Video: Aptera does 482.8km on solar power

Aptera successfully completed its first solar-supported road trip, proving a solar EV can go the distance without relying on traditional EV charging infrastructure.

Co-chief executive Steve Fambro drove more than 482.8km (300 miles) on a single charge in Aptera’s production-intent vehicle.

He went through snow-covered mountains, down historic Route 66, across the desert, and back to California—all under solar power.

The Aptera cruised past 18-wheelers and mountain passes, and endured desert winds and overcast skies, the company says.

“Most importantly, this trip validated the performance and reliability of Aptera’s systems in diverse, real-world conditions – ensuring our vehicle is ready for long-distance travel.

“While this wasn’t intended to be a formal range test, we ran the numbers anyway and were impressed by the results -122Wh/mile efficiency, 2.4kWh of solar energy added during the trip (equivalent to 32km powered by the sun, even on a partly cloudy day).”

Solar energy was harvested while the Aptera was moving and the tests were done with a heavier-than-production test vehicle, says the company.

Final efficiency and range validation happens in coming months with Aptera’s production-weight vehicle “Gemini”.