Here's A First Glimpse Of Aptera's Solar EV Assembly Line

"California startup Aptera is edging closer to turning the dream of a solar-powered electric car into reality. After years of delays, the first validation builds of the three-wheeled EV are being built at the company's facility in Southern California. The startup, which has relied on several funding campaigns to get to where it is today, gave a glimpse inside the building that will eventually house a proper assembly line for low-volume series production."

"What's more, the startup said it is now assembling the solar panels that will be fitted to the EV's body under the same roof. Its battery partner, CTNS, is also making modules with LGES cells at the same facility for the first time, which should result in shorter wait times. The company has also ramped up hiring, bringing on board people who are now responsible for the supply chain, the development of embedded systems and other engineering roles."

"To be clear, Aptera is still not ready to make road-going solar EVs. It has assembled six bodies that will become validation builds, and it's still relying on its third production-intent prototype, dubbed Gemini, to gather real-world data that has been described as encouraging. The startup still has a lot of work to do to get the first customers their two-seater solar EVs, including regulatory testing, which will be done with the upcoming validation builds."

Aptera is producing pre-production validation builds of its three-wheeled solar electric vehicle at a Southern California facility. The company is establishing a low-volume assembly line using a large-scale assembly jig to create the Body in Carbon (BinC). Solar panels for the vehicle are now being assembled on-site, and battery partner CTNS is building modules with LGES cells at the same location to reduce wait times. The company has increased hiring across supply chain and engineering roles. Six bodies have been assembled for validation, and additional regulatory testing and development remain before customer deliveries.

Read at insideevs.com