Aptera anticipates lowest drag coefficient of any car ever in wind tunnel testing
Aptera’s “Gamma” prototype of its solar-powered, three-wheeled electric car is overseas right now, doing aerodynamic testing at Pininfarina’s wind tunnel near Turin, Italy, in the shadow of the Italian Alps.
The company is confident that when results come in, the Aptera will have the lowest aerodynamic drag coefficient of any production passenger car.
Pininfarina’s wind tunnel was opened in 1972, one of the first full-size wind tunnels in the world to be completed and the first in Italy.
Much of car design has moved to “computational fluid dynamics,” or CFD, where computers simulate wind tunnel results. But wind tunnels are still useful for validation testing, to ensure that an automaker’s models coincide with real-world results. That validation testing phase is what Aptera is currently doing in Italy.
There has been a lot of focus on automobile drag coefficients in recent years, as automakers try to make cars more efficient. Efficiency is needed not only in electric cars, where more drag means larger batteries, more cost and more weight for the same range, but also in gas cars, where efficiency-conscious consumers and government regulators demand higher mileage.
And so, we’ve been seeing cars become more egg-shaped in recent years, as smooth shapes cut through the air with less disturbance and, thus, less drag.
However, the ideal shape is not an egg; rather, a teardrop shape is. A long pointed tail is crucial to reducing drag because it reduces turbulent eddies at the rear of the vehicle.
This is why the original EV1 had its pod-like shape with a long and partially tapered rear end, which helped it to achieve a Cd of 0.19, the lowest drag coefficient of any vehicle at the time (since exceeded only by the short-lived Lightyear 0).
But the Aptera takes that to a whole different level. While the EV1 still had a stubby back-end, the Aptera is completely pointed at the rear. This means fewer eddies, less disturbance, and more efficiency.
Another important area of focus for efficiency is the wheels. The Aptera prototype has three almost entirely enclosed wheels, which again reduces the amount of air that gets pushed around by the vehicle. Think of spoked wheels as miniature propellers pointed sideways, and you’ll understand why they can produce so much aerodynamic disturbance (this is also why aerodynamic wheel covers can increase range).
On the EV1, and other aerodynamic vehicles like the original Honda Insight, the vehicle’s rear fenders extended down over the wheels, improving efficiency. But the Aptera, again, takes this to another level by enclosing all three wheels in aerodynamic pods, allowing them to slip through the air more effectively.
All of this comes together to produce an exceptionally efficient vehicle, which Aptera thinks will have the lowest Cd of any production car ever, beating the EV1’s 0.19 and Lightyear 0’s 0.175 marks.
And finally, the Aptera is small. Aerodynamic drag is the product of a vehicle’s drag coefficient (Cd) and its frontal cross-sectional area. A larger car pushes more air than a smaller car, so the Aptera’s small profile means less air is being pushed around.
Aptera claims that the combination of these factors will make it the “most efficient vehicle on the planet” (well, maybe not more efficient than this one, but we’ll say they meant “car”). Plus, with the large solar panels on its roof, this means that its vehicle will need “no charging for most daily use.”
Electrek’s Take
While startup automakers like to make big claims that sometimes don’t turn out in reality, Aptera’s claim here seems completely achievable, and in fact, we’d be very surprised if it didn’t break records. I mean, just look at the thing.
In Aptera’s previous incarnation, its vehicle supposedly had a Cd of 0.15, but that didn’t make it to production. And early on, Aptera claimed that this new iteration would beat even that mark with a Cd of 0.13. So 0.175 seems like a cake walk, particularly given the shape of the Aptera’s radical design.
So the more difficult part about their claim isn’t the “most aerodynamic” part, but the “production car” part. There’s still a long way to go before getting this car to market, and the road for solar EV startups is fraught with peril.
But Aptera, both in its previous and current incarnation, has captured somewhat of a spark in the public consciousness that other solar EV startups or funky three-wheeled EVs have had a hard time capturing. It even ran a surprisingly successful crowdfunding program (before pausing at the request of the SEC), showing that people really do want this car to come out.
And why not? It has a cool look, it’s making a lot of big promises (including a potential future of a 1,000-mile battery, which this author thinks is patently ridiculous), and its design looks like it could actually deliver on some of those promises.
If it truly is as incredibly efficient as it looks, maybe it could actually be the first solar EV to actually work, to take the idea of solar EVs (like those we saw at the Electrek Formula Sun Grand Prix last week) and put them on the road, for real, and not just in the hands of college students or research projects.
If you’re interested in the Aptera EV, Aptera is taking $100 reservations. If you’d like to sign up, you can use our Aptera referral code afor $30 off that reservation fee.
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Nexamp just pulled off something that could speed up clean energy deployment across the US – and potentially lower costs for everyone. The Boston-based solar developer just finished building three new solar farms in Maine and Massachusetts. But instead of waiting on the utility to handle all the grid hookup work, Nexamp did it themselves.
That might not sound groundbreaking at first, but in the world of renewable energy, it’s a pretty big deal. Normally, utilities are in charge of any grid upgrades and interconnection work needed before a new solar project can start sending power to homes and businesses. That process can be very slow and expensive.
Nexamp’s new approach, called “self-performance,” flips the script. It lets developers take on some of that work, like ordering and installing equipment, so they don’t have to sit around waiting for the utility to schedule it. That means solar farms can get online faster, which gets clean power to the grid sooner and keeps project costs in check.
