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Tesla Will Have to Buy Aptera

Tesla will have to buy Aptera eventually. It will be better for them to do it sooner rather than later.

Why Tesla Will Buy Aptera

Tesla is going to buy Aptera one day, and there are a couple of reasons I see this happening. The first reason is that Aptera vehicles are going to be the most efficient vehicles in the world - and it's not going to be even close. Even the very efficient Model 3 RWD will be dwarfed in efficiency by the Aptera.

Did you know: Aptera is creating an EV with 1,000 miles of range that will charge itself with solar panels?

Aptera is making their charging port the exact same as a Tesla vehicle. Aptera is the first company to do this, and I think it's very smart. It means people will be able to drive their Aptera to a Tesla Supercharger if needed and start charging without hassle. This solves the problem of charging.

Aptera is also making their EV very efficient and cost-effective to buy. Let's take a look at the 250 miles range Aptera and just how efficient it will be. This is the version with solar panels covering it and a single motor. The solar panels will give between 20 and 40 miles of range per day, depending on where you live and how much time you spend in the sun.

This puts the base cost at $26,800 for the 250-mile range version and $30,700 for the 400-mile version. I think Aptera will not focus too much on software, as it will be more cost-effective for them to license FSD and Autopilot from Tesla. That is the first efficiency is the cost to make and buy it.

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What Aptera Will Bring to Tesla

Presently, the Aptera as a 3 wheeled vehicle doesn't qualify for tax credits, but I believe this will change.

The 250-mile range version of the vehicle at $26,800 is going to eventually qualify for tax credits and rebates. In California, right now, this takes off $7,500 for the federal tax credit and $4,500 for the state tax credit (depending on income). That means the 250-mile range Aptera will cost $13,800.

And that $13,800 cost is without Aptera having reached volume production. I believe states in the U.S. are going to be offering similar rebates to California, meaning an EV is going to be a no-brainer to buy. It's going to be beyond a no-brainer.

The Aptera will also weigh much less in the 250-mile version with fewer batteries and only 3 tires. It will be the most efficient vehicle ever made. I predict that it will have a 40 kWh battery pack and get 6 miles per kWh WITHOUT any solar panels. If you add on the solar panels for only $900, you will get about 10 miles per kWh or more for daily driving!

Even Tesla's dedicated Robotaxi vehicle will not be able to compete with the solar paneled Aptera. With solar panels, the Aptera can function as a Robotaxi for much longer without needing to be charged. I think the Aptera could become Tesla's Compact vehicle - or another variation of it.

Aptera is also focusing heavily on safety features for its vehicles, including handling collisions. This is something that aligns with Tesla's mission.

Do you think Tesla will buy Aptera?

In Related News: Tesla's 3-Part Ecosystem

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Jeremy Johnson is a Tesla investor and supporter. He first invested in Tesla in 2017 after years of following Elon Musk and admiring his work ethic and intelligence. Since then, he's become a Tesla bull, covering anything about Tesla he can find, while also dabbling in other electric vehicle companies. Jeremy covers Tesla developments at Torque News. You can follow him on Twitter or LinkedIn to stay in touch and follow his Tesla news coverage on Torque News.

Image Credit, Tesla, Screenshot

Comments

paul rodgers (not verified)    February 20, 2023 - 8:41PM

If Tesla bought Aptera right now they would bury it. Either with delays, or just extra stuff that makes it later to market, or robs it of its efficiency.

If they buy it AFTER its really in production, even if there are only a few thousand driving around. Then I think this may well be the next VW bug.

If we ever get there, I shall order.

Dean Stewart (not verified)    February 20, 2023 - 8:49PM

I am a huge Aptera fan and about 21,000 on the reservation list. Unfortunately, the Aptera does not qualify for any federal EV discounts because it is an autocycle, not a car, due to having three wheels. Hopefully legislators will correct this oversight and incentivize such an efficient vehicle.

Bernard Yoo (not verified)    February 20, 2023 - 10:48PM

This article is very Tesla-centric.

Aptera is a disruptive company. Aptera will end up buying Tesla, at pennies on the dollar. Not because Aptera needs any of Tesla’s technology, but because that will be the most convenient way for Aptera to expand its manufacturing floor space.

Dr Williams (not verified)    February 23, 2023 - 10:24PM

In reply to by Bernard Yoo (not verified)

Yes disruptive, as in putting disrupting themselves right out of the company and they are heading for the same fate again for one reason, not practical at all. Twice the efficiency, sure for 1/2 the car.

Nate (not verified)    February 21, 2023 - 1:29AM

Aptera doesn't have any technology or amazing product that Tesla needs. They probably won't even make it into production before going bankrupt.
You really can't go around quoting those prices either. They haven't been updated in years, and with the recent switch to carbon fiber from Italy, there is just no way.

D.D. Jackson (not verified)    February 21, 2023 - 8:27AM

Why would Tesla buy them? They’re about to announce a $25,000 (before rebates) car of their own. This article makes no sense.

