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It appears that many of the components of Aptera will be subject to the 25% automobile tariffs. So $40,000 could become $50,000. My sense is that will kill off any chances for Aptera. Bringing the batteries on site is helpful, but the body built in Italy, engine in Europe, many pieces from South Korea, so a large amount will be subject to these tariffs. The ethos is still wonderful, and validation will confirm the claims that have been made, but with a recession probable they need to begin producing vehicles...

I feel you man. But I've got a thought I was exploring with chatgpt and I'll simply drop this nugget from that conversation. If Jeff Skoll gets his way, no one would ever own an Aptera. I went on to explore the idea of a long term lease as the only way to drive an aptera. It is quite a tale but it ends with 200 micro-assembly plants and millions of Aptera on the road. The salient point here is that the cost bump caused by tariff's if Aptera chose this model would be minimal when your amortizing the vehicle of 10 or 20 years.

Of course, Aptera's dna from the subsystem sourcing to the 'fleet' mentality of the leasing company, which I named PYMWYMI Leasing ... put your money where your mouth is. Anyway, it fits with the Abundance movement in that the low cost long term lease with no mileage cap, kicks carbon pollution in the ass. I figure things like how the lease model would let, or even encourage members - there is a community aspect to this - to replace, say the drivetrain or batteries while also arranging for the lease discount 'offer' for those who bring their Aptera in for an advertising wrap.

The really wild thing is the AI told me that my queries 'trained' the AI to approach the issues with a sense of morality. I'm not convinced, but I think those who interact with the tool recognizes that it develops 'personality' ... if this is true, this suggests ai can develop character, oh and that moral sense is transferrable. And also, if true, this is news. Not sure at this point as the only proof

What makes the lease approach intriguing to me was the observation of the Electric Viking who suggested in a recent video that Aptera might ought have been the "robo-taxi" ... and that the tub is a rock and everything else is replaceable and upgrade-able over the life of the vehicle ... that life is looking to extend five or more decades with regular upgrades - the kind that keep sheltering taxes, not to mention the expected unit revenue for self-driving operations.

Basically it recognized the generational value that is Aptera. The other thing about this is that this kind of approach doesn't work for other more traditionally constructed vehicles cause the rust, bend, and fall apart. Aptera is just renewable and if that is the case, what is the residual value. The cost of the 50 year tub, A motor that depreciates in five years and, in fact, because the company owning them gets a tax benefit from depreciation, which each component refresh, starts new depreciation over time. And because the lessee never owns it, it never depreciates and provides penny-a mile or less performance for decades.

That's just part of the story. I sense something needs to happen or we will lose it. But hell, I'm still willing this sucker into existence. Maybe we can do a crowdfunding for the leasing biz on a market/production area by area way.