Vaporware or not? Aptera assembles its first five validation models.

The vehicle seats just two occupants and their luggage, but it takes up a surprising amount of room on the road—it’s actually an inch and a half wider than the gargantuan Hummer EV , if you can believe it, a vehicle so wide it scarcely fits in parking spaces or EV charging bays. Visits to those charging bays are meant to be rare; the EV aims to deliver a range of 400 miles (644 km) from a 44 kWh battery pack—10 miles/kWh (6.2 kWh/100 km) is the claim for the $40,000 launch edition. (Should Aptera succeed, it plans a much cheaper version with just 250 miles/402 km of range.) Its drag coefficient of 0.13 is lower even than Volkswagen’s 1980 ARVW concept , and while I can’t find a published frontal area for the Aptera, its cross-section is clearly much less than that of a standard car shape. And as you’ll note from the pictures, that aero body is clad in photovoltaic panels that provide up to 40 miles (64 km) of range a day, Aptera says . Dihedral doors, solar panels, open-wheel front axle? It certainly cuts a unique dash. Aptera Motors Dihedral doors, solar panels, open-wheel front axle? It certainly cuts a unique dash. Aptera Motors A look inside. Aptera Motors A look inside. Aptera Motors Dihedral doors, solar panels, open-wheel front axle? It certainly cuts a unique dash. Aptera Motors A look inside. Aptera Motors Third time’s the charm? But Aptera, or some version of it, has been saying these things for twenty years now. …