Aptera co-CEO Steve Fambro posted this image which shows the structural "tub" - the largest piece of forged CFSMC ever made - with the aluminum cross-car beam in place. The viewpoint of this image is from ahead of the passenger-side door, looking toward the rear of the vehicle.
Here's an 11-minute Fully Charged video with the sort of cheesy name "Aptera Lives? What Happened to Aptera?" After Ricky Roy reviews the old "Gamma" prototype (still Aptera's only fully assembled example), he shows many of the new Aptera parts, including the new internal motor/inverter unit that's replacing the planned in-wheel motors. Then Chris Anthony walks Ricky around the newly arrived carbon-fiber SMC (sheet-molding compound) tub and other components. Chris says they're molded with short-fiber strands of carbon in a thermostat resin. He says a clear-coat is added to make them shiny and pretty and qualifies them to be called "forged composites," which is what they're called when used as components of supercars from BMW, Ferrari, and Lamborghini. He explains parts that don't need to be as strong can be made of less-expensive fiberglass instead. I never realized US regulations require the headlights of autocycles, such as the 3-wheeled Aptera, to be in the center of the body, like a motorcycle. That regulation doesn't make sense to me. IMO, the headlights should be able to indicate the approximate width of a vehicle to both oncoming traffic and pedestrians. It appears the Aptera has some lights in the wheel fenders, but not the headlights.
It's not US regulations - there is no Federal definition of "autocycle" - but several states define Aptera as a motorcycle require center headlights on motorcycles. The wide "smile" across the nosecone of the body is the DRL and there are running lights, turn signals and reflectors in the wheel pants (Aptera's name for the front wheel covers - the one for the rear wheel is called a "skirt"...). As the wheel pants are attached to the wheels - and travel with them - headlights could not be mounted to them: In the US headlights must face forward and are not allowed to turn - and that IS a Federal regulation.
Sorry, I usually catch all your posts, but missed that one. Too late to delete my redundant post. Anyway, I often feel I'm the only other InsideEVs forum member paying attention to the Aptera forum, so it won't make any difference. Thanks for addressing my puzzlement regarding the headlight. There are many motor-trikes with two front wheels; all states should allow them to have spread horizontal headlights.
