My Fitbit Zip from at least 10 years ago has a replaceable battery, so this isn't the first.

If the idea of a free-power-from-the-sun car with open repair instructions interests you, you should place a refundable reservation. Lots of people have referral links to save $30 off the already low referral fee. My referral page is here, for example: https://frequal.com/aptera/res...

While I agree the Aptera is more appealing than a "cheap", "utilitarian gizmo", I think the current projected launch edition price is $40,000, see the footer here: https://aptera.us/reserve/

Progressive offers autocycle insurance for as low as $75 per _year_, according to their website: https://www.progressive.com/mo...

I had been wondering about this too but it may be a non-issue.

Aptera claims "40 miles of grid-free daily driving". If the production vehicles meet this goal, that would be more than enough for part-time use, and even many commuters, given the average daily commute is 42 miles.

It's not vaporware, they've built and driven previous close-to-production prototypes, including this 300-mile road trip: https://aptera.us/apteras-firs...

Hopefully they get to a decent production pace and receive regulatory approvals in the next several months. They've made recent hires with production experience. It will be great to have a new, disruptive competitor in the EV space.

As someone who would like to own an Aptera SEV, I was interested to read they have hired a new SVP of Engineering. Mr. Kaunitz has experience taking innovative concepts to production. I hope his streak continues at Aptera.

https://aptera.us/svp-of-engin...

Java/Maven (via Maven Central) seems to have a low incidence of issues. Are there any actual exploits that impacted Maven Central? I see a few theoretical ones listed online.

Most POMs I've seen have fully-qualified, specific versions for dependencies. That seems to reduce the chance of mass exploitation since even a takeover of a widely used package can't alter past versions.

Immutability FTW.

I hope they're using IPv6. If it's IPv4 I'm going to exhaust the address space.

From first hand experience, I can state that FUD like "the infrastructure will never be ready for mass adoption of EVs" is blatantly false.

For 5 years I charged my first EV at home using the charger it came with, which plugged directly into a standard US 120V socket. No significant increase to my electric bill. No need to install a special ("Level 2") charger. I logged tens of thousands of miles driving to and from work, stores, etc.

Some more modern EVs can even store power and return it to the grid when needed, drawing power when it is plentiful and returning it to the grid when it is scarce. This helps _increase_ grid stability, not threaten it.

If you see statements about infrastructure not being ready for EVs, you should immediately dismiss the author as either gaslighting or hallucinating.

Could they have chosen a more (in)appropriate name, given this action? Sigh.

For a (near) production 2-person vehicle, it has several notable accomplishments. Hats off to the engineering team.
* Record(?) Coefficient of Drag of 0.15
* 10 miles / kWh efficiency, a dramatic increase from the current EV efficiency leaders (in the US, at least)
* Self-powered for 30-40 miles per day

I think the onboard solar panels are compelling since they can power the average commute without plugging in. Not everyone has convenient access to a charger, so this opens up a new market of EV buyers.

It will have a NACS charging port, so if you have your own solar array you can keep it inside and still power it cleanly.

Otherwise it looks like a compelling, unique vehicle for daily use, and even road trips based on the video.

The estimated Cd is supposed to be in the 0.13 to 0.15 range, better than any other production vehicle. The enclosed wheels are supposed to be a significant contributing factor, according to this article: https://electrek.co/2023/07/12...