this post was submitted on 29 Mar 2025
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I'll start respecting it the moment they add the fourth wheel.
They won't, because then it's legally considered a proper car that has to have air bags and crumple zones and such. They can only make it small and cheap because it's three wheels.
That law is lawfare from the traditional car industry and has to be changed.
Trikes are only good for saving pennies at the cost of driveability and usability - they should not be incentivised by law. Four-wheelers are more stable and should be under the same law as trikes.
Aptera is stupidly shooting itself in the foot with an awkward three-wheeler instead of making a good, light, safe, illegal car and attacking the harmful law with it. A quad could have a cargo space or back seat between the two rear wheels.
Riversimple Rasa
Renault Twizy
HP Velotechnik Scorpion
Trikes are less stable than 4-wheelers, slow and teetery around curves, unless very low centre of gravity.
Trikes can't have a cargo space or back seat between the one rear wheel.
https://www.quora.com/When-a-3-wheeled-car-is-being-designed-how-will-it-be-calculated-if-the-car-will-topple-How-will-the-maximum-turning-speed-and-radius-for-safe-turning-be-found-out/answer/Harri-K-Hiltunen
Sabotage through lawfare is being done to velomobiles / pedal cars:
https://www.quora.com/Why-do-you-think-the-Sinclair-C5-one-person-battery-electric-velomobile-failed-to-take-off-during-the-1980s/answer/Harri-K-Hiltunen
https://xfwnofqagsnmdxuf.quora.com/Lawfare-against-tiny-cars-velomobiles
Sounds like a pretty good idea though to have airbags and crumblezones in something that supposedly can drive 162 km/h (101 mph), and accelerate from 0-60 mph in 6 seconds. You couldn't pay me to drive something as unsafe as this thing.