For my part, I am not trying to artificially accelerate the timeline. My aim is to start preparing the ground now, so that when the time comes, Aptera will already have concrete information about the French market and potential development opportunities in Europe.
-> Speeding things up was our goal, as we saw an opportunity to promote a true “million-vehicle” model. Besides, we knew it’s a tough road ahead for Aptera Motors.
I have carried out an interest survey involving 100 respondents in France, as well as prepared a summary of the potential of the French and European markets. Once it is finalized, I would be very pleased to share it with you and receive your feedback.
-> Absolutely
I would also like to ask you a question, if I may.
When you mention that the Core Team offered assistance to Aptera Motors, could you clarify what kind of support was proposed ?
-> European type approval. We were in contact with willing test engineers from the german TÜV, who saw the same potential as we did.
Was it mainly focused on supporting the community and reservation holders, or had you also worked on areas such as industrial partners, service networks, market research, or a potential European production operation ?
-> Initially, it focused on pre-order customers, but we identified significant market opportunities had the SEV made it onto European roads in time. Now, high efficiency is already losing its edge; SUVs have won out in Europe also, eavy and robust, because there were no suitable models for efficient mobility that could also travel quickly on highways. In other words, a genuine replacement, not just a token vehicle. Improvements in battery technology also show that high efficiency is no longer as important when storage costs are falling rapidly.
Finally, you mentioned that the first European reservation holders might arrange the import and individual registration of their vehicles themselves. Do you think this would involve an individual vehicle approval procedure in each country, or do you have any information suggesting that Aptera is already considering a specific European homologation strategy ?
-> Here we’re talking about individual registration of the Launch Editions in the DACH countries, of which only a few hundred per year can be registered in each, and these registrations are also quite expensive and time-consuming, which is why many people no longer really consider that. See, ist an US-Version, no european conversion still happen. That is why we initially offered to submit Aptera Motors’ registration results from the U.S. to the TÜV for a preliminary review in order to prepare for individual registration and, if necessary, type approval.
But Aptera Motors is trying to cut costs and find a cheaper way to do this, which is a legal approach, but ultimately, the opportunity has passed in Europe and we now expect it to remain a niche product if coming a day. A rare, and of course valuable product, but nothing for mass anymore.
Thank you again for your reply and for the work you have been doing for several years to support Aptera in Europe.
You are welcome.
Best regards
André