In the future, cars will glide through the air powered by small turbo engines. Traffic will no longer exist on the ground, except for what’s left of many small wheel transportation vehicles. Since we don’t really know the design automobiles will take in the future, we only can speculate. Aptera, an independent auto company, has taken the forefront of the futuristic venture and developed the Aptera type-1 (2e).
The 2e features a complete aerodynamic design, which Aptera claims will be more efficient both on energy use and speed. The California built car will come in both complete electric and hybrid versions. Aptera states that the hybrid version will get up to 300 miles per gallon of gas, and both versions will have a top speed of 85 mph and go from 0-60 mph in under 10 seconds. A full recharge of the all electric version is slated to only take about a four hour charge while plugged into a standard electric socket (with a fully drained battery).
The body design of the 2e looks like something straight out of a sci-fi movie. The birth father (co-founder) of the auto, Steve Fambro, “dreamed of cruising past the masses in a vehicle that was safe enough to protect his new family, yet efficient enough to keep money in his pocket instead of feeding a gas pump”. So Fambro sought to “design a vehicle that follows nature and glides through the wind instead of pushing it.” As you can see in the photo, the car seems like it would do just that.
The Aptera 2e is technically considered a motorcycle because it includes three wheels total; two in the front and one in the rear. But the developers see it as a regular automobile much like the standard four wheel vehicles all over the roads. Aptera also claims that with all the efficient specifications, the 2e is the most efficient production vehicle in the entire world.
The Aptera originally had a set release date for sometime in 2008, but as we grow closer to the end of the year it looks more like the auto will be released sometime in early 2009. As if all this efficient talk wasn’t enough, the Type-1 is slated to cost less than $30,000.
