Car of the Future

Aptera, of Carlsbad, California, north of San Diego, has developed a car that promises up to 300 miles per gallon. As you can see the car has that Jetsons-style that those who grew up in the sixties was promised as the car of the future.


Pictured here is the prototype Typ-1 e. The vehicle, which seats two comfortably, is all-electric, has a 120-mile-range on a single charge and can reach speeds up to 90 mile per hour.

Charging the vehicle takes up to two hours on standard house current.

The engine is a hybrid diesel/electric.

It uses a hydraulic system to collect energy from the braking system to be reused for acceleration. This is a ‘must-have’ technology for any future car to compete on the open market.

It is built of a strong yet lightweight composite shell on an advanced suspension and drive train components.

It is designed to be stable enough for daily driving with plenty of cargo space behind the seats for groceries.

The sleek, lightweight body makes it aerodynamically feasible to pull off its claims of high mileage.

The lack of side view mirrors (the ability to see behind you is made possible by the use of rear-view cameras) cuts down on drag.

A couple points came up while researching this project car: one, are the drive train components reliable and are they going to be easily replaceable. It would be nice if our car of the future would be easy for any backyard mechanic to work on much as cars of yesteryear were.

Two, it could become an all-wheel drive vehicle for driving in snow. Sure it will require a little more power which would cut down on its range, but with solar panels to keep the batteries charged and the progress being made on developing sturdier better quality batteries this would not be much of a problem.

Tires need to be run-flat types due to lack of spare tire.

As a three-wheeler, a motorcycle. It is not designed to be the primary vehicle for any given family. It can be used as a second vehicle or daily commuter much as a motorcycle. It is a major improvement over crash survivability compared to a motorcycle.

Given Americans preference to ride only one person per vehicle and given the fact that carpool lanes are basically useless because of it, this vehicle makes a lot of sense. Look at the number of motorcycles on the road. They are viable because they are fuel efficient and they cost less than cars.

The more SUV’s we can get off of the road and replaced with vehicles like this the better off we will all be. The sooner we get away from the big three automakers the better off we will all be.

Aptera has two innovative models that are almost production-ready at $30,000 and below: for next year, the all-electric, 120-mile-range Typ-1 e, and, by 2009, the range-extended series gasoline Typ-1 h, which Aptera says will hit 300 mpg. A more conventional third model, called “Project X” or perhaps Typ-2, is now in the design phase, with plans for a four-wheeled chassis and seating up for to five passengers.

This vehicle represents another great example of American ingenuity and willingness to break away from the typical auto manufacturers offerings. As a prototype this vehicle is on the right track by using some ideas that will most likely be standard equipment on future vehicles.

My one greatest fear is that this company would be bought out, by one or all three big-three automakers working collectively, and the project would be shelved.