Aptera
plug-in hybrid: The automobile will never be the same
Friday, April 25, 2008
Now
I'm really excited
It's taken me a while to warm to the Aptera
plug-in hybrid vehicle, but now I'm hooked, especially
after watching the great Popular
Mechanics video by Ben Stewart.
While I'm not a big fan of two-seaters, I'm making an
exception for the Aptera
hybrid. Actually, I'm not making an exception. I don't
favor two-seat cars, but two-seat motorcycles - that's a
whole different matter.
I don't need no stinkin' sticker
When it comes to motorcycles, which the three-wheeled
Aptera qualifies as, it's all about the car pool lane. In
Southern California used Toyota
Prius hybrids, for example, are "solid gold"
- thanks, Avis - if they have carpool lane stickers.
But the Aptera hybrid doesn't need no stinking sticker,
man. It automatically qualifies. And, not only does the
Aptera achieve far better fuel economy than a motorcycle,
it offers front and side airbags, in addition to a host of
other safety features. The Aptera hybrid is undoubtedly
the safest motorcycle you'll ever drive.
Still, for average consumers, a $30,000 motorcycle isn't
very sensible, but again, this isn't your average
motorcycle, is it?. At up to 300 mpg, imagine how much
fuel can be saved. For average LA commuters, something
like the Aptera hybrid vehicle could save thousands of
dollars per year.
Obviously, the Aptera plug-in hybrid isn't the answer to
America's energy problems. Still, it's success could make
every major automaker rethink automobiles from the ground
up in a way Tesla, and all other automakers, can only
dream. Do you really need 4 tires? Is it time to make
carbon fiber and solar power standard? And on and on.
Global warming, foreign oil dependency, peak oil, etc.
demand that the world think differently about the
automobile at every level from fuel to design to
powertrain, and Aptera is proving that such out-of-the-box
thinking can produce fantastic results.
And, if you just can't wait for the Aptera plug-in, you
can always go with the 120 mpc Aptera Typ-1 e, which the
company will begin rolling out later this year.
Now, hopefully, I can convince my wife to finally let me
have a motorcycle!
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