THE CAR’S FUTURE POSTPONED

Aptera’s High-Flying Plans Are Temporarily Grounded
Jerry Garrett, November 18, 2009 (NY Times)

"The money is nearly gone, and the same can be said of the co-founders, at the fledgling electric-vehicle manufacturer Aptera…[It will scale] down operations until more development money could be found. Aptera, which also stands for “wingless flight,” had been seeking government help to get its three-wheeled vehicle, the 2e, off the ground. Such funds have been restricted to four-wheeled vehicles…[The result:] No money, no car…Among [employees laid off] were the co-founders Steve Fambro and Chris Anthony…

"The Aptera 2e was to have gone on sale by the end of this year. [Aptera chief executive Paul Wilbur] said the first vehicles would [now] not be completed now until sometime in 2010. He said 4,000 fully refundable deposits have been received from eager would-be customers, even though the vehicle’s price still has not been disclosed."

From greentechmedia via YouTube

"The airplane-like Aptera 2e is touted as being capable of the equivalent fuel economy of more than 200 miles per gallon. Startup funding has come from companies such as Google and IdeaLab…"

[Paul Wilbur, chief executive, Aptera:] “Aptera management is being a prudent steward of all resources to ensure future viability for the company and strong returns for its stakeholders…Therefore, we’ll begin volume production vehicles once our current series of private funding has closed or when we secure financing through the Department of Energy’s Advanced Technology Vehicle loan program, whichever comes first…I’m as disappointed as any of our depositors and loyal followers around the country that we’re delaying initial production. There’s no one who’s more anxious than we are to put the 2e on the road.”