RussellJ (not verified)    February 21, 2023 - 9:34AM

I don't see Tesla buying Aptera. Tesla needs another vehicle manufacturer to use their plug design to get the federal grant money. If Tesla buys Aptera then the NACS would still be a one company plug

Douglas R Dickerson (not verified)    February 21, 2023 - 11:27AM

Just mentioning Tesla gets Aptera vast exposure in the media.

Therefore, it is possible that the Accelerator program will continue to reach the $20,000,000 milestone, then Aptera can obtain the matching government funds necessary to go into production.

Matt Grrr (not verified)    February 21, 2023 - 6:03PM

Do I think Tesla would buy Aptera? You bet, I see that being a no-brainer with Tesla buying all of the Aptera IP once Aptera declares bankruptcy in 18-24 months after securing enough funding to start production.

Tom (not verified)    February 21, 2023 - 7:41PM

I don’t think the owners of Aptera are interested in selling. It was their dream once before and it was taken away by investors. They gave reacquired their dream and you don’t give up a dream twice.
Aptera has a philosophy that Tesla would never tolerate: right to repair. Half of the pre-orders including mine would instantly drop their orders if Tesla was in charge. Today, you still can’t buy a new door handle to replace your own even in a 2012 Tesla. To me, this is a travesty!

Steve Palmer (not verified)    February 21, 2023 - 9:13PM

Yeah, you should really correct that comment about Aptera qualifying for the EV tax credit. Aptera doesn't (currently) and it makes a pretty big difference in the math.

George Taylor (not verified)    February 21, 2023 - 9:46PM

Just wait for Aptera's inevitable bankruptcy, then Tesla could buy whatever parts of the company they might want for pennies on the dollar.

AmyJo (not verified)    February 21, 2023 - 10:05PM

Apteras have two motors in all vehicles at least as they are in the wheels. A three motor AWD is an option.

All Apteras have solar panels. Hood and rear hatch panels are an optional upgrade.

mpc (not verified)    February 21, 2023 - 10:59PM

I don't see any guidance that suggests the Aptera qualifies for the federal tax credit. Technically, it's a motorcycle and ineligible for the electric car credit...

Ryan (not verified)    February 22, 2023 - 7:31AM

Nope. Tesla is in a completely different class of competition.i bet those folks who invested in Aptera are hopeful but the customers are not the same. The solar charging is nice but not efficiently quick and most folks will put that on their house. Even HOAs will eventually update their own infrastructure for EVs as time goes on. Most folks are not comfortable sitting in a vehicle with three wheels, something that falls short of 4 wheel vehicle regulations and requirements. It can be the safest thing around but at these prices, people are still going to either buy ICE vehicles or EVs with more wheels and range and all the fun stuff like trunk space, full or self driving, etc. If anything Elon would buy the IP but not the vehicles. And, his manufacturing process is so different that he would just reinvent the 3 wheel vehicle altogether at his gigfactory. For now, there's no strong demand and I bet those Aptera investors are worried.

King Anfalas (not verified)    February 22, 2023 - 9:34AM

In reply to by Ryan (not verified)

Tell that to the 30k people who already have a deposit down. Also they have gone into production and will be delivering at the end of 23. Also they have variants that range from 25KW to 100KW and at 10KW to 100miles, you do the math..

King Anfalas (not verified)    February 22, 2023 - 7:55AM

You dont seem to be very well informed or you just didn't do your homework. First of all ALL Aptera's have at least two motors. Three in the AWD version. Second, at the moment, they do NOT qualify for the federal rebate but that may change soon. Third, the reason they are much less than a Tesla is because they are not a car, they are and autocycle. This exempts them from many regulations and enables them to build a less expensive vehicle. The vehicle itself is probably one of the safest constructed vehicles on the road, so dont think that just because they are exempt they are not safe. One last thing. There are no dealers. You buy directly from Aptera and deliver to your door. This saves a ton of money but also presents an issue with some states that dont allow the sale of a motor vehicle without a dealership located in the state. This is being worked out now. Please next time, vet your work.

Curtis j Cibinel (not verified)    February 22, 2023 - 12:09PM

In reply to by King Anfalas (not verified)

Ya definitely some facts are clearly wrong. I believe in the vision of Aptera but the expectation they will grow over 1000x in market cap and be in a position to buy Tesla just to secure manufacturing space is ludicrous. Aptera has a manufacturing approach which needs very little specialized equipment to assemble; every city over 100k people could POTENTIALLY host an assembly plant in a space no larger than an average Winners. With the continued growth of online shopping such spaces are not hard to find.

EVDad (not verified)    February 22, 2023 - 8:15AM

Unfortunately 3 wheeled vehicles do not qualify for the $7,500 federal tax credit. So you need to remove that aspect from your equation. I don't see aptera doing anything Tesla couldn't do if they wanted. I also think as battery density improves efficiency will matter less. My Rivian R1T is far less efficient than my model 3, but has significantly greater range. We're selling the 3 and keeping the R1T. Sorry but I actually think the entire premise of this article is wrong. Good clickbait though and is have a bit of suspicion this article was written by AI.

