Atera Type 1 300 MPG

[festivaWES]

^^ Geneva...do the math for me. 6 miles round trip 35mph 6 days a week. How long will a charge and a tank last me??

[GenevaDirt]

lol...I have not clue...they did not say how big the tank actually is...at least I did not see that spec....but by there specs...a LONG time.

Heres their statements on milage...you still would need to know how much fuel the car starts out with.....

An asymptotic decaying exponential is an accurate way to describe the fuel mileage of the Typ-1h. For example driving say, 50 miles, one might calculate a MPG number that's 2 or 3 times higher, say, 1000 MPG. As battery energy is depleted, the frequency of the engine duty cycle is increased. More fuel is used. at 75 miles, the MPG might be closer to 400 MPG. Again, we're using battery energy mostly, but turning the engine on more and more. Just over 100 miles we're just over 300 MPG, and just beyond 120 miles, we're around 300 MPG.

So why pick a number at 120 miles? Well, it's more than double of most available plug-in hybrid ranges that achieve over 100 MPG. It's three times the distance of the typical American daily commute. It's a meaningful distance that represents the driving needs of 99% of Americans on a daily basis. Sure, it's asymptotic, after 350-400 miles it eventually plummets to around 130 MPG at highway speeds where it will stay all day until you plug it back in and charge it up.

[skeeters_keeper]

am I the only one that actually think that thing looks sorta cool?
If you could ditch the airbags and some of the other heavy stuff its got, I'm sure you could get a little better mileage and higher hwy speed, but thats why we are DIY folks... I would tear that thing to pieces and put it back together my way.

I would still not trade my festiva for one, not a chance!, but it would be cool to have something like that.

[FestYboy]

hey, i'm all about 130 mpg....

[JPT]

Too different for me. My Festy is different enough

[CharlieZ]

am I the only one that actually think that thing looks sorta cool?

I'm with you on this one. Looks cutting edge. That tight cabin would definitely need AC. Most ultra-mileage offerings look like sneakers with skateboard wheels. I think driving a three-wheeler would take some getting used to. Heavy batteries, gas engine etc. in the rear brings to mind a less than favorable polar moment of inertia. Once that rear wheel looses grip.... hang on. Sure the old Morgans were trikes but of a different era/speed. Engine out front too.

[smithtaka4n1]

that thing looks like a Jetson's flying car or something. Way to extreme looking for me. Seems like great gas mileage = strange looking in all these prototypes.

[SIBladerunner]

Thats all great, but the price is really steep and what about replacing batteries? Have they been around for a while? This is pretty cool stuff, but I want to make sure if I'm spending $30K the car will last 10-15years without costing another $20K in matince.

[todd00]

they do make me think of the jetsons....meet george jetson. i thought i might be the first to say, i kinda like the odd looks. cars today all look so much alike, this one is very different.

hard to say how they will do in the long term, but i was impressed with their website. its nice to see alternatives coming from independent sources.

[GenevaDirt]

Thats all great, but the price is really steep and what about replacing batteries? Have they been around for a while? This is pretty cool stuff, but I want to make sure if I'm spending $30K the car will last 10-15years without costing another $20K in matince.

I do not think the price is too out there if it gets the mileage it says it does. People are paying that for hybrids now and getting WAY less milage out of them. As far as the all electric it has a 120 mile range...twice as much as others offer.
And as for looks....I think I like it. But then I like all the differant stuff I have been told.

[Damkid]

i have to say, i think it looks pretty cool!!

Thats all great, but the price is really steep and what about replacing batteries? Have they been around for a while? This is pretty cool stuff, but I want to make sure if I'm spending $30K the car will last 10-15years without costing another $20K in matince.

This is the problem my parents ran into with their smart car, they had to take it to the mercedes dealer to get it serviced and when each service was costing upwards of $150 it became expensive to maintain, even with the amount of fuel they saved

[Rumnhammer]

Aptera

I actually plan on buying one as soon as the come to the east coast. They will only be sold in California this year starting in the fall. This is the perfect commuter car, since it goes 60 miles on no gas at all.
Chris Rummel

[Pu241]

I hope they will make the diesel power train available outside CA!
When you drive 40K+ miles a year this can make a difference to my wallet.
Wonder if the FED tax breaks on a hybride are still available?

And for those worried about the battery pack dying, yes they will!
But most assuridly they do not make the batteries and there only a few battery manufactures.
So when they die, which should be many charge and discharge cycles, you find another similar or better yet a better battery(weight to power ratio wise) and replace them.
Modifing if you have to!
Pretty sure the third seat in mine would be the first thing to go!

[FB71]

yup^^^

Yuasa, Panasonic, Sanyo are the major NiCad and NMHyd battery manufacturers right now. There's French company and Indian company making some pretty good LI batteries currently, with more on the horizon.

fed tax breaks are on the way out, this year, maybe next.

[sketchman]

Seems strange to have all those screens in an electric car that's supposed to be super efficient. If you're relying on a battery to power your car, why waste any of that power on things that don't make the car go?