The odds that Uncle Sam will help Aptera Motors build the funky 2e improved a bit when the House of Representatives approved legislation making three-wheelers eligible for those loans the Department of Energy is giving automakers.
Although the 2e electric car reportedly goes 100 miles on a charge, recharges in as little as four hours and could be on the road by the end of the year, it doesn't currently qualify for the loans Tesla Motors, Fisker Automotive and other automakers have received for one reason: It has three wheels.
Rep. Brian Bilbray (R-California) doesn't think that's fair and been trying since March to change the rules to redefine "car." He and Rep. Adam Schiff (D-California) drafted a measure expanding the DOE loan program to include all "fully enclosed vehicles that are capable of carrying two adults and get at least 75 mpg." It was tacked onto the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act that passed a House and Senate conference committee last week. The House approved the bill Thursday by a vote of 308-114. It now goes to the Senate. If it passes there, it goes on to the president.
"Obsolete bureaucratic definitions should not create roadblocks and stifle innovation," Schiff said in a statement. "This legislation clears the way for domestic manufacturers to develop new innovative fuel-efficient cars here at home."
The 2e sports three wheels and a teardrop shape for maximum aerodynamic efficiency. Aptera says 50 percent of the power your car uses at 55 mph is needed to push air out of the way. The company considered a conventional four-wheeler but found the added weight and rolling resistance cut efficiency by 34 percent. Making up for it would have required making the 13 kilowatt-hour battery 50 percent bigger, the company says.
The Southern California startup was among 75 companies that applied for loans under the $25 billion Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Incentives program. The loans help automakers offset the cost of retooling to build cars at least 25 percent more fuel-efficient than 2005 models.
Tesla Motors and Fisker Automotive are among the firms that have qualified. The DOE awarded Tesla $465 million in June to help build the electric Model S sedan. Fisker received a $528 million loan last month to help build the Karma plug-in hybrid and develop a $30,000 plug-in hybrid sedan. Ford has received $5.9 billion and Nissan has received $1.6 billion.
Photo: Jim Merithew / Wired.com
