Google Invests in Aptera Motors and Lithium-Ion Battery Maker AtaCell
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada 
on 07.23.08
Google's RechargeIT Invests $2.75 Million
Google's philanthropic arm, via its RechargeIT program, has just bet $2.75 million on two companies trying to make plug-in hybrids and electric cars a reality: Aptera Motors, maker of the three-wheeled two-seater Typ-1 (we wrote about their prototype here), and ActaCell, a spinoff from the University of Texas at Austin that is working on lithium-ion battery technology with "substantially longer cycle life at low cost while maintaining safety". We don't know what share of the $2.75 went to which company, but we know that ActaCell raised a total of $5.8 million in a recent Series A round, including Google's money.
Aptera's Hypercar
The Aptera Typ-1 car (all pictures in this post are of it, since there are no photos of ActaCell's batteries yet) will be available in both electric and series plug-in hybrid versions. Fuel economy for the plug-in version is estimated to reach as high as 300 mpg if the car is plugged in every 120 miles (which is way more than what most drivers, even in the US, drive in one day). The Typ-1 has a drag coefficient of 0.11, compared with 0.19 for the record-holding EV1.
How Much for the Aptera?
According to the page where you can reserve your Aptera Typ-1 (deposit of $500), the all-electric model will sell for $27,000 and the series plug-in hybrid version will sell for $30,000.
ActaCell's Lithium-Ion Battery Technology
ActaCell is still in development phase, so not too much is know about it's technology. An interesting quote from GreenCarCongress:
Professor Manthiram’s lab at UT is developing low-cost, high-power cathode materials for HEVs and PHEVs, and nanostructured anode materials for portable and transportation applications. The group is pursuing stabilized spinel, nano olivines, and complex layered oxide cathodes as well as nanocomposite alloy anodes to enable next-generation lithium-ion battery technology.
Google's In House Plug-in Hybrid Car Program
As we wrote about a few months ago, Google has its own plug-in hybrid research program. They use modified Toyota Priuses and make a good portion of the data they gather public. That's good, but investing in outside companies is also a very good idea because at the end of the day, Google's focus is still not transportation. Their money can probably be used more effectively by funding the cream of the crop of startups that specialize in that field.
Green Google
How's The Google Plug-In Hybrid Fleet Doing?
The Google Maps Prius Hybrid Car Gets a Ticket
Google Ends Search For Corporate Alternative Energy Source
More on Google.org's Investments in Aptera and ActaCell
ActaCell Press Release
Google.org Invests in Electric Car Startups
Google plugs cash into plug-ins
Google.org gives electric cars a push, with investments in Aptera and ActaCell
New Li-ion Spin-Off from U Texas Closes $5.8M Series A Financing; Google.org an Investor
Battery Startup ActaCell Charges Up with Google, DFJ
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I want one!
I'll take two!!
Me too!
While I think this is a awesome step in the right direction. I want to see one of these in real world situations like the middle of a snowstorm in CO, WI, ND etc. I have a hard time believing the aptera would be practical in an northern snowy state and at that price it can't just be your summer car.
Just move to Panama, no snow.
^^ I believe theiy're only being sold in California for the time being, but you're right. I want one, but it'd never hold up where I live.
Just a general observation in response to several comments above: If you live in a place with cold winters, as I do, you may NEVER drive an electric vehicle (unless you are a LOT younger than me). If we continually wait for the "killer" solution to ALL of our energy problems, we will have a long wait. We are still at a point where we need to grab the low hanging fruit. Let everyone in SoCal drive electric cars, let everyone in the desert SW of the US get their electricity from solar, let everyone in the US Midwest get their electricity from wind, etc, etc, etc ... Still, I AM jealous, and I want to rent an Aptera when I visit California in the future!
I don't know about the Aptera in snow, but EV's could eventually do very well there. They weigh a lot and the batteries are usually mounted low to leave passenger room.
The other thing is that some EV's have been looking at wheel hub motors. Those are ideal for snow because of the all-wheel drive and the weight right there where you need it.
The cold affects the charge of the batteries, and I think that's a larger problem. I'm not sure how the new generation of lith-ion batteries do in the cold, or very hot.
"The Typ-1 has a drag coefficient of 0.11, compared with 0.19 for the record-holding EV1."
It's weird to see something you wrote on Wikipedia appear in a news story… Not that I'm complaining – they got the mileage right.