![Aptera shares a juicy progress update toward reaching scaled solar EV production [Video]](https://i0.wp.com/electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/10/Aptera-EV-production-progress.jpg?resize=1200,628&quality=82&strip=all&ssl=1)
Aptera shares a juicy progress update toward reaching scaled solar EV production [Video]
Resilient startup Aptera is back with a robust progress update after a busy summer promoting its upcoming solar EV by the same name, ahead of planned production next year. The company has posted not one, but two videos updating its fanbase about its progress, which appears to be coming along quite nicely. Could it be the first to successfully reach scaled solar EV production?
If you follow Electrek, you’re likely no stranger to Aptera Motors. As an early EV startup, Aptera was on our radar a decade ago. Now in its second iteration, the SoCal automaker has returned and inched closer than ever to reaching the holy grail in its nascent yet unproven segment.
We’ve shared its progress nearly every step of the way – from beta models through gamma, garnering state grants along the way. With the debut of its Launch Edition solar EV, Aptera began an accelerator program that prioritizes deliveries to customers committing to an order, in exchange for crowdfunding to obtain the necessary equipment to get production going.
With just over 500 of the 2,000 production slots still available, Aptera continues to bring in the capital it needs to support its Body in Carbon (BinC) assembly process through its current validation phase and beyond. We have grown accustomed monthly updates, many times featuring cofounder and Co-CEO Chris Anthony, but the summer was relatively quiet from the busy startup.
Recently, Aptera has reemerged in the public eye on its preferred medium of YouTube, posting some exciting new updates. Here’s the latest.
Aptera gathers essential equipment for solar EV production
According to Aptera’s latest progress update, it has obtained over 60% of the essential equipment and tools required to manufacture its BinC. This includes stamping dies and post-processing tools (seen above) – some of the most expensive elements of the production process that require the longest lead times to be commissioned and delivered.
With stamping dies in place, Aptera is now continuing solar EV validation by assembling production-intent builds. Over the coming months, the startup will test these vehicles, which will look and perform like the solar EVs that hopefully make their way to customers someday.
The next step will be to complete and validate all six body components into a complete BinC, linking front and rear subframes to the EV’s structural battery pack before entering the vehicle assembly process at Aptera’s new facility near San Diego, California. In addition to the progress update you can view below, Aptera also shared the following video featuring renderings of those assembly lines.
Production intent testing and validation will be followed by rigorous safety and crash testing, following by fine-tuning and optimization to ensure passenger safety going forward. From there, Aptera plans to validate is solar EV manufacturing procedures to streamline the entire process.
No specific update on when production will finally begin, but Aptera appears closer than ever, with plenty of credit to its community of customers/investors that believe in its potential. As previously mentioned, Aptera still has about 540 production slots available for the Launch Edition solar EVs for $10,000 down.
Those who would rather wait for the later models can still reserve an Aptera of their own for only $100 down, $70 if you use the following link. Here’s the full update from Aptera’s chief marketing officer, Sarah Hardwick:
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This week on Electrek’s Wheel-E podcast, we discuss the most popular news stories from the world of electric bikes and other nontraditional electric vehicles. This time, that includes Tern’s NYC e-bike delivery fleet surpasses 1 million miles, the CPSC has a stark warning about Rad’s e-bike batteries, what parents should know if their kid wants a Sur Ron e-moto, JackRabbit MG Doble review, Strutt’s EV1 electric mobility chair, and more.
The Wheel-E podcast returns every two weeks on Electrek’s YouTube channel, Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter.
As a reminder, we’ll have an accompanying post, like this one, on the site with an embedded link to the live stream. Head to the YouTube channel to get your questions and comments in.
After the show ends, the video will be archived on YouTube and the audio on all your favorite podcast apps:
We also have a Patreon if you want to help us to avoid more ads and invest more in our content. We have some awesome gifts for our Patreons and more coming.
