Around 1913, Henry ford began his first experiment with the assembly line. Later, the Germans would create a Volkswagen or “people’s car”. Tesla would emerge promising to make an affordable electric car (after first producing a roadster). This article focuses on companies that start with a compelling ethos and where we are now.
Inspired by meat processing, Henry Ford devised a process that would revolutionize manufacturing for ages, the assembly line. In turn, he drove down the price of the Model T from $900 to $250. It was an achievement that created an automotive industry.
By the time the 1930’s came, the Germans had created Volkswagen. With Ferdinand Porsche’s ideas and Adolf Hitler’s support, they aimed to produce a car every family could afford. The “beetle” emerged as one of the most important and recognizable cars in automotive history.
The price of an automobile has risen and fallen over the years. It hit a sweet spot in the late 60’s in the teens of percentage of household income and steadily rose to one half or more. I’m jealous of friends who lived during the 60’s and 70’s and acquired sports cars still desirable today for a few hundred dollars. I suppose this is due to inflation and the way of the car industry.
In recent years, the volume of car ownership has slightly declined. there are multiple reasons for this, but it seems that automakers are getting a bit too big for their britches.
We have had chip shortages, elevated used car prices and a struggle to transition to cleaner energy. legacy automakers have dangled new concepts in front of us and then quickly taken them away. It would take a radical change maker like Elon Musk to show us how desirable and achievable full electric could be.
Even the Model 3 was supposed to be the affordable electric sedan. It sits currently around 100% of the median individual income (higher if you purchase the performance model). Granted, there is a lot of performance and engineering packed into any model 3.
How is the whole electric thing going for us?
For a while now, hybrids have been the cleanest cars. Tesla has experienced service disasters and high maintenance cost if a battery pack needs replacement. Most of us dread servicing our vehicles at the dealer. Some cars are sold at a near loss with the promise of ongoing service and financing.
Several new automakers have emerged – like ElectraMeccanica. Its affordable. I don’t find it very compelling. Check out this article for more information.
I think there is a light at the end of the tunnel though. After business shakeups from everything going on in the past few years, the middle class needs some hope. Could there be a next great innovation to bring a practical and green car to the market? Is that car the Aptera?
Aptera promises a hyperefficient (yes, I’m still using this word), purpose-built solar vehicle that will be quite revolutionary. Well, it’s an autocycle. The ethos seems to be quite solid on this company. They want to be transparent about repairs and deliver a vehicle that will last. That’s more than I can say from the majority of automakers already.
I’m still waiting on Tesla to develop a model 3 with solar panels. I know, I know… I’ve shifted from being a sort of Tesla fan boy to an Aptera guy. Can you blame me? At the end of the day, I have collected a lot of negative news about Tesla, while their overall customer satisfaction is still very high. Tesla is sure to have many more surprises to come. It just seems that currently Aptera is the next frontier.
Gasoline internal combustion is extremely obsolete as a technology. There could be another renaissance at some point. Having said that, Aptera is a very advanced vehicle. Be careful not to drink the Cool Aid, though. Sometimes cult leaders become brutal dictators! Just saying.
Yes! Energy transfer in the 30 precent range is a very obsolete fuel. The guys at Aptera have had a long and difficult struggle. It will be very neat to see them produce a 4-wheeled car! Keep coming back and I may just test these things out myself.