Inside photograph of the Aptera Typ-1 electric car to be released by the end of the year.
I’m so happy to read all over the Internet the different approaches companies are taking to dodge the mortal blows of high gasoline prices. Wind power and solar power seem to be on the top of the list of alternative energy resources.
Thanks to Toyota, electric cars are back on the spotlight. Some of them are plug-in hybrids, which means that they use both gasoline and electricity to run. Others are 100 percent electric.
The electric car that captured my attention is the Aptera Typ-1 (photographed above), manufactured by Aptera Motors based in Carlsbad, California. The Aptera Typ-1 is an all-electric, two-seater, three-wheeled car whose streamlined shape might look at home in a Jetsons cartoon. Each street-legal vehicle has an approximate price tag of less than $30,000.
The electric version of the three-wheeler would drive 120 miles per charge, while a hybrid version due for release near the end of 2009 is meant to achieve 300 miles per gallon. The vehicles are supposed to accelerate to 60 miles per hour within 10 seconds and recharge from a 110-volt outlet. If all goes well the company plans on a four-wheeled model capable of sitting up to five people hitting the streets in the not-so-distant future.
This concept car of the future has a unique design. The prototype features high-tech touches such as rear and side cameras instead of rear-view side mirrors to further reduce wind drag. There’s a solar panel on the roof to provide a bit of extra power.
Google is investing $2.75 million into electric-vehicle maker Aptera and battery start-up ActaCell. The announcement, which follows Google’s request for proposals from companies with electric car technologies, came Tuesday during the Plug-In 2008 conference in San Jose, California.
Having the backup of a company with deep pockets like Google, is a sure bet that this classy electric car will hit the California streets by year’s end. By then the car of the future will surely be here! Way to go Google!
