Aptera Solar Electric Vehicle Total Cost Of Ownership.
So in this podcast I am going to explore what the total cost of ownership for an Aptera might be, and why it is going to be considerably less than either an ICE vehicle or a conventional EV.
The first thing I have to get out of the way, is that regardless of what kind of vehicle my next vehicle is, it is going to involve a significant investment in the vehicle itself, as my current vehicle is a 2006 Toyota Yaris, which, reliable as it is, isn’t worth much, but by the time I am ready to make the switch to Aptera, won’t contribute much more than maybe $1000 if I sell it privately to help finance my Aptera purchase.
The second thing I am going to be upfront about, is that the eventual purchase price of my Aptera is quite difficult to estimate, for a couple of reasons. The main reason, is that while Aptera has prices listed on their website at this time, the general expectation most people have is that these prices will increase when production begins, because of inflation and supply chain issues that have occurred since prices were set a few years ago. The other reason, is that I am enrolled in the Aptera Referral Program, and while I currently have 6 referrals which represent a theoretical $6000 discount on my purchase, I have no idea how many of these people will actually follow through and purchase their Aptera before I do, or how many additional referrals I will get between now and then.
So what I am going to do is assume that the difference between purchasing an Aptera and purchasing some other new vehicle, is going to be negligible, even though, in the end my Aptera might cost me anything from $0 to $50,000 AUD depending on how many $1000 referral discounts I end up claiming. I am probably not going to buy one of the higher end models, and may just get a 250 mile model, although having the 400 mile version would be nice for longer trips. An interesting point is that my current Toyota Yaris with its 42 litre fuel tank has a range of not much more than 550kms, or 330 miles, so range is going to be either slightly more or slightly less than what I get now.
Firstly, I will state what it is costing me to run my petrol Yaris, including any overheads such as oil changes, regular maintenance, and of course fuel costs. As a part-time Uber Eats driver, I am currently doing about 400kms a week, and that is costing about $60. So that works out at about $8.50 a day. Over the course of a year I might do a couple of oil changes and other regular servicing costing maybe $500. So maybe the total cost of fuel and servicing is $10/day.
Here’s the thing though, all that goes away with the Aptera, because it doesn’t need oil changes, and with the mileage I do, and the amount of free charging I can get from the sun, running the Aptera is basically going to be free.
So, my conclusion is that whatever I end up doing, I will end up spending money, but with Aptera, I am investing in a vehicle which makes its own fuel from the sun, and will likely have a high resale value because of its useful range compared to a comparable petrol powered vehicle. For me it will work, because my current car, while it is a 4-seater, rarely gets used in that role, because it’s only my wife and me, and mostly it’s just me driving myself as I deliver meals. My wife has her own car, which suits both of us, as we can be out doing things independently and not be tied to the same vehicle. Who knows, if I get enough referrals from the Aptera Referral Program, we may even be able to afford 2 Apterae, which would be the perfect solution for both of us.
So, you may be asking, what is the total cost of ownership for Aptera? One thing I can tell you, is that it has very little to do with fuel costs. It really has more to do with how much I am willing to invest to get a vehicle that will cost practically nothing to run. If I purchase the base model Aptera and it costs $40,000 in Australian dollars, that’s probably a worst case scenario, given that I can apply for an EV incentive of $6000 from the Queensland government, and can possibly even get a federal EV incentive if I purchase it as a business vehicle within a company structure.
Hopefully though, with the help of my subscribers, who decide to order an Aptera through my referral link in the description box below, the biggest EV incentive will come from Aptera themselves, who are clearly committed to making sure that as many people as possible can get themselves into a solar powered electric vehicle.
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