

Electric car maker Aptera in disarray as founders fade away - ilamont
http://green.venturebeat.com/2010/02/02/ev-maker-aptera-in-disarray-as-founders-fade-away-2/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Venturebeat+%28VentureBeat%29

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frankus
This is disappointing, but not too surprising for anyone that has watched the
automotive space for a few years. A thousand vehicles a year is considered the
minimum viable volume for a car company to break even in series production,
and the jump from prototype to serial number 1000 is _huge_.

Aptera even sidestepped a lot of the red tape by building a three-wheel
vehicle (legally considered a motorcycle) and an electric vehicle (no subject
to emissions regulations). Their only misstep may have been deciding to give
it a body: building a world-class chassis is within the grasp of a skilled
garage fabricator, while mass producing doors that close right and don't let
the rain in is something multi-billion-dollar companies still struggle with. A
three-wheeled electric Ariel Atom (similar to the Wrightspeed) could probably
get to 1000 units/year much more smoothly, but with an even more constrained
market.

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khafra
Aw, man. :( I really wanted an Aptera since the first time I saw them, years
ago--it was the first car that was both as awesome as the concept, and planned
to be affordable. But I had a feeling they wouldn't be able to make it
anywhere near on time at their target price point.

Whether it's because they planned their initial release solely for a state
that's sinking in red ink, or because of inherent unviability, it's a sad day
for cool cars of today and the future.

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proee
You should build your own EV and give HN weekly build updates. We could give
you our expert opinions on the style and technology.

The only catch is you have to get a license plate that says HN-EV.

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happenstance
Lots of people do their own EV conversions from ICE (internal combustion
engine) cars. Trouble is, up until now they've all used lead acid batteries
(and as such, were heavy and didn't have great range).

The next step -- and what I'm really interested to start seeing -- is homebrew
EV's using Lithium Ion batteries. I think this is going to be the next step.

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proee
The advancement of motor and power convert technology is also worth noting. AC
motors are a huge upgrade over the old dc motors that used brushes.

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happenstance
DC motors are very efficient, so, I'd have to see some numbers to buy that.

Also, a big plus for DC motors is that the controllers are simpler. AC motors
require a high-power adjustable-frequency inverter.

The only downside of common standard DC motors that I know of is that you have
to change the brushes every _n_ years, which I'll gladly take over oil
changes. :)

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proee
Well you forced me into a google search. Here's a good read on dc vs ac type
motors used in EVs.

<http://www.teslamotors.com/blog4/?p=45>

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happenstance
Thanks for the link.

Though, I still tend to gravitate toward the simplest solutions, and in this
case, a series-wound brushed motor is about as simple as it gets.

Regular DC motors have heavy and strong magnets (more expensive), but the
series-wound motors are just wires (and, FWICT, a bit less efficient).

Regarding brushless, I'm sure they're quieter and require less maintenance,
but they still are more complex than the series-wound DC.

I suppose the AC induction motors have their place, but for the DIY crowd, I
think many will stick with the basics.

