Solar Electric Velomobiles: ELF and PEBL

I'm looking to start putting together a list of accessories I want to buy for the Aptera, if you have suggestions to add to the list below, let me know in the comments!
Extra solar panels
Tesla to J1772 adapter if they go with tesla plug
Lumbar support
Camping mattress

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[TheAneova]

These would be perfect for me, i work 2 miles away, grocery stores are 3 miles.

[sarahjo]

I would absolutely love to have either of these. The distance they cover would work out perfectly, they don't require a license, and avoiding expensive gas prices for electric/solar power would be amazing. The fact that there's room for a passenger, too, essentially makes it my ideal vehicle. The initial price really is the only downside. It would take quite a while to be able to get. I hope there will be more affordable options like these in the future. Definitely on my wish list, though.

[Raykenn]

Totally agree with your statement about the prices. Even now in 2023, they are too expensive for what you are getting considering they have limitations on capacity and usage. Good video, thanks for posting.

[Airman]

The elf seems like a better deal to me, , but I think they both need to come down in price to approximately $5, 000 -$6, 000 for widespread adoption.
The nimbus 1 for $10k is ALOT more bang for the buck.
I’m sure with economy of scale both the Elf or Pebl should be able to sell for around $5k.
I mean a good E bike can be had for $1, 000 now

[maudessen]

I totally agree with your point about neighborhood cohesion. Thank you for sharing these small vehicles. As an urban dweller in a four season part of the country, I would find the Nimbus more useful but for suburban sprawl. I can walk or use public transportation to access most local services I need, but I consistently need a vehicle to travel to the suburbs or country. I have been hoping Aptera would provide a single solution for urban, suburban, and highway driving, and look forward to seeing whether it will be. I have 9.76 kW of solar PV, so I actually have the ability to generate the electricity I drive on locally.

[GreenTRC]

Super cool I would get the pebl no need for a license or registration or insurance. I would get the elf too

[williamevanson]

Personally I like the pebl and have considered it. I have also considered the twike, but that is in another class and is more expensive for sure.

[thomascorbett]

Love the Apteral because of the fantastic rear storage that you can sleep in, and it will go expressway speeds to travel across country .

[charangohabsburg]

Thanks for that update on these vehicles.
FYI:
- "Reverse trikes" are called tadpoles, opposed to delta trikes.
- Please don't keep calling small motor vehicles velomobiles as the latter ones are by definition Human Powered Vehicles (HPVs). "Velomobiles" are fully enclosed trikes or less often also bycicles (Human Powered Vehicles). It is quite uncommon that an auxiliary motor gets added to a velomobile.
- Motorized small fully enclosed vehicles without primary human poweder propulsion commonly are called "Podbikes".
- The Elf (so they did over come their 2020 insolvency?) and the PEBL are more a Podbike than a Velomobile because they both are too heavy to be driven by muscle power alone as soon as it goes up only the slightest bit. Without sigificant electric motor assistance you won't get anywhere with these unless all driven paths were perfectly flat, and that's without any luggage at all.

Unfortunately the Elf and PEBL are so unarodynamic and unsexy that they were confirming for too long the prejudice that electric vehicles were all tiny, uncomfortable, ugly and unsafe tinkerer's projects.

[theresjer]

I like the elf. I think it's a funny thought to imagine Will Ferrell in it.

[kenmcclow]

It would be a better comparison with recumbent trikes instead of bikes. I think my new Catrike is close to $5k after I added an electric motor that is limited to 20mph. I have an older Terratrike with a more powerful and somewhat illegal motor that can get into the 30's. Both of them are cheap compared to the European brands though and those can easily touch or pass $10k.
I have followed the Elf for quite awhile, but since I live in a rural place that requires highway driving, I never really thought about buying one. If I lived in an urban place with parking, it would be interesting since it rains here half the year.
There is a company I saw in North Carolina that has trikes which can hit 40mph and you can be pedaling to assist at that speed with the gearing they have. And there is a guy up here in Vancouver building one which is somewhat enclosed, but just doing custom orders instead of production so far. I think if there was a market for enough of them then going into a mass production would bring the prices down

[fanfare]

These would be great for people with suspended driver's licenses. lol

[kenmcclow]

The solar panels in your link come with a charge controller that is not compatible with lithium batteries. I am hoping that if Aptera comes with a plug for additional solar that you wouldn't need an additional controller. I have the one in the kit on my boat which still uses FLA batteries until I replace them. That controller is only about $20, but a better one is around $100+.
I do like the idea of having some folding solar to plug into the car if it comes with VTL so you can plug in camping equipment to the car instead of bringing a solar generator to power the camp. I like my induction stove so I don't need propane or anything that goes boom

[DaBinChe]

E-brake is you putting your feet down ala Flintstones.

[briansmythe]

How does it handle steep hills tho
Or is it only good for flat terrain 😮

[deanmcmanis]

These are interesting vehicles, but again they serve a pretty tiny demographic. The cool part is that they use the sun to power the electric boost to overcome the added weight of enclosure. But I'd rather buy an E-bike (for much less money), especially with so many affordable and capable choices available today. These tiny enclosed trike/EVs seem more vulnerable than the Aptera (which can easily replace a car for daily driving) or even an E-bike, which is similarly limited like the Elf, but is far more nimble and maneuverable. Still it is nice to look at the larger solar EV spectrum.

[GaryGreenway]

Getting back to Aptera, what have you found out about the content of the last investors call?

[jacobe]

My only question about these electric bikes is where do you go to get it fixed?

[PTE]

I'm pretty sure the Elf is vaporware, sadly. The News section of their website hasn't been updated since 2016. That's unfortunately true for all too many of the velomobile designs.

Edit: Looks like they went into bankruptcy and shut down in 2019, but the founder is hoping to bring them back.

[tims]

I think these would be great in warmer climates for people who need to commute 10-20 miles regularly. Wouldn't be good where I live due to our long winters and short summers. The price is high but a lot of that is probably because of limited production and the solar.