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DazedWithCoffee t1_iycwe6t wrote

That’s 150W of solar at absolute best. Just ride a fucking bike or take a train, you cannot design your way out of physics.

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kdavis37 t1_iyeb8v7 wrote

They're claiming 10 miles per kWh. So 40 miles is 4kWh.

The version you don't have to charge is COVERED in solar panels. 700W on sunny days is the claim.

Their claims are perfectly reasonable for all 15 summer days you can park directly in the sun from 9-5 with no interruptions.

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DazedWithCoffee t1_iyed3i3 wrote

The claim can be whatever it wants. The fact of the matter is that your available capacity on anything other than motorized tracking panels is going to be about 30% of ideal while sill having a reasonable hope of being aerodynamic. The realities of the application at hand are at odds with the claim. Also worth noting is that the kind of days that would provide this level of solar performance (assuming everything else works by magic) would also necessitate climate control for the benefit of battery pack and driver. The solar car concept has fundamental issues; I worked on a solar car competition in college and it was only possible with future solar panels, future energy storage, future efficiency gains, and zero utility for the user. Like much of what gets posted on this sub, it’s CGI wishful thinking

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kdavis37 t1_iyehlaj wrote

I have literally talked directly with the founder of Aptera and told him exactly the same thing. Just the weight of the panels mean they could have increased the range by more than the 40 miles they could get in their ideal scenario.

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RedOctobyr t1_iydzl1m wrote

There will certainly be a limit to the solar wattage. But if it's also energy-efficient to drive, you could stretch "how far" that electricity would go. Nothing is a perfect solution, but I think it's an interesting option, at least.

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seanflyon t1_iye7mjq wrote

You can't design your way around physics, but you can make an aerodynamic car.

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