California-based Aptera Motors unveiled a mass-production version of its solar electric vehicle (sEV) at CES 2025. The electric vehicle is reported to have a range of 643 km on a single charge, and also provides the ability to travel up to 64 km per day using solar energy.
Users living in southern climates with plenty of sunshine can expect more than 10,000 miles (16,100 km) of solar-powered driving per year, reducing dependence on grid charging.
The car’s solar battery consists of four panels located on the hood, instrument panel, roof and hatch, as well as on the sides of the body. The vehicle is lightweight thanks to the use of Carbon Fiber Sheet Molding Compound (CF-SMC). Making an electric vehicle requires less than one-tenth the parts used in traditional vehicles, Aptera Motors noted.
At CES 2025, the company signed a partnership with LG Energy Solution, which will supply battery cells for solar electric vehicles, and CTNS, which will produce battery modules developed from its designs.
Aptera claims to have already received about 50,000 pre-orders for the electric vehicle, worth more than $1.7 billion. Aptera Motors is also reported to have raised $135 million through a crowdfunding platform. However, there is no information about when we will be able to see its electric cars on the streets or in dealerships, noted the resource autoevolution.com.