Here are a few of the articles that we will discuss during the Wheel-E podcast today:
Here’s the live stream for today’s episode starting at 9:00 a.m. ET (or the video after 10:00 a.m. ET):
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The Port of Houston took a big step towards electrifying its operations this week, when the stevedores at Houston Terminal deployed the first new SANY electric reach stacker at the major seaside port – and it won’t be the last.
Multinational equipment brand SANY launched its latest 50-ton electric reach stacker earlier this summer. The new machine drew headlines by cleverly pairing gravity and a KERS-style regenerative braking system attacked to its boom to generate electricity as it lowers loads. The tech significantly improved the machine’s operating efficiency and reduced the sort of costs typically associated with charging and downtime.
With the purchase of the new SANY electric reach stacker from local equipment dealer, Equipment Depot, Houston Terminal has begun to do its part to help keep the air and water around America’s busy seaports pollution-free.
“In this market, there’s a shift towards sustainable equipment,” explains Greg Schertz, Sr. National Account Executive at Equipment Depot — a national equipment supplier that sells and services to roughly 85% of US sea ports. “Electric equipment is a growing trend, and it has become more than a conversation point. Actual machines are going into service and are proving their capability.”
Equipment Depot is quick to point out that the national move towards electrification isn’t about regulations. “The bigger picture is that the world has become more of a global market,” says Chad Larson, VP of Heavy Trucks and Port Equipment at Equipment Depot. “(And) in the port industry, there are many relationships and parent companies with ties into Europe and other parts of the world where zero carbon initiatives are more progressive than the US.”
Robert Marshall, General Manager of Houston Terminal, echoes Schertz’ sentiment, “Electric equipment has a much easier, much simpler maintenance program, because basically you’re just maintaining tires.”
SANY electric reach stacker
At its launch in August, SANY said its new 50t reach stacker would be available with a 512 kWh swappable battery pack. That pack isn’t just huge, it’s compatible with the brand’s other electric equipment assets, and can support both DC fast charging when swapping isn’t practical and the grid itself by “plugging in” to the company’s BESS modules when not needed.
Houston Terminal bought the SANY unit with help from a Texas Emissions Reduction Plan (TERP) Grant, part of TERP’s Seaport and Rail Yard Areas Emissions Reduction (SPRY) Program to replace older drayage trucks and equipment at seaports and rail yards. Houston Terminal intends to apply for another TERP grant to buy a second reach stacker in 2026.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Equipment Depot; via AJOT.
If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has 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 share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
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The mining equipment experts at Sandvik have been developing next-generation electric equipment options for years – largely on their own. Now, with a €500 million capital injection from the EIB, the company is ready to get serious about its next-generation machinery.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the lending arm of the European Union (EU), and its core mission is to strengthen the global competitiveness, technological innovations, and sustainability initiatives of European companies like Sandvik by providing affordable financing for R&D projects conducted on the continent.
“We have a strong strategic focus on developing solutions that strengthen our technology leadership, and that enhances productivity, safety and sustainability for our customers,” explains Stefan Widing, President and CEO of Sandvik. “The EIB financing supports our R&D initiatives and provides flexibility to our overall funding strategy.”
The €500 million loan has a seven-year term, and will support Sandvik’s efforts to develop new advanced, productive, safe, and (above all) sustainable heavy equipment solutions across the company’s business lines.
Electrek’s Take
We’ve covered Sandvik’s electric equipment several times over the years, from their surface drill rigs to their underground loaders to their quarry- and concrete-focused electric cone plants, and the brand’s commitment to sustainability and operator safety has been commendable. Even the company’s push towards automation and AI, often seen as a corporate tactic to slash labor costs and boost stock prices before the executives bail out with a fat stack of cash fulfill their exit strategies, seems to be genuinely motivated by worker safety in one of the world’s most dangerous environments.
Of course, I said that about Volvo and they’re actively suing California to be able to sell more diesels as aI type this, so what do I know?
SOURCE | IMAGES: Sandvik.
If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has 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 share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
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