Consumer Reports - Aptera update since xprize

[Tkaypro]

http://news.consumerreports.org/cars...to-market.html

I'll have to agree with their conclusion about the state of affairs over at Aptera. Funny how the investment of Google still gets a lot of play by the current team. This investment, although small, happened under the founders' reign. The internal rounds are never mentioned because the investment community knows that down-rounds and internal rounds are nothing to brag about. MM does assure the car is on track for production. I guess we'll see...

The link to the video where the door flies open is classic team B.

-Tricia

[steve]

All I know is that the Mk-0 and the TYP-I never ever had to be towed off a track, like the the Ford track at APG. Even during real world 100 mile + testing at Salton Sea with only a 10 kWh pack....never did we have to suffer the humiliation of being towed off the track....especially....JC especially with the DOE watching. Winners find a way to win :-)

[Grendal]

The article was very well done. The writer clearly didn't buy MM's talking points.

Steve, I'd love to hear you speculate on how well the Type I or any of the PP's would have done at the X-prize. I'd guess that some tweaking would have been needed.

[SEGsby]

They say when you're caught in the orbit of a black hole, the inevitable appears to take a long long time to the rest of the universe...

They're just not going to ransom fatS0-1 for millions in DOE money-- not after the multiple Xprize Incidents that revealed flaws in the latest prototype, including the character flaws of the CEO, so brilliantly.

Plus, who's gonna match funds with Lady Embezzlement guarding the books? Seriously. Who?

Google just bought the city block and is completely renovating an entire new campus where I used to work. They've got plenty of dosh, but they're not spending more on Aptera now.

Wonder why?

[Rembrant]

"Aptera initially applied for a $184 million loan, but it was rejected in 2008, because the three-wheeled Aptera didn’t qualify as a “car.” After the loan program was modified to allow three-wheelers, Aptera applied for a $75 million loan, for which the company is still waiting for approval."
Isn't this backwards? I thought they applied for $75 million first and then lobbied for the change in the law and once that was changed they applied for the $184 million.

[wcabdefense]

I don't know if you gleaned it from the article, or if it is even true. They said that Aptera was forced to return 2500 reservations, which I think was kind of high based on the gossip here. I had 2 on hold when the "Get Lost" email was sent, so I do suppose there MIGHT be another 2000 knuckleheads like me out there. At any rate, that is the first semi-officially sanctioned on-the-record estimate of the final tally. MM may still have pulled it out of his a**, but at least it was reported by a reasonably respected media source.

[evmavin]

Originally Posted by wcabdefense

I don't know if you gleaned it from the article, or if it is even true. They said that Aptera was forced to return 2500 reservations, which I think was kind of high based on the gossip here. I had 2 on hold when the "Get Lost" email was sent, so I do suppose there MIGHT be another 2000 knuckleheads like me out there. At any rate, that is the first semi-officially sanctioned on-the-record estimate of the final tally. MM may still have pulled it out of his a**, but at least it was reported by a reasonably respected media source.

Probably a MM brain typo. Hard at work at Naptera.

[Grendal]

As honest a number as PBW and MM saying they will be starting production in October 2009. I'd be real surprised if they had anywhere near a thousand reservations left. And I'd bet less than a hundred of those were aware of the Aptera's situation and were still holding on.

Also I'd be curious to know how many reservation holders have bought a different electric vehicle by now.