Hey, we're all Aptera enthusiasts here. I find it annoying, however, when people post negative threads with no support for their claims, other than mere speculation. I will try in the future to withhold judgement. :sick0010:

By the way, THANK YOU, APTERA, FOR THE NEWSLETTER! Now the hungry masses are finally being fed. :)

Cheers.

KarenRei

11-30-2008, 07:03 PM

By the way, THANK YOU, APTERA, FOR THE NEWSLETTER! Now the hungry masses are finally being fed. :)

And complaining nonetheless ;)

n_dawg

11-30-2008, 09:26 PM

I dunno, I've seen the level of complaints drop since the newsletter. Of course, I've seen the level of posting drop since the newsletter, so…

Speaking of which, are you still in Texas, Karen? I hope everything's going well there.

KarenRei

12-01-2008, 01:14 PM

I just got back on Saturday (tried to reply yesterday on two occasions, but the forum was acting up :P ). My mother is doing much better. When I first got there, she could barely even adjust her own pillow; by the time I left, I was having trouble stopping her from doing chores. Still, she's going to be stuck in the neckbrace at least until next Monday, and most likely a couple weeks more than that. It's a pretty miserable contraption :P

Oh, and welcome to December ;)

aptera1213

12-01-2008, 02:38 PM

And complaining nonetheless ;)

ha

hey i will keep (respectfully) complaining as long as their site is showing:

multiple images of a vehicle they have no plans to release (the typ-1)

pages and pages of facts about a vehicle they have no plans to release (the typ-1)

i'm happy about the new newsletter and the fact it gave some info and promises more...

but how hard is it to update a site every now and then

and where is the myaptera page??

we're coming up on 2009...hiring a college kid at 10 bucks an hour to update websites ain't rocket science

they have already given interviews saying the model is changing from the typ-1 to the aptera 2e...they have even had a 2e out on the road...can you image the chevy volt site still having images of the old concept model on it's site??

TheAeronut

12-01-2008, 03:55 PM

Not a valid comparison. The Aptera vehicle has undergone a few changes to the design for the production version, and a name change. Visually, the car is virtually unchanged except for a few details like the mirrors, fin and maybe front drive shafts.

The production Chevy Volt is an entirely different vehicle with virtually no relation to the concept car other than the manufacturer and the model name 'Volt'.

What's you'r point, other than to be obtuse? Are you trying to be a troll? What??

Yes, most of us do think that they should update their website, but that is a distant second to actually getting the vehicle into production - even limited production, as long as they are delivering the first customer vehicles as soon as possible.

J.P.

aptera1213

12-01-2008, 08:26 PM

two things...

it is a complete strawman to mention updating website vs getting the vehicle into production...they are two totally different things and one does not combat the other...

yet i see it mentioned all the time...as if they can't have both..."dang, we would like to finish the car but we pulled the engineers and molders to work on the site and take photos"

second, this is an adult site, please do not call members names. thanks

as for changes...they have added windows, added roll down window on the front, they have taken away some camera, they have changed seats and who knows what else...the car is similar, but not at all the same (they even changed the name)...if i go to aptera site and tell them i want the car they are showing, they can't sell it to me, they can't even let me pre order it...there is no production car being made that is the typ-1

KarenRei

12-01-2008, 09:46 PM

as for changes...they have added windows, added roll down window on the front, they have taken away some camera, they have changed seats and who knows what else...the car is similar, but not at all the same

Two of those things (roll-down windows and changing seats) are things that they specifically said from the beginning they were going to do. The quarter windows are an addition, but I can hardly see them as an unwelcome one (same for reducing weight and cost by simplifying the camera system). I have to concur with TheAeronut; the changes shown are nothing on the scale of that between the concept and production Volt.

evmavin

12-01-2008, 10:35 PM

I liked it without the fin and windows and mirrors as it had nice lines without the clutter of conventional car styling. I get the reason for the mirrors and I could have lived with a back up camera on the tail for rear-only viewing since there are now mirrors but I don't see why they added the quarter windows on the sides. The fin and quarter windows make it to "car like".

aptera1213

12-01-2008, 10:41 PM

edited and sent to PM...

aptera1213

12-01-2008, 11:28 PM

sweet...

the new website is up...i hope this doesn't delay production ;)

TheAeronut

12-02-2008, 01:38 AM

Updating the website takes man-hours. If you have staff available who have no assotiation with design, engineering or production then the website only costs $$$, not hardware development. If the website is being done by someone who IS in design, engineering, production or even management then time spent maintaining and updating the website COULD impact production.

This is all somewhat of a moot point now that the website has been updated. Either they have staff with no impact on production, or they decided that the man-hours involved in website development vs. production was worth a minor delay in the long run.

J.P.

Matthijs

12-02-2008, 07:26 AM

Assembly Facility: Vista, CA

https://aptera.com/i/about-us_image1.png

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3163/2919214584_2bcf51d453.jpg?v=0

garygid

01-04-2009, 12:57 AM

The Aptera website is apparently being done by "Saxony Creative Group".
It would appear that Aptera is one of their clients.

Still under construction, the vertical sliders make the site awkward to read.

The presentation of the links to "news" at the bottom of the page
is overly awkward to use. A simple list of the links would be a lot easier to use.

garygid

01-04-2009, 01:01 AM

Yes, we know the new address.
I have been to the site.
For now, it is best to not bother them.

Dolphyn

01-04-2009, 07:59 PM

The Aptera website is apparently being done by "Saxony Creative Group".
It would appear that Aptera is one of their clients.Didn't Saxony do the original Aptera website, too?

garygid

01-04-2009, 09:32 PM

I think so, but am not absolutely sure.
Actually, I am not impressed by their work.

n_dawg

01-06-2009, 02:20 AM

Saxony has done all Aptera's websites since September 2007 (all 3 of them, plus a couple unpublished prototypes).

Matthijs

01-06-2009, 10:32 AM

I think so, but am not absolutely sure.
Actually, I am not impressed by their work.

Yeah I noted that earlier in this thread (http://www.apteraforum.com/showthread.php?t=775). It seems they have updated their website since then. I am still willing to bet that it also is a free template.

AMX390

03-08-2009, 05:54 PM

http://www.amx390.com/Art/aptera.jpg
Here is a recent article from the local paper, I live in Vista and have driven by the new building on Scott twice. The first time was a weekday and of the 20 sum car in the front parking lot, I noticed 3 were large BMW's with Michigan license plates. Aptera is pulling some brain power away from the struggling big 3.
Today is Sunday and there were no cars in the front lot. I stopped and got out, looking in the windows I saw typical office space and in the large back room there were 2 or three Apteras, the first time I have seen one in person. I know these folks are very busy, but I might contact them about signing up for the $500 waiting list. And I might do a story for the Planet X television shown I produce www.planetx.tv Aptera is going for the X prize and it ties in nicely with our show.
Tom

jstdadd

03-09-2009, 12:00 AM

I think so, but am not absolutely sure.
Actually, I am not impressed by their work.

There is a list on the Aptera website somewhere (FAQ?) that has a numbered list, where every item is item #1. That's some rookie work, you know? If it were my website, I would just take the page down, or hard-code the numbers. It drives me NUTS! :character0029: