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Aptera, which had planned to deliver its three-wheeled electric car to customers last month, has now postponed the production launch for almost a year.
Production models of the Aptera 2e (formerly known as Type-1), an all-electric vehicle with a range of 100 miles, were to have been delivered by the end of 2008. The company now says the first production 2e will be completed January 16, but won’t go to a retail customer. Instead, Aptera will build “a small test fleet of…enhanced vehicles,” and now expects to launch volume production in October 2009.
In a recent letter to “Aptera Family Members,” the company cited “a notable disconnect between our product plan and realistic expectations” by its customers. To resolve these issues, it “recruited a team of seasoned professionals from the automotive industry and the California tech sector.”
Funded by Google and IdeaLab, Aptera and the 2e have attracted favorable press and a strong online fan base. But the size of the market for an all-electric three-wheeled car with a 100-mile range—let alone one that looks like a Cessna cabin on wheels—was always debatable.
