Aptera: no production vehicles until we get funding, from the government or elsewhere

Ah, funding. So necessary, yet so tedious to get. Aptera — an automotive startup that has warmed our hearts with its eco-friendly, three-wheeled prototypes — has been seeking government funding to take things “next level” ever since 2008. After being laughed out of the building at first, the company reapplied and managed to get its 2e certified as a “car” by the US Department of Energy. Unfortunately, miles (and miles) or red tape have held Aptera back ever since, and even today, they’re still waiting to see if Uncle Sam will be shelling out to further their initiatives. Rather than putting its head down and realizing it’s no GM, the company has pushed out a newsletter explaining the current situation. Essentially, it’s dead-set on holding out for more funding — be it from the DoE’s coffers or elsewhere — in order to maintain quality and keep the per-unit costs down to a reasonable level. According to Aptera: “We would obviously love to accelerate the process, but the government has to make sure they complete their comprehensive evaluation and we have to let the process run its course.” Bummer. Aptera: no production vehicles until we get funding, from the government or elsewhere originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Feb 2011 04:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Posted by on February 7, 2011. Filed under News, Tech. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry