The Aptera-Pininfarina solar vehicle is ready for the public

Resulting from the collaboration with the Italian company, the electric-photovoltaic tricycle was revealed

Photo by: Pininfarina

By: Riccardo Ciriaco

Feb 9, 2025 at 5:49am ET

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Announced, delayed and back in the limelight, the Aptera solar electric tricycle was revealed for CES 2025 in Las Vegas last month, where the American start-up joined forces with Italy's Pininfarina to show off the fruits of their collaboration.

The car also speaks the language of design, thanks to tests carried out in the Turin-based company's wind tunnel at Grugliasco. Here the companies say, "Aptera has perfected its design to achieve one of the lowest drag coefficients of any production passenger car, setting a new standard for energy efficiency in the automotive industry".

"Aptera," adds Giuseppe Bonollo, SVP Business Unit Mobility at Pininfarina, "has really pushed the boundaries of what is possible in vehicle design and efficiency.

Up to 64 km more

The specifications of the solar tricycle are an appetiser: 400 miles total range per charge, of which 40 miles are guaranteed by the 700 watts of solar cells integrated into the vehicle. This means that "most riders will be able to use it on a daily basis without ever having to plug it into a charging station".

The Aptera solar electric vehicle

Photos by: Pininfarina

Three-quarter back left

Acceleration is 0-60 mph in less than 6 seconds, while the price (not final) is around $40,000 (£32,200). The company also guarantees fuel savings of $7,500 (£6,000).

Troubled history

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The collaboration between Aptera and Pininfarina began in the early stages of aerodynamic design validation and promises even deeper technical contributions as the company moves closer to production.

"We look forward to expanding our collaboration as Aptera's vehicle progresses towards production," adds Alessandro Aquili, head of the Wind Tunnel.

Meanwhile, the solar tricycle has had a chequered history: conceived in 2019, it was due to go on sale in 2024, but the company struggled with a lack of funding that pushed its release back to at least 2025. Now that it has landed at CES, its time may have come.