2 ms·
This is disappointing, but not too surprising for anyone that has watched the automotive space for a few years. A thousand vehicles a year is considered the min
by frankus 17y ago
This is disappointing, but not too surprising for anyone that has watched the automotive space for a few years. A thousand vehicles a year is considered the minimum viable volume for a car company to break even in series production, and the jump from prototype to serial number 1000 is huge.
Aptera even sidestepped a lot of the red tape by building a three-wheel vehicle (legally considered a motorcycle) and an electric vehicle (no subject to emissions regulations). Their only misstep may have been deciding to give it a body: building a world-class chassis is within the grasp of a skilled garage fabricator, while mass producing doors that close right and don't let the rain in is something multi-billion-dollar companies still struggle with. A three-wheeled electric Ariel Atom (similar to the Wrightspeed) could probably get to 1000 units/year much more smoothly, but with an even more constrained market.