The three projects that kicked off this self-performance effort are:
- Hartland Solar – 1.2 MW DC in Hartland, ME
- Barre Road Solar – 1.3 MW DC in New Braintree, MA
- Summit Farm Solar – 2.6 MW DC, also in New Braintree
Nexamp didn’t go rogue – they worked closely with Central Maine Power and National Grid on the interconnection designs, safety standards, and technical specs. But by handling the actual procurement and construction, Nexamp had way more control over cost, timing, and supply chain headaches.
“Self-performance lets us take much greater control over interconnection procurement and construction,” said Daniel Passarello, Nexamp’s lead consulting engineer for grid integration. “We can move much of the interconnection work forward at the same time as the solar farm build instead of treating them as separate. That helps us bring projects online faster and stay closer to budget.”
It also helps that Nexamp already has solid relationships with suppliers. Instead of going through multiple layers of utility procurement, they can go straight to the source, fast.
That kind of streamlining is exactly what the solar industry needs right now. Community solar is booming – as of the end of 2024, nearly 8 gigawatts of it have been installed across the US, according to the the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), and that number is expected to almost double by 2030. But bottlenecks in the interconnection process slow things down.
Sara Birmingham, VP of state affairs at SEIA, called Nexamp’s move a step in the right direction. “We must modernize and streamline the interconnection process to keep pace with fast-growing demand,” she said. “Self-performance is one of several innovative approaches that can accelerate project timelines and lower costs, which benefits all ratepayers.”
Read more: Walmart and Nexamp are rolling out 31 solar farms in 5 states
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When Genesis first previewed its full-size electric SUV, the coach doors were one of the biggest highlights. It looks like it will actually make its way into the production vehicle. A Genesis GV90 model was spotted in the US for the first time with coach doors, offering a glimpse of the upcoming ultra-luxury SUV.
Genesis GV90 spotted with coach doors in California
We got our first look at the full-size luxury SUV after Genesis unveiled the Neolun concept at the NY Auto Show last March.
Genesis said the concept was its “ultra-luxe vision of luxury SUVs,” and it wasn’t kidding. When it arrives, it will be sold as the GV90 as the brand’s new flagship vehicle.
The GV90 is not just a pretty-looking luxury SUV. It’s also loaded with Hyundai’s most advanced software and tech. According to Luc Donckerwolke, Genesis’ head of creative design, “it’s the epitome of timeless design and sophisticated craftsmanship.
Last month, we got a sneak peek of the interior after a production-ready GV90 was caught in California. Although somewhat toned down from the original concept, the cabin still featured many of the same elements.
Another Genesis GV90 was recently spotted in California, with actual coach doors. The new images from KindelAuto (via TheKoreanCarBlog) show a camouflaged vehicle with a hinge at the rear, where the coach doors will open.
Genesis said that B-pillarless coach doors are now feasible in production vehicles, like the GV90. However, don’t expect it to come standard on all models.
The feature will likely be reserved for higher-priced trims. We’ve seen other variants, featuring traditional doors, that are being tested in the US and Korea.
Genesis is expected to launch the GV90 in mid-2026. We will learn prices and final specs closer to launch, but the flagship electric SUV is set to debut on Hyundai’s new eM platform.
Hyundai said the platform is designed for EVs across all segments and will “provide a 50 percent improvement in driving range” compared to current EVs. It will also support Level 3 or higher autonomous driving capabilities and OTA software updates.
Source: KindelAuto, TheKoreanCarBlog
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Elon Musk has finally confirmed that Tesla’s new ‘affordable’ electric car is just going to be the Model Y in a cheaper format.
Musk has ended months of speculations and misinformation, which he partly created, about Tesla’s upcoming cheaper electric vehicle model.
Since last year, Tesla has guided “launching new affordable models” in the first half of 2025.
We are past the first half of 2025, but Tesla confirmed yesterday that the “first build” of the new model was produced in June, and it will launch later this year.
During the shareholders’ call following the earnings results yesterday, Tesla was asked about what the new affordable model would look like. Tesla’s CFO, Vaibhav Taneja, initially stated that they wouldn’t disclose details about the design, but then Musk interrupted him and said, “It’s a Model Y.”
It’s hard to hear exactly on the call because he talked over Taneja, but he said, “the cat is out of the bag” and confirmed that the new vehicle is simply a Model Y.
Electrek has been reporting on this fact all year. We have known for months that Tesla’s upcoming “new affordable models” are Model 3 and Model Y with a stripped-down interior with fewer features, like no rear screen, and cheaper materials:
However, this fact was not accepted in the Tesla community because CEO Elon Musk falsely denied a report last year about Tesla’s “$25,000” EV model being canceled.
The facts are that Musk canceled two cheaper vehicles that Tesla was working on, commonly referred as “the $25,000 Tesla” in early 2024. Those vehicles were codenamed NV91 and NV92, and they were based on the new vehicle platform that Tesla is now reserving for the Cybercab.
Instead, Musk noticed that Tesla’s Model 3 and Model Y production lines were starting to be underutilized as the Company faced demand issues. Therefore, Tesla canceled the vehicle programs based on the new platform and decided to build new vehicles on Model 3/Y platform using the same production lines.
Now, only the new Cybercab is going to be based on the new unboxed platform.
During the conference call last night, Musk stated that the primary goal of the more affordable Model Y is to expand the market by making the vehicle more accessible to a broader audience. He suggested that it will go on sale in Q4.
Electrek’s Take
Finally, we can put this to rest. I think we can expect something similar to what Tesla did with the Model 3 in Mexico.
I think we can expect changes, such as using cloth materials instead of vegan leather, no rear display, no ambient lighting, and a lesser audio system.
In the case of the Model Y, Tesla may consider dropping some exterior lighting features, such as the light bars.
I wouldn’t be surprised also to see some powertrain changes. Maybe a less powerful RWD motor.
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