Another teaser image...
- Thread starter Kerbe
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Fortunately, this well-known and well-proven constant-velocity joint technology was ready and willing after Aptera abandoned their plan to employ newfangled and unproven in-wheel motor technology.
I wonder what percentage of Aptera's 40,000 deposit-paying future owners would prefer the originally promised in-wheel motors to the more conventional inboard motor driving both front wheels? I'm in the inboard motor camp, always focused on minimizing unsprung weight.
A motorized rear wheel would/will make the Aptera quicker, but minimizing unsprung weight is probably even more important for that centered wheel.
Kerbe
Well-Known Member
Not so much "abandoned" as "side-stepped": They still plan to utilize in-wheel motors in the future. Moving to an off-the-shelf solution was a more advantageous option at this point in time.
It's now over 50,000 - and I'm guessing that in-wheel motors aren't that straw that will break many camel backs... Remember, though, that the suspension was designed to compensate for the weight of the motors - and unsprung weight is much more of an issue in high-performance vehicles, of which Aptera is not one.
From what I gather, the AWD aspect of the three-motor design wasn't so much for speed or handling as it was for dealing with weather and/or off-road terrain.
If you'd driven a four-wheeled vehicle on a snow-covered but unplowed road, the rear wheels follow in the ruts made by the front wheels: Aptera's third wheel will be trailing though the piled snow lying between the ruts.
IMO, the Aptera is definitely a high-performance vehicle (just not a 200-mph high-performance vehicle). However, I also considered my 2000 Honda Insight a high-performance vehicle and the Aptera will be quicker than my Insight.
I maintain that unsprung weight is an especially big issue with lightweight vehicles. The mass of a giant SUV enables its suspension to soak up the bumps because even its giant SUV wheels represent a small percentage of the SUV's total mass. However, the design of a passive suspension cannot compensate for wheels whose mass represents a significant percentage of a lightweight vehicle's total mass.
If, indeed, Aptera dumps the inboard motor and switches to in-wheel motors in the future, the company may prove me wrong, but the A-B test will then be possible.
Kerbe
Well-Known Member
A 2000 Insight a "performance vehicle"? Just because I consider my M3 to be a pretty unicorn made of white chocolate and magic doesn't make it so...
Remember that the combined weight of the Elaphe motor and aluminum wheel was about 50lbs. - so even three of them were a very minor percentage of the total weight of the 2200lb. Aptera.
"Performance" is a relative term. Most people associate it with acceleration and top speed, but if cornering and efficiency worm their way into the definition...A 2000 Insight a "performance vehicle"? Just because I consider my M3 to be a pretty unicorn made of white chocolate and magic doesn't make it so...
Remember that the combined weight of the Elaphe motor and aluminum wheel was about 50lbs. - so even three of them were a very minor percentage of the total weight of the 2200lb. Aptera.
After Aptera eventually produces a second-gen vehicle with in-wheel motors, seat-of-the-pants comparisons will tell the story of the unsprung weight.
One seldom-mentioned benefit of in-wheel motors: The mice who recently built a nest atop my daily-driven MINI Cooper SE's inverter/motor would find it much more difficult to nest within an in-wheel motor.
Kerbe
Well-Known Member
How kind of you to have provided them with a safe, comfortable home!