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Aptera 2e (photos)

A closer look at the funky three-wheeled EV struggling to come to market.

Liane Yvkoff
Liane Yvkoff is a freelance writer who blogs about cars for CNET Car Tech. E-mail Liane.
Liane Yvkoff
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Aptera 2e view from top

The Aptera 2e is one of the more visually striking electric vehicle on the horizon. Designed using computational fluid dynamics to achieve its egglike shape, its composite material body is reportedly so strong you can't dent it with a sledge hammer. However, Aptera has been waiting for approval of its Department of Energy loan to move forward with production.
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2 of 5 Aptera

Aptera 2e side

Though classed as a motorcycle, the vehicle is being developed to car safety specs and will contain standard safety equipment such as front and side airbags, crumple zones, roll bars, and seat belts.
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Aptera 2e side angle

Despite reportedly raising $2.25 million last month, Aptera informed customers that it will be returning their deposit for a three-wheeled electric 2e, according to AutoblogGreen.
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Aptera 2e left rear angle

The company is reportedly blaming its escrow account, administrative overhead, and a longer-than-expected road to production as the reasons it decided to refund the estimated 2,500 customer deposits.
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Aptera 2e rear view

It's restructuring the reservation system, and the new system can't handle the old transactions. Customers who have their deposits refunded will get their names added to a VIP database to get early access to the vehicles when they go on sale.

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