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A new market for three-wheeled electric vehicles is beginning to take shape, and that’s good news for the US electric vehicle startup Aptera. The company has been inching its way towards the launch of a futuristic three-wheeled car embedded with solar panels, dinged by many skeptics along the way. Nevertheless, Aptera just earned a big vote of confidence from the A-list battery manufacturer LG Energy Solutions, smoothing the path to full production this year.
Three-Wheeled Electric Vehicles With LG Batteries And Solar Power
The deal with LG is a seven-year commitment, indicating that LG expects a successful experience when the new electric vehicle goes into production later this year. In addition to LG and Aptera, the exclusive partnership involves the battery module and pack manufacturer CTNS.
“Under this MoU, LG Energy Solution will exclusively supply 2170 cylindrical battery cells from 2025 to 2031 to power Aptera’s solar EV, the ‘Aptera’, aimed to launch in the U.S. market in 2025,” the partners announced at CES 2025 in Las Vegas on January 9.
The announcement highlighted some key differences between conventional four-wheeled passenger cars and the three-wheeled approach, which involves a significant savings in weight and reduces the environmental impacts of the supply chain.
“Built with recyclable materials, this eco-friendly vehicle features a lightweight carbon fiber structure and no-welding assembly for maximum cost and production efficiency,” the partners explain.
The futuristic design is aimed at cutting air resistance to gain the maximum benefit of the embedded solar panels. Under the right conditions, the solar panels can power the car for up to 40 miles daily, which is more than enough to cover the driving needs of the average US driver.
Electric Vehicles With Embedded Solar Power Have A Tough Row To Hoe
The idea of embedding solar panels on electric vehicles is not unique to Aptera. Depending on the owner’s situation, a car can spend hours parked or moving in sunlight. All that solar energy can be harvested and put to use in electric vehicles.
Solar roofs are becoming more common, but very few automakers have actually tried embedding solar panels into other body parts. CleanTechnica has seen a number of solar-embedded electric vehicles wither on the vine, such as the ill-fated Sion.
On a brighter note, we’ve also seen some solar electric vehicles stumble out of the starting gate only to recover in one form or another. The European firm Lightyear comes to mind. The company started off with a plan for making its own electric vehicles, eventually dropping the idea in favor of selling its “Lightyear Layer” solar technology to other automakers.
The Aptera Saga Continues
Aptera’s story is of a piece with other solar electric vehicle experiences. The company launched in 2006 and hit a brick wall just a few years later, in 2011. However, that was not the end of the story.
“A relaunch in 2020 got the gears in motion again, and now the long-awaited, futuristic, solar-powered three-wheeled electric car is almost ready to hit the road,” CleanTechnica reported in February of 2024.
Since then, the pieces have been falling into place. CleanTechnica’s Jennifer Sensiba has been tracking Aptera closely, and last November she took a deep dive into both the business and technology gears of the company.
As of November the company was looking for an infusion of $60 million towards mass production, which seems like a tough nut to crack. However, Sensiba pointed out Aptera had already raised $120 million through crowdfunding by July of 2024. “So, raising 50% of what had already been raised from crowdfunding isn’t necessarily a giant leap,” she concluded (see lots more Aptera background here).
Three-Wheeled Electric Vehicles Are Coming For Your Gasmobile
Sensiba also took note of the market for autocycles, which is the category of vehicle under which Aptera’s three-wheeler falls. She suggested that the autocycle’s less-than-a-car, more-than-a-motorcycle configuration could have more appeal to today’s car buyers than previously thought.
Here in the US, autocycles are street legal in most states and they don’t require a motorcycle license, just a regular driver’s license. In fact, three-wheeled electric vehicles were fairly common in the early days of the auto industry. After gas pushed electricity out of the mobility market, the three-wheeled configuration still maintained a tenuous hold on the market for passengers cars and light commercial vehicles. By the mid-20th century, though, the idea faded into obscurity.
If you’ve seen a three-wheeled motorcycle out on the open road, that’s not an autocycle. An autocycle is defined by a front-facing seat and a steering wheel. That’s where the action has picked up again. A revival has been in the works, spurred by interest in hot rods and roadsters. The Polaris Slingshot and the Venice GTS are two good examples of open-air autocycles. The idea also seems to be catching on among legacy auto makers as well, such as the Tricera autocycle concept from Toyota.
The missing link is an enclosed cabin, and that’s where Aptera has spotted an opportunity. “Thoughtfully crafted to maximize space for quick commutes and long road trips, Aptera’s interior cabin comfortably seats and sleeps two,” is how the company pitches its autocycle, in an appeal to the emerging urban adventurer market.
The Autocycle Revolution Is Coming
Aptera has its marketing work cut out for it, but a movement is already afoot to re-popularize three-wheeled mobility. Beyond electric vehicles, growth in the three-wheeled sector includes pedal power as well as gas or diesel. Last October, the research firm Straits noted out that growth is especially strong in the Asia-Pacific as well as LAMEA (Latin America, Mideast, Africa) nations, where three-wheelers of all sorts are considered “the most cost-effective and time-efficient option for public and goods transportation.”
As is the case with the market for electric vehicles in general, Straits notes that three-wheel demand is largely driven by government regulation. Over and above that, economic forces are at work. Straits reports that “the global popularity of electric three-wheelers has increased due to the increase in global fuel prices, pollution, and urban traffic congestion.”
A 2023 report from the International Energy Agency indicates that the market for three-wheeled electric vehicles is highly concentrated in India and China, partly due to the continued use of inexpensive lead-acid batteries. Still, Straits sees signs of growth in Europe, where three-wheelers are growing in popularity for recreational use.
Keep an eye on France, in particular, where Straits calculates that three-wheeler manufacturing activity now accounts for 20% of all light cars built in Europe.
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Photo (cropped): The US startup Aptera deploys embedded solar panels to raise the bar on autocycles in the electric vehicle market (courtesy of Aptera).
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