Aptera has publicly unveiled the production-intent version of its long-awaited solar EV, which it says will start deliveries by the end of this year.
Update: We swung by the booth a took a few pictures of Aptera’s production-intent vehicle chassis, see below.
Aptera has a long history in the automotive space, dating all the way back to its original founding in 2006 by co-founders Steve Fambro and Chris Anthony. It has had the same basic teardrop design all along, but at the time it was going to be fueled by a small gas engine, promising 330 miles per gallon.
But the last iteration of Aptera hit many bumps in the road, and went defunct in 2011, having to return thousands of customer deposits.
Then, in 2019, the company was relaunched, by the same original founders as before. But this time, it had a solar-powered electric car – which, frankly, makes a lot more sense for a futuristic vehicle than a gas engine does.
That’s the iteration we’re on now, and six years later – and nearly 20 years after the company’s first founding – Aptera says it’s finally ready to produce its solar EV.
It’s showing off its production-intent chassis at the Consumer Electronics Show this week, offering the public a chance to see this vehicle which it says will go into production and delivery this year. Its booth is in the central plaza, outdoors in the sun – where a solar EV belongs.
The company has been showing off its progress towards production intent over the course of the last years, doing wind tunnel testing of what it claims will be one of the lowest-drag vehicles ever (with a previously-claimed .13 Cd), receiving carbon bodies in August and completing its first low-speed drive in October.
Now the car is out and about driving normally at CES (and Aptera is offering media ride-alongs, which we’ll hopefully get a chance to fit in). Aptera says that it drove the car for around 20 miles yesterday, and it ended the day with more charge than it started due to its extensive solar panels, which Aptera is showing off in production-intent form for the first time.
The panels cover the vehicle’s hood, dash, roof and hatch and Aptera says they can generate up to 40 miles of free driving per days, powered by sunlight. In sunny climates, this will give owners over 10,000 miles per year of solar-powered driving.
On a sunny Las Vegas winter day, as it was for the reveal, the solar panels should be working quite nicely (though they would work even better if it weren’t one of the shortest days of the year).
The unveil included a short livestream at Aptera’s outdoor booth in the Central Plaza, which you can watch below:
The livestream included a short speech by co-CEO Chris Anthony and a quick vehicle walkaround, including showing off the vehicle’s NACS port, which Aptera was the first to announce adoption of way back in 2022.
Aptera says it has another announcement coming soon regarding the vehicle’s battery pack, and that its anticipating offering track time in the car in a few months for investors (the company is funding itself through a crowdfunding campaign through which it has raised $135 million of equity).
Previously, Aptera said the vehicle would have multiple battery options, with 250, 400, and even 1,000-mile (!) battery packs (which this author thinks is unrealistically excessive, and frankly a sign for pause). But Aptera has backed off from talking much about its previous 1,000-mile target, and all we heard about during this reveal is the 400-mile, 45kWh pack that will be included on the company’s $40,000 launch edition vehicle (which will have limited options otherwise).
Aptera says that it anticipates first deliveries of its launch edition by the end of this year – a timeline which the company has stated before, but which we wouldn’t be surprised to see slip. Nevertheless, that’s the messaging.
But if you have an EV that *isn’t* covered with solar panels, maybe you can install solar panels on your home’s roof and charge your vehicle through solar anyway.Find a reliable and competitively priced solar installer near you on EnergySage, for free. They have pre-vetted installers competing for your business, ensuring high-quality solutions and 20-30% savings. It’s free, with no sales calls until you choose an installer. Compare personalized solar quotes online and receive guidance from unbiased Energy Advisers. Get started here. – ad*
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links.More.
Dodge is calling it the “world’s only” four-door muscle car. The four-door Dodge Charger Daytona EV will join the lineup for the 2026 model year, but that’s not the only change.
Dodge Charger Daytona EV adds four-door trim for 2026
Last week, we learned Dodge would not offer the entry-level Charger Daytona R/T in 2026. CEO Matt McAlear told Motor1, “Production of the Dodge Charger Daytona R/T is postponed for the 2026 model year as we continue to assess the effects of US tariff policies.”
It looks like Dodge has another idea. The four-door electric Charger officially debuted Wednesday during a first drive event in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
According to McAlear, the new sedan “embodies the same look and feel as the coupe, with the same widebody exterior, driver-centric interior, muscle car performance and standard all-wheel-drive capability, combined with four-door practicality.
Advertisement – scroll for more content
The two and four-door models share a similar coupe-like design and a wide body (the widest of any car in the industry). Dodge said the four-door design only further accentuates the Charger’s powerful presence.
2026 Dodge Charger Daytona four-door EV sedan (Source: Stellantis)
Like the two-door version, the four-door model arrives with a spacious “hidden hatch” interior, boasting best-in-class rear cargo and passenger space. With up to 38.5 cu ft of rear cargo space, the four-door variant offers 133% more than the outgoing Charger.
Meet the world’s only four-door muscle car
The interior features a 16″ infotainment system at the center with a 12.3″ driver display, featuring wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay capabilities.
Both two and four-door 2026 Charger Daytona Scat Pack models come with different drive modes (sport, track, drag, custom, etc.), Dodge’s Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust system, and Powershot (delivering an extra 40 hp for 10 seconds at the push of a button).
The available Track Package is the largest brake package offered for any Dodge vehicle. It adds 16″ Brembo vented rotors and red six-piston front/four-piston rear fixed calipers, which increase swept area by more than 30% compared to the outgoing SRT model.
With a level 3 charger, the 2026 Dodge Charger Daytona EV can recharge from 20% to 80% in as little as 24 minutes.
