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Hi guys! Once again, the interviews y'all do are by far the best part of the EVCast- even more so than your zany shenanegans;-) It was good to hear two of the principles from Atera talk about their car and it's evolution from design to production- I hope they can deliver this year.
As for EESTOR and why they would compare the EESU to lead-acid instead of Li-Ion? A couple of reasons come to mind. First, this patent was written probably a couple of years ago- and while Li-Ion was up and coming even then, the newer technologies were not yet at where they are today. Second, this patent is aimed at military usage and the battery of choice for them, at least at the time, was lead-acid batteries. And if EESTOR does deliver on its promise, it will still be lighter, longer-lasting, and much less expensive than Li-Ion.
Yes, I know, "if ifs and buts were candy and nuts, we'd all have a Merry Christmas;-)"
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On Eestor : why would they concentrate on a consumer market where they have to be cost competitive, when they can focus on a market that will pay $10,000 on a toilet, $1,200 on a hammer, and $50 a piece on screws. I knew when Lockheed got in that we wouldn’t see the technology for a long time, and it won’t violate their agreements with Zenn as it will have to do with directed energy weapons , and power sources in extreme environments for communications and computer use as oppose to cars.On the Cyclone’s Green Revolution Engine: ok I’m going to stop writing about this after this comment since no one has the vaguest idea of what I’m talking about- Cyclone’s engine is an external combustion engine like the steam engine or the Stirling engine and like those engines it can use many types of fuels and burn them all very cleanly but unlike those engines it has a weight, size/HP power density in line with ICEs- for any that are interested this is their web page http://www.cyclonepower.com/index.html but it is easier just to google Cyclone’s Green Revolution Engine
If Aptera installed a dual wheel in the rear, would they then qualify for the Federal rebate program?
Yes, they would qualify for the Federal tax credit with a four-wheeled vehicle- but the requirements for bringing a car to market rather than a 'motorcycle' is harder and a whole lot more expensive. I do believe, however, that they have plans for a 4-wheeler in the future. One other thing to consider, is that the Aptera is so efficient, that their battery size is a lot smaller than the volt for example, so even if the Aptera was eligible, a buyer would not get the whole $7500 tax credit.
New footage/info of the Aptera at Gas2.0: http://gas2.org/2009/02/08/everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-aptera-almost/#more-1692
The article is on 3 web pages, with the first video of a stationary Aptera and the specs given by an Aptera spokesperson. The second page has another video with founder Steve Fambro driving one of the future owners around- he gives some info, but mainly is showing off the Internet-connected features of the Aptera. Page 3 has the current, but still evolving specs of the Aptera, inluding a clarification of the vehicle's range- 100 on a charge at freeway speeds with two occupants, and 120 miles with one person (at 55mph).
All in all, a very interesting and informative article on the Aptera.