Production Imminent: 40 Solar-Charging Aptera EVs Coming Soon

Aptera is a California company building solar-charging electric vehicles. Its first vehicle is exotic-looking and hyper-efficient, gaining up to 46 miles of range per day parked in the sun — enough that many owners may never need to plug in for local travel, with all electricity coming from the sun for free.

Aptera recently announced it has ordered major components to build 40 production vehicles. While small relative to its nearly 50,000 reservations, this is a major milestone for a company that has existed in some form for nearly 20 years without ever shipping. It now has only one major certification left and is ramping up production at its facility in Carlsbad, CA. Earlier this year, Aptera built 5 vehicles on its production-intent assembly line to demonstrate faster production and to develop validation software for ensuring vehicle quality, which it has shared online.

Not all 40 vehicles will go directly to customers; some may be used for testing. The first production models will likely go to large and early investors who secured front-of-line placement. With production ramping, Aptera continues taking reservations, currently offering a $30 discount on reservations.