On August 20, Aptera announced a $44 Million partnership with Launch Design to design and build their first solar electric vehicle.

This finally answers questions that have hounded the company for years about their plan for scaling and fulfilling the thousands of reservations.

In a world where sedans have been replaced by SUVs, I don't see how the market would react positively to this. But then again, Lime scooters are paradoxically also a thing. I guess maybe it's a matter of marketing?

So dumb. Build bike lanes and use ebikes, many of which already go 30mph+. The only hurdle is a weatherproof cover which together with an ebike would be way cheaper than this.

I'd love if the roof and the hood of my plugin hybrid could have solar panels built in. I drive it very rarely and short distance. lf it could be topped up over few days, before next grocery or restaurant trip, I'd be delighted. I know there's not much energy to be gathered but it would suffice me. Instead I have glass roof for no reason, as if there was anything interesting straight up. Car manufacturers somewhat lost the plot.

Is this so Aptera can pass the buck when it flops again (“it’s Launch’s fault, we swear”)?

This really doesn’t answer any questions. $44 million (and worthless paper stock warrants) is also immensely low for new vehicle tooling as a whole.

(I'll point out that an article about Slate's frugality[1] still shows some massive costs involved here. They scored a $200 million assembly line component originally from GM for $12 million. Uh, if that kind of seven/eight-figure investment is required for a single component of an assembly line, how far does this $44 million go for Aptera?)

[1] https://www.autoline.tv/automotive-insight/slate-a-mastercla...

This is like building a gas powered car with a refinery attached to the roof.

Batteries exist. Solar panels add weight and design constraints. Why is this a thing? What am I missing?