2026 Dodge Charger Daytona with Fratzog dual stripes (left) and gloss black painted hood (right) (Source: Stellantis)
New “Fratzog dual stripes” and gloss paint hood options will be available on two and four-door 2026 Dodge Charger EV models.
For every 2026 Charger model (two- and four-door), Dodge is offering the chance to visit Radford Racing School for a day, the official high-performance driving school of Dodge and SRT.
2026 Dodge Charger Daytona EV Scat Pack four-door (left) and two-door (right) (Source: Stellantis)
Both variants offer “Hellcat Redeye levels of performance,” with 670 hp and 627 lb-ft of torque, capable of a 0 to 60 mph sprint in just 3.3 seconds.
Orders are now open for the four-door and two-door 2026 Dodge Charger Daytona EV and will begin arriving at dealerships later this year.
To make room for the 2026 models, Dodge is offering massive discounts, with up to $13,500 off on the outgoing Charger Daytona EV. If you’re interested, you can use our link to view 2025 Dodge Charger Daytona models near you today.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links.More.
All-electric, autonomous aircraft developer Wisk Aero announced a fresh five-year research partnership with NASA to establish advanced air mobility standards to eventually introduce autonomous aircraft into the National Airspace System (NAS).
Wisk Aero is a wholly owned subsidiary of Boeing based in California. The company’s flagship model, the Cora, is an all-electric aircraft that predates the Wisk Aero brand and has seen several generational variants over the seven years or so.
In 2020, Wisk Aero joined NASA’s Advanced Air Mobility Project, part of the space administration’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, to address key AAM industry challenges and lay the framework for future autonomous passenger flights.
Since then, Wisk and NASA have continued collaborating to develop key guidance for the safe integration of autonomous aircraft systems for urban air mobility (UAM) operations under that initial Space Act Agreement.
Advertisement – scroll for more content
This week, Wisk Aero and NASA committed another five years to their research partnership. They hope to bring regulated and autonomous aerial flight to the public by the end of the decade.
Source: Wisk Aero
Wisk and NASA extend partnership another five years
Per Wisk, this new agreement focuses on critical research led by NASA’s Air Traffic Management Exploration (ATM-X) project, which is centered around the advancement of commercialized autonomous aircraft travel under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) in the National Airspace System (NAS).
As a specialist in autonomous, zero-emission aircraft, Wisk intends to continue its research alongside NASA to help regulators determine future eVTOL flight procedures and capabilities in the US. Regulatory developments on the to-do list for the latest NRSAA include optimizing airspace and route designs for highly automated UAM operations, establishing critical aircraft and ground-based safety system requirements for autonomous flight in urban environments, and establishing Air Traffic Control (ATC) communication protocols and procedures for seamless integration of future UAM aircraft.
To achieve these goals, Wisk said its research with NASA will more specifically focus on utilizing advanced simulation and Live Virtual Constructive (LVC) flight environments, which combine live flights with a simulated airspace to enable researchers to assess future operations. Erick Corona, Director of Airspace Operational Integration at Wisk, elaborated:
This new, long-term agreement with NASA is a significant step forward for Wisk and the broader UAM industry. With NASA’s simulation and LVC capabilities, we can accelerate the development of our Gen 6 autonomous systems to safely and efficiently integrate into the US NAS before the end of the decade.
The teams from Wisk and NASA already met last month, continuing their research while beginning to determine how instrument flight procedures and advanced technologies can work together to enable safe autonomous passenger flights by 2030.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links.More.
Fluence Energy has officially started production at its new factory in Goodyear, Arizona, where it’s now cranking out steel enclosures and battery management system (BMS) hardware for its grid-scale energy storage systems.
This plant is part of the Washington, DC-headquartered global battery storage company’s larger push to build and source every major part of its battery energy storage systems in the US. The company’s domestic supply chain spans Arizona, Texas, Tennessee, and Utah, covering everything from battery cells and thermal systems to Fluence’s inverter supplier in South Carolina.
The partnerships represent around $700 million in investment and more than 1,200 manufacturing jobs in 2025 alone. Add another 450 construction jobs and growing, a significant economic spark.
John Zahurancik, president of Fluence Americas, says the rapidly expanded domestic supply chain helps customers steer clear of global supply chain snarls while ensuring the company’s systems stay safe, reliable, and cybersecure. “Enclosure and BMS production at the Goodyear facility is another strong step forward in this commitment,” he said.
Advertisement – scroll for more content
The American Clean Power Association (ACP) recently unveiled the US energy storage industry’s bold plan to invest $100 billion into American-made grid batteries by 2030. The goal is to meet 100% of domestic energy storage demand using US-based supply chains and create 350,000 jobs in the process.
“Fluence is leading the way,” said ACP CEO Jason Grumet. “Their investment in Arizona – a national leader in energy storage – underscores the momentum behind expanding US manufacturing, strengthening energy security, creating high-quality jobs, and supporting key suppliers, including American steel.”
Fluence’s products will also be critical in helping to keep the grid stable as the demand for power rapidly increases. The company already has more than 20,000 megawatt-hours of battery storage deployed or in the pipeline across 80+ projects in the US.
“Our goal is to fully onshore production, as quickly as possible,” said Peter Williams, Fluence’s chief product and supply chain officer. “This facility brings us closer to that goal.”
To limit power outages and make your home more resilient, consider going solar with a battery storage system. In order to find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check outEnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. They have hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and you share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisers to help you every step of the way. Get startedhere. –trusted affiliate link*
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links.More.