Aptera’s 1,000-mile solar power is closer to reality than ever before thanks to the interest of investors and managers.
The San Diego-based company behind the intriguing battery-powered tricycle, the Paradigm, recently announced it was accepting $ 4 million during its Round of Series financing. While this may not be a lot of money for some automakers, it does bring the company closer to production starting later this year.
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Following the funding round, Aptera says it is now supported by multitudes of funders, private investors and car leaders, including Sandy Munro of Munro & Associates, Inc. said in a statement. “I’m happy to help Aptera as they go into production and beyond.”
But the company does not only see interest from investors. The same press release reveals that the company has received more than 7,000 bookings for the standard Paradigm (starting at $ 29,900) and the top-of-the-line Paradigm Plus ($ 46,900) since the EV made its official public debut in December. Although an outline of models has not been released, the company said pre-orders are over $ 250,000,000.
It’s easy to see why people are so intrigued by the futuristic trike. Although it only has room for two, the EV looks like something of the Jetsons and is powered by a battery setup that makes the Tesla Model S Long Range Plus and Lucid Air look inefficient. With a combination of 100 kWh battery and integrated solar panels, Paradigm Plus can rise up to 1000 kilometers on a single charge. Even better, the vehicle can drive up to 45 kilometers per day (and 11,000 kilometers per year) on solar power alone, so you do not even have to worry about charging it some days.
Aptera also announced that it has moved to a new production facility in the Sorrento Valley area of San Diego. Production of the Paradigm and Paradigm Plus will begin here later this year. The company hopes to have 10,000 samples on the way by next year. You can book yours now via the Aptera website.
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