Aptera Motors unveiled a prototype electric vehicle equipped with solar panels on the hood, dashboard, roof, sunroof, and body at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2025 in Las Vegas.
The main advantage of the innovative vehicle is its significantly reduced dependence on charging networks. This three-wheeled car can travel up to 64 kilometers a day, powered solely by sunlight.
What else is known about the new development?
Aptera says this is the first solar-powered electric car ready for production—one that doesn’t need to be constantly recharged during everyday trips.
For long journeys or gloomy days, the electric vehicle is equipped with a battery that, according to the company’s engineers, provides a range of 643 km on a single charge.
The design also has obvious aesthetic appeal, Dezeen reported. The extravagant look is driven by ultra-aerodynamic goals. The three-wheeled, two-seater features a teardrop-shaped body developed in collaboration with the Italian automotive design studio Pininfarina.
To test the car, Aptera Motors used a wind tunnel in Turin, Italy. Specialists from Pininfarina were present to ensure that the vehicle’s shape provided the lowest possible drag coefficient. (The drag coefficient measures the resistance an object experiences while in motion.)
Ultimately, Aptera Motors announced that this car has the lowest drag coefficient among all production passenger cars. Aptera says the vehicle is “closer to an airplane than to typical cars” in aerodynamic terms.
The body is made primarily from a special type of carbon fiber known as CF-SMC. This material can be molded into complex shapes, allowing automakers to create a lightweight yet strong body using only six main components.
The CF-SMC material is produced by CPC Group in Modena, Italy, which also supplies luxury and sports car manufacturers such as Ferrari, Lamborghini, and McLaren.
“This car embodies years of innovation and relentless progress towards energy-efficient mobility,” said Chris Anthony, co-director of Aptera Motors, which was founded in 2006. This is the company’s second attempt to build a solar electric vehicle. In 2011, work came to a halt when the company went bankrupt. The original founders relaunched the venture in 2019.
