Electric Car Goes 160 Km On Single Charge

Vista, California: Thousands of kilometres west of Detroit, a California start-up hopes to find a market for a three-wheeled, ultra-efficient, but odd-looking car among consumers sick of spending their hard-earned cash at the petrol pump.

The Aptera is an egg-shaped two-seater, often likened to a space-age car from the futuristic 1960s cartoon The Jetsons. Looking more like an aircraft than a road vehicle, it is a far cry from the hybrid sedans and electric sports cars being produced by conventional automakers. Riding in the all-electric version of the Aptera feels similar to a regular car, although its roof-attached doors make getting in and out a challenge. Its long shape provides extra legroom and the car runs with a tinny, high-pitched hum. To the executives behind the vehicle, its aerodynamic design and 42km-perlitre range points the way to the future.

And, with 4,000 customer orders already, they believe they have the early following to back up that confidence. "We have a breakthrough level of energy efficiency which really means you are going to save so much money on operating costs," said Aptera Chief Executive Paul Wilbur. Aptera's makers are still shopping the car as a money saver despite an initial price tag of between $25,000 and $40,000 (Rs 13 and 20 lakh), depending on whether buyers want an electric, hybrid or traditional powertrain. "The price of petrol doesn't really matter. If you're buying an Aptera, you'll be buying far less fuel than you normally would with any other car," Wilbur said.

Its first customers are mainly tech-savvy, educated, affluent men who will use the Aptera as a second or third vehicle. The electric version has a 160 kilometre range per charge and can be recharged by plugging into a regular electric outlet. "We plan to make about 10,000 cars a year initially, increasing to 1 lakh in the next few years," Wilbur said. Despite funding issues, the company aims to fulfill its first 4,000 orders by the middle of next year, he added.