SlashGear Japan
Personally, I don’t think this story needs to go any further than the headline and a picture, but that’s just me, and you probably want some more information on a vehicle that good for both your wallet and your environment. Well lets start with the facts that it has 3 wheels and gull-wing doors which look awesome.
Next up is the fact it looks a lot like a space ship, but retro, so like, one of the spaceships you might see in one of the older episodes of Star Trek or something along those lines. Its drivable on most roadways too, with a top speed of 55.
It will cost about 15k pounds, which is somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 grand. Not a bad price, depending on how much you drive in a year, you could probably save your total car payments on this thing in gas money alone. And it doesn’t look like they sacrificed design for cost, because it looks good, different, but good.
Pre-order the Aptera electric three-wheeled hybrid…car thing [via techdigest]
7 Responses to “Aptera Diesel Hybrid car gets 230 miles to the gallon”
Ty September 28, 2007
Dang, I want that fuel saver!!!
NeutralScott October 1, 2007
Uh, the top speed is 95mph. 55 is the crusing speed at which mileage(e) is measured. BTW, not gull-wing but scarab style doors. maybe 55 is the Kph? no. miles per hour top speed is 95. did you read about all the safety aspects? airbags, structure, etc..
solid.
S
+1Ty October 1, 2007
It looks like a alien spaceship if you ask me…
Neutraluhm October 1, 2007
You’d have to be driving quite the gas guzzler (or be one hell of a commuter) to come anywhere near the payments of a $30,000 car. Let’s say you got a 5 year loan at a convenient 0% interest – that’s $500 per month. At let’s say $3 per gallon that’s the equivalent of 166 gallons. Let’s say you DO drive one of the worst gas guzzlers out there, a 2007 Hummer H2 (which is 10% less efficient than the 2008), and you drive it exclusively in the city, so you’re getting (a similarly convenient) 10 mpg. Ok – that’s 1660 miles per month. (At an average speed of your city driving of 20mph that’s 83 hrs spent in traffic per month, or 4 hrs per working day, btw).
Now, let’s say you had a personality transplant and lost the need for 3 extra seats, and about 5000 lb of steel and rubber, and switched to the aptera. Your same 1660 mile monthly commute is now only costing you in the neighborhood of $21 and change, which we can just round off.
So, yes, I guess you CAN make up the monthly payment in gas savings alone. But you wouldn’t.
NeutralDavid October 2, 2007
Yeah, except the H2 costs $55000, so you’ve just saved over $25000 by buying the Aptera. What the hell are you trying to make up?
The point is that this won’t be some super-expensive niche-market car, but quite reasonably priced.
+1angel October 3, 2007
LOL…
NeutralToo October 5, 2007
Don’t forget about the tax credits.
Neutral