The Allure of Aptera May Not Threaten Tesla’s 400-Mile Range Car

From Torque News.

Aptera is releasing a two-passenger, solar paneled EV and Tesla is going to release a much cheaper compact car that will be at the same level as the 250 and 400-mile range Aptera vehicles. If Tesla is able to launch a $25,000 vehicle, who is going to be interested in an Aptera?

First, Tesla will not be threatened by Aptera and Aptera will not be threatened by Tesla. It will be the opposite. It will be a synergistic relationship. The Aptera isn’t going to replace motorcycles or autocycles, and it isn’t meant to be a family car requiring more than two passengers.

Tesla will continue to grow and be the biggest company in the world eventually. Tesla’s biggest threat is the government and it having too big of a monopoly. Tesla can avoid this by simply licensing out their software and opening their Superchargers to other EVs.

The main goal of Giga Mexico will most likely be to target South America with the compact vehicles. The first wave of those vehicles are going to be sold mostly in South America. Aptera is very much trying to deliver in the United States. Their vehicle uses the NACS (the same standard that Tesla uses), and this creates two different regions that Aptera and Tesla are going for.

The Model 2 is intended to be Tesla’s "worst" overall product and the cheapest. It will be RWD and LFP. The main focus is going to be extreme low cost of ownership and efficiency. That means a smaller battery and a less powerful engine. Eventually it will be mass-produced around the world, but that won’t be for a few years. It will be a small hatchback with 5 seats, about the size or a bit smaller than the Honda Fit. It will likely have a range between 240–270 miles. That will be fine for most people.

The Aptera is targeting another demographic. It’s a large vehicle, and bigger than a Model 3. It has an enormous amount of storage space in the back. It’s an affordable vehicle, both upfront and over the long haul. Most vehicle trips happen with two or fewer people. Tesla is also most likely not putting solar on its Model 2. The Aptera can do this because it will be so efficient, with a possible less than 100 Wh/mi.

#tesla #aptera

This is Armen Hareyan from Torque News. Please follow us at https://twitter.com/torquenewsauto on Twitter and https://www.torquenews.com/ for daily automotive news.

Reference
Torque News Tesla Jeremy Johnson https://www.torquenews.com/14335/tesla-compact-car-vs-aptera-will-they-compete-sales