BradM (not verified)    December 2, 2023 - 12:15PM

In reply to by EVDad (not verified)

Ah, but efficiency can make a huge difference if you cruise above freeway speeds, which most people do on I-95 around where I live. How many people do you think are going to drive slower than they have driven in the past after they get an EV? An EV's range goes down drastically at speeds above 70 mph. If you cruise at 80 mph as opposed to 70 with any EV currently on the road, I'd bet the percentage of range loss is going to be far higher than the percentage of range loss an Aptera would experience. I'll bet *any* amount of money on that. That's just basic math. Drag increases exponentially with speed. If one vehicle has a far lower drag coefficient than another, that will be a very meaningful advantage when cruising at the realistic, 'normal' freeway cruising speeds of today.
And, I'm aware of the massive amount of research and development being done all over the world to improve batteries in every way possible. There are enough challenges to any given semi-promising new battery technology that I'm willing to bet it will be quite a number of years before a truly game-changing improvement comes to market. I'm not talking about just a few percent improvement here and there. So, I think we'll be stuck with basically what we have in battery energy-density for quite some time. I hope I'm actually wrong about that, but we'll see. So, yes, for the foreseeable future, I think that an extremely aerodynamic design like an Aptera will have a great range advantage at realistic freeway cruising speeds.

Jw (not verified)    February 22, 2023 - 11:20AM

No. Not gonna happen. Aptera is a niche product and a pretty good chance it will go bankrupt. It is comparable to Acrimoto and look how they are doing.

DeanMcManis (not verified)    February 22, 2023 - 11:53AM

I don't see Tesla buying Aptera, or Aptera buying Tesla. But I could easily see Tesla investing in Aptera to further their goal to "accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy" which fully aligns with Aptera's similar goals. Aptera employs unique technologies like in-wheel motors, extreme aerodynamics, a carbon fiber frame, and solar power assist, none of which Tesla uses, or will likely adopt soon. And because of the Aptera's unique design and engineering, they do not need Tesla to buy the company. However, Aptera would benefit from an alliance with Tesla for things like their Octovalve/cooling system, 4680 batteries, and Autopilot/FSD. Plus of course it would only be good to have Tesla's investment funding to help start Aptera's production. Tesla is likely already in communication with Aptera to work out Supercharger access, because Aptera will ship with the NACS charging connector, and is an ideal charge partner because the Aptera uses so little electricity that they will rarely need to plug in. The first (Launch Edition) Aptera will come with the full solar package, which can provide up to 40 miles additional range per day. And it will have around 400 miles of battery-only range. It will have 3 in-wheel electric motors, for all wheel drive, and a 0-60MPH time of around 4 seconds, all for around $33K as equipped. I wouldn't count on federal subsidies for Aptera just yet, because 2 and 3 wheeled EVs were excluded in the latest federal (Inflation Reduction plan). But I hope that they do reconsider to help promote American-built, affordable and super efficient EVs.

Tom (not verified)    February 22, 2023 - 12:57PM

Jeremy:

Some errors in your article have been pointed out in other comments (number of motors, solar panel options, tax credit eligibility, etc.), but they don't change the fundamental argument you're trying to make.

I think that Aptera's enamoration with Tesla is interesting (in addition to adopting Tesla's charging technology, Aptera's founders and engineers have praised Tesla's spartan dashboard design and use of a steering yoke, among other things). I have seen no evidence of interest the other way around, however.

I'm sure that Tesla has noticed Aptera -- it is Aptera's use of Tesla's charging plug that makes Tesla eligible for federal dollars for their EV charging stations -- but I have not seen any evidence of their interest in purchasing the company or its technologies. Personally, I think that a partnership is a more likely scenario; perhaps Tesla even investing in a percentage ownership of Aptera.

From Aptera's end, I think an outright sale to Tesla is also unlikely. Aptera has previously gone bankrupt and it's founders eventually bought back the IP rights to re-pursue their dream. I don't foresee them giving it up easily.

Aptera's biggest challenge will be to create a scalable manufacturing model that can ramp up from niche novelty car (a-la the revamped DMC DeLorean) to mass market vehicle (the next "VW bug"?) if demand is there. They will also have to diversify their selection beyond just options for an extra motor, extra solar cells, and a bigger battery, to offering distinctly different vehicles. They have mentioned future plans to offer a more conventional 4-wheel vehicle, perhaps they will expand to SUV and truck models as well. While I'm sure they will keep the focus on efficiency and maximizing solar charging, these vehicles will necessarily be less efficient than their current design.

I am excited about the Aptera and can't wait for them to be offered here on the east coast (perhaps by 2024-25?). I would love to see the car and company take off and become the next "people's car", but there are a lot of ifs and buts to tackle before that happens. Tesla's purchasing Aptera is one of those *ifs*, *but* I don't see that as likely.

Alan Young (not verified)    February 22, 2023 - 2:04PM

Utter, Utter, utter rubbish. Your the one who fills Armens head full of crap. If you knew anything about Tesla you would already know that Elon would never entertain a 3 wheeler. He has been pressured a lot on Twitter about Arcimoto and dismissed it because they are death traps.