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"Impressive's" video asks a lot of the right questions

Posted: Wed Jan 08, 2025 12:38 am
by George Hughes


This video on the impressive channel on youtube is obviously highly influenced in tone by AI ... but this particular video transcends the mainstream in asking questions on how, if Aptera is successful, will it impact others. Like the video where Chris Anthony is interviewed and talks about how the car dealers who want and expect their customers to have to come to them for regular service on which they profit, are not particularly interested in seeing Aptera come to pass.

in the original video on youtube, I posted this comment in response:
@g.pattonhughes5991
2 weeks ago
If you look at larger trends in the utility industry you see moves to solar generation, battery storage, wind, hydro and more battery storage to avoid having to ramp up peaker plants to meet demand at peak times in the ever hotter summers. As you point out the logical step would be V2L connections that allow the grid or even mini-grids, to not only send power (charge your EV) but tap power.
The problem is how do you compensate a vehicle owner for sucking 50kw out of his car five times a week and who's is going to replace that power and when. Given the charge/discharge cycle impacts the life of the battery, owners will be reluctant as catastrophic battery failure has been an issue.
Additionally, any grid-load connection would have to be in AC, so the emphasis would be on inverters that are high amperage devices; and they have to be two-way for V2L as well. Most EV makers don't spec level 2 charging at the high 19-21 kw circuit because that level of draw, considering standard household wiring, would cause a fire. More typical home level 2 charging rates are 6-7 kwh exchange/hr.
The point is I watched your video and you've got a grasp of how Aptera fits into the future. Given I'm writing a book on the topic. I think I know a path ... maybe not the path ... to get them there.

Re: "Impressive's" video asks a lot of the right questions

Posted: Sat Jan 18, 2025 9:47 pm
by John Kelly
The video seems to suggest that there are shadows for every sunny spot... as if Aptera must answer grand questions about the direction of society... and in fairness, they have made a few comments of that nature, but to me, that is more salesmanship than anything else, and in the grand scheme of things, Aptera will only be a small step in the right direction.

V2G seems like a great idea for those many vehicles produced with massive batteries... in fact, one of the few benefits of carrying around a large/heavy battery everywhere you go. The owners would have to limit how much and how often their battery can be tapped into... and compensated for their contribution.

A better way to help our antiquated electrical grid is to reduce reliance upon it, if you can afford to. There are entrenched systems in place making this more difficult than it needs to be, of course. Off grid charging of your EV is one way, and this is what the Aptera will do to some small degree. I just did the math after looking at my solar harvest for the last 12 months and after inverter losses etc, my small off grid 4kW partially shaded solar installation effectively can provide me with about 10,000 miles a year for my EV, an i3 which is less than half as efficient as what Aptera is aiming for. In actual practice, I use some of this energy for power outages through my transfer switch, and rather than sit on full batteries during half the year or so, at times I also feed some of my transfer switch circuits to use up juice and make room for more solar coming in. Another way to use an EV to power up your home or parts of your home during outages is hooking up an inverter to the 12V battery and using extension cords, or if you have a 48V battery bank for home back up, a DC to DC boost converter to directly charge your battery bank from your EV.