Aptera Pushes Back Vehicle Production to October 2009
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada 
on 01. 8.09
Patience is a Virtue
Considering how much bigger car companies have been having problems lately (hybrid sales are way down, Detroit got bailed out, GM stopped construction of the Volt engine plant, Toyota put Prius plant on hold, BYD pushed back some dates, Tesla did the same, etc), it's not too surprising to learn that Aptera is delaying production of its 2e electric model (formely known as Typ-1).
Read on for more.
From Blue-Sky Idealism to Drive-through Windows
In a email to its potential customers, the company wrote:
Our most recent corporate commitment was that we would deliver the first production Typ-1, now known as the 2e, by the close of 2008. Despite our well-intentioned efforts, we were unable to complete that vehicle before the close of the year, so it's now slated for January 16. However, unlike prior plans, this vehicle will not be delivered to a retail customer. We will continue our builds but at a much slower rate starting with a small test fleet of the enhanced vehicles, then moving to our volume production launch on October 1, 2009.
Those who have already put in a refundable $500 deposit now have the option to convert it to a non-refundable deposit, and in return, they will get a $250 rebate on the final product.
One of the reasons given for the delay is that some changes have been made to the vehicle to accommodate feedback from potential customers. For example, they mention that they realized "that some trade-offs for convenience (like being able to grab a burger in a drive-thru) might be necessary to make the ownership experience more palatable, even if it cost us a couple tenths of a point on our drag coefficient."
Via Aptera Motors
Photos: Aptera Motors
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