I would love one as well, but at 43 years of age I have seen so many weird, eco car ideas come, and none of them take off. Then Tesla came along and offered a big, powerful EV and everyone went wild. There is a lesson there.
The target audience for the doorstop Prius (and also the Nissan Leaf) was that overlap of super eco friendly people and attention seekers. Like the old joke, how do know someone is vegan||into-crossfit? They'll tell you.
The latest models of the Prius and Leaf aren't that visually striking, though some of that might come down to being desensitized.
What sets the Prius and Leaf apart from the Aptera, and other weird cars, is that they're actually practical and functional. They're hatchbacks that you can cram a boggling amount of stuff into, and as commuter cars they just work. The Aptera looks completely impractical for anything other than transporting 2 people and a purse from point A to point B. Where would you fit a suitcase in that thing?
They seem to be getting a lot of groceries in the back of that thing [1], also shows them putting in a surfboard. It has a lot more space than would seem to be the case from looking at the exterior.
> Where would you fit a suitcase in that thing?
Unless it's some kind of huge suitcase where the smallest dimension is 3+ feet... in the back cargo area under the hatchback.
Sure, but I think the Aptera fills a sizeable niche, though. Or possibly multiple smaller niches: 1) people who want a really efficient vehicle for whatever reason (mostly environmental reasons). 2) people who would buy it as a 2nd vehicle. 3) Renters who want an EV but only have access to 110v. ... (probably other niches I'm not thinking of at the moment). They claim to have ~15,000 pre-orders and folks on their forums are pretty much in the "Just take my money!" mode.
Yes, it is only a 2 seater, but if it's a 2nd car that's not much of a limitation. And it does have a pretty surprising amount of cargo space.
