Aptera Motors announces deal worth several hundred million euros to source distributed drive platform technologies from Elaphe. The deal is another leap forward for Aptera to enter series production in record time. Located in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Elaphe is a technology leader for in-wheel powertrains, and is Aptera’s vendor of record for the electric propulsion system. The arrangement includes a detailed plan to scale production in Slovenia, and then extend production to the US.

Chris Anthony, Co-CEO of Aptera notes that this partnership marks strategic progress for Aptera’s production timeline. “We’re very proud to work with the experts at Elaphe, and this agreement means that we can proceed rapidly. Not only will Elaphe’s in-wheel motors make Aptera faster and more efficient, we are pleased to work with an industry leader redefining what is possible.”

The deal adds positive momentum to Aptera’s rapid development toward the final vehicle production stage and fortifies the existing relationship between Aptera and Elaphe, formalizing the process of incorporating Elaphe’s advanced in-wheel motor technology within Aptera. A major part of the plan is the establishment of a new 160,000 square foot R&D and production center where Elaphe will begin to ramp up motor production for Aptera, leading to a 100,000 unit annual capacity.

Elaphe’s technology allows Aptera to effectively innovate and build its cutting-edge vehicles at a rapid pace. With the competencies in holistic integration, Elaphe’s experience and technology facilitate Aptera’s innovative features and ensure vehicle design freedom. With Aptera’s focus on packaging and vehicle efficiency, these in-wheel motors offer a compact, high-torque solution, allowing for the vehicle’s enhanced aerodynamics, lighter overall vehicle weight, and improved handling — resulting in better mileage and safety.

“Our mission has always been the enablement of vehicle-level innovation. Aptera is pushing to extremes and radically changing the premise of achievable aerodynamic design and manufacturing concepts for electric vehicles. The vehicle is a really good match with Elaphe in-wheel powertrain technology, because it both requires and benefits from motor packaging, low energy losses, and vehicle dynamics. We at Elaphe are excited to have the opportunity to tap into our platform and work with visionaries at Aptera on accelerating their movement.” notes Gorazd lampic, Elaphe’s CEO.

About Aptera

Aptera Motors delivers the world’s most technologically advanced solar electric vehicles (sEVs), made possible by breakthroughs in battery efficiency, aerodynamics, material science, and manufacturing. A lightweight three-wheeler, Aptera is the first in a series of eco-friendly vehicles that will be offered for consumer and commercial use. It has the longest range of any production vehicle with 1,000 miles per charge and the ability to travel up to 40 miles a day on free power from its integrated solar panels. With only six key structural parts, Aptera’s unique body shape allows it to slip through the air using far less energy than other electric and hybrid vehicles on the road today. Learn more and join over 25,000 Aptera reservation holders at www.aptera.us.

About Elaphe

Elaphe technology dates back to the late 1980s and stems from our founder’s research into high-specific torque electric motors. In 2006, Elaphe Propulsion Technologies was founded with a mission to enable the creation of better vehicles by bringing its in-wheel powertrain solutions to the automotive mass market. Today, Elaphe utilizes its leading in-wheel propulsion technology together with the underlying platform of know-how, technologies, and products, both HW and SW, as the enabling technology for the new era of innovation in the automotive industry. Thus, Elaphe’s ecosystem enables its customers and partners to effectively develop and bring their innovative vehicles to market. Learn more at www.in-wheel.com

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An Australian solar-powered car, designed and built by university students, is on track to challenge for a prestigious Guinness World Record.

The UNSW Sydney Sunswift Racing team, which has more than 25 years of heritage in solar car production, this week officially unveiled its latest model – Sunswift 7.

It has been designed to claim the title of world’s fastest solar vehicle and will put its credentials on the line when going for a Guinness World Record at the Australian Automobile Research Centre in Wensleydale, Victoria in December.

Sunswift 7 weighs in at just under 500kg, which is around one quarter that of a Tesla Model S electric car, thanks to high-tech engineering which includes carbon fibre chassis and bodywork.

The aerodynamic design also dramatically reduces wind resistance, while efficiencies in power transfer between the solar panel and the motor mean the car can travel for more than 1200km on a single charge of its battery.

The 50-strong student team, which is overseen by Professor of Practice Richard Hopkins, former Head of Operations for the Red Bull Racing Formula One Team, hope to break the Guinness World Record for the Fastest Solar Electric Car over a distance of 1000km.

They believe they can achieve an average speed of 120km/h or more during the estimated eight-hour record attempt.

Professor Hopkins said: “The Sunswift Racing team already holds a number of Guinness and FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile) world records and we are confident Sunswift 7 can add to that list.

“Thanks to some aerospace technologies, this car weighs just under 500kg, which is about one quarter that of a Tesla Model S. The lighter a car is, the more efficient it will be, and with efficiencies come speed.

“This is a racing car, so we save a lot of weight by not having ABS brakes, or airbags, or an air conditioning system – and we don’t even have windscreen wipers.

“The team has also done a lot of work on the bearings which means there is very little resistance mechanically and we have a very aerodynamic design to cut air resistance to a minimum.”

Driving technology forward

For cars, there is an industry standard for drag coefficient, which measures the way a vehicle passes through the surrounding air. The lower the number, the less drag there is.

The drag coefficient for a Tesla Model S, for example, is 0.208. Whereas Sunswift 7 has a drag coefficient of just 0.095.

And Prof. Hopkins added: “With very little rolling resistance and very little air resistance, that’s what makes this car so efficient.

“All those efficiencies mean once we get up to 100km/h and take the foot off the accelerator I don’t think there is a straight stretch of road long enough, except for maybe somewhere in the Nullarbor, to measure how far this car would keep going all on its own.”

UNSW’s Sunswift Racing team has been at the forefront of solar vehicle technology since building its first car in 1996 and enjoyed success in numerous races, most notably the World Solar Challenge.

As well as the Guinness World Record attempt, the latest Sunswift 7 car will also push the boundaries of what is technically possible with regards to remote driving.

In association with team technical partner Optus, the vehicle will have 5G receivers and cameras installed, allowing it to be driven by someone outside the car wearing a virtual headset.

And that someone will be none other than 2021 Bathurst 1000 winner Chaz Mostert who will pilot Sunswift around the famous Mount Panorama track in October.

Professor Hopkins believes the achievement of the UNSW students to design and build such a car is already hugely impressive.

“This is the result of the hard work of 50 undergraduate students who are very dedicated, very focused and very talented,” he said.

“They were given the freedom to create. The criteria was simply: build a car that has solar powers and a battery. I had very little influence over what they chose to do within that – I just wanted them to make the best engineering decisions.

“Sunswift 7 is the manifestation of their collective minds, who on day one probably had very little idea what they were doing. And now to produce this amazing car is just insane.

“Let’s remember, this is not the best paid professional car makers in Stuttgart working for Mercedes. This is a bunch of very smart amateurs who have taken all the ingredients and put it together in a brilliant way.”

For more information about the Sunswift project, as well as photos and videos of Sunswift 7 in production and on the track in testing, please visit:

UNSW Newsroom: https://stories.unsw.edu.au/sunswift-7-driving-technology-forward/index.html

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