in Consumer Electronics Show 2025you’ve taken a ride in an electric car that you would never have had to plug in. The Aptera Solar EV is so loaded with solar panels and so efficient to operate, that the manufacturer claims it can achieve up to 40 miles of free range every day from that giant nuclear reactor in the sky: the sun. With the oddly shaped electric car set to go into production later this year, I ducked under its wing-like doors as a prototype to get an early peek.
Although Aptera’s coolest party trick is solar power, the first thing you notice upon approaching is how strange the EV coupe’s design is. The automaker designed the three-wheeler to be as aerodynamic and lightweight as possible. So, its carbon fiber body has a bottle-nosed dolphin-inspired shape and a long, tapering tail to cut through the air with about 70% less drag than a traditional small electric car. The design limits the EV to just two passengers, but there’s room for 32.5 cubic feet of cargo in the long tail.
Meanwhile, separate wheel pods house narrow, high-profile wheels and tires with low-rolling-resistance tires to reduce road friction. The entire vehicle is about half as light as a regular car. The Aptera is front-wheel drive, which I’m told helps weight the 150-kilowatt (201 hp) electric motor over the trike’s wider front end for stability and a more predictable riding character.
Look closely and you’ll see that almost every horizontal surface is covered in the brand’s specially designed solar cells – including the curved glass hood, roof, rear hatch and even the dashboard. In all, there’s about 700 watts of solar generating capacity, which, thanks to the EV’s low weight, drag and friction, captures enough energy to power the EV up to 40 miles a day under ideal, sunny Southern California conditions. If your commute is around 30 miles, you can handle daily driving indefinitely without plugging in.
Of course, if you park your car in a cloudier climate, have shorter days or get less than excellent direct sunlight, solar generation will be reduced, but the Aptera can also be connected for Level 1, 2 or DC fast charging. In full, the automaker expects the electric vehicle to travel up to 400 miles before needing to recharge. What’s even more impressive is that it does so with just a 45 kWh battery. A great advantage of having such a small battery is that the electric vehicle can be reliably charged from a regular wall outlet and that a DC fast charge to the full 400 miles should take less than an hour.
On my test ride through the streets of Las Vegas, traffic prevented us from experiencing the full sub-6-second 0-to-60 sprint, but the Aptera pushed with satisfying power. Ride quality was also very good thanks to the four-link rear suspension on a single rear wheel, although the full experience wasn’t quite representative of the final product due to the prototype’s lack of interior styling and traditional wide front tires.
Eventually, the brand plans to add a less expensive Aptera configuration to the lineup with a smaller battery and less overall range (but the same 40-mile-per-day solar capacity), followed by a variant with more cargo space. for now, Aptera Motors Aptera Solar EV is accepting $40,000 worth of pre-orders and expects to ramp up production in earnest later this year.
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