I had the fantastic opportunity to talk with Aptera Co-Founder Chris Anthony on Friday. Our short half-hour conversation highlighted production timelines, vehicle design, sustainability, and more.
This weekend, Aptera is participating in the Fully Charged Show, an Electric Vehicle convention in San Diego, where they will be unveiling their Gamma vehicle. According to Co-CEO Chris Anthony, this vehicle is the last stop before attempting to enter production next year. And while the company has a long way before delivering orders, they have over 30,000 reservation holders eagerly awaiting the vehicle’s release.
Design language –
The first question I had to ask Mr. Anthony about was the design language of Aptera’s first vehicle. Specifically, what is Aptera attempting to make consumers think and feel when they see the car for the first time?
The first thing that came to the CEO’s mind was capability; he wants consumers to feel like Aptera is just as capable as any other vehicle and can even do more with its unique energy generation capabilities. When he has had the opportunity to have people sit in the vehicle, testers have stated that the vehicle is comfortable, and Mr. Anthony hopes the vehicle’s driving dynamics only further improve the experience.
Capability as a “do everything” vehicle –
Besides the Aptera’s beautiful design, many are looking to buy the Aptera for its function. Coming out of COVID lockdowns, many consumers have been spending more time outside the house, hiking and mountain biking, meeting with friends and family, and taking trips to local events and scenic locations. How has Aptera engineered capability into their vehicle to perform these tasks?
Mr. Anthony points to the car’s solar power generation and the surprising amount of interior space as two critical features in helping people use their vehicles in everyday life. The car’s numerous solar cells mean the vehicle can go further and do more things, which is the ultimate goal of capability. At the same time, the vehicle’s interior is surprisingly spacious, with seven feet of space behind the front seats to the tail; enough room to camp in the vehicle, throw in their mountain bikes, or just travel with their dog.
Customization –
A key part of how many people interact with vehicles today is how they make them their own, customizing the look, feel, and capabilities of the vehicle to best suit their needs. Aptera is not only in support of this goal but is actively working with third-party suppliers to make that dream a reality.
The CEO clarified that Aptera would be more than willing to supply third-party accessory makers with everything from dimensions to CAD files to detailed systems information. He says, “We are happy to share information to help our users find [the vehicle] to be more useful.” As he would note later in the interview, this stems from a “right to repair mindset.”
Possible use of the Tesla Connector –
Aptera previously announced that they were not only attempting to include the Tesla connector on their vehicle but also attempting to make the connector the U.S. standard EV connector. However, it remains unclear if Aptera will include the connector in the vehicle, and doubtful that the Tesla Connector would become the US standard.
Nonetheless, Mr. Anthony stood behind the engineering of the Tesla connector. Foremost, he cited the connector’s ease of use and smaller size, which makes it far easier to maneuver than other connector types. But the connector also benefits from supporting the vast majority of electric vehicles in the U.S.
The CEO even went as far as saying that the U.S. should be spending more money supporting Tesla supercharger locations as long as the government plans to expand EV charging anyway.
Aptera’s future goals –
It is clear that Aptera will be focused on getting to production and delivering to their over 30,000 reservation holders in the immediate future. But if the company can achieve these goals, where does the CEO see the company’s next focus?
First, Mr. Anthony doesn’t see the company abandoning the two-door/two-seater form factor. He argues that the Aptera is an ideal complimentary car, helping you complete your daily commute and essential activities that don’t require a lot of space.
Perhaps more excitingly, the CEO did hint at the possibility of multiple variants of the Aptera, a commercial version or a version with more cargo capacity, for instance. No other details are known about these ideas yet.
Production timeline –
With the unveiling of Aptera’s Gamma vehicle this weekend, the company will now be shifting to getting to production as soon as next year. And while the CEO acknowledged that the timeline might not be as fast as some have wanted, he believes in doing the process correctly the first time and hopefully avoiding future issues.
“We have the good graces of our reservation holders to do it right…”
With Aptera’s current production facility in California, they aim to produce 20,000 units within the first year, meaning that filling the 30,000 reservations will take roughly a year and a half. However, any prediction outside of the company is pure conjecture.
Sustainability –
Consumers now more than ever are looking to get the best option for them and the best choice for the planet. Automakers recognize this, and many produce vehicles with sustainable interior parts, recycled metal components, and more. What does the pursuit of sustainability look like for Aptera?
The most sustainable material on Earth is the material not mined, was the conclusion of Mr. Anthony. While others may have been looking to use more sustainable materials, Aptera has pointed itself at using fewer materials in the first place. Aptera achieves this by producing a smaller vehicle, pursuing low curb weight, and reducing the number of interior components.
The pursuit of lightweight sustainability has trickle-down effects as well. Because of the vehicle’s low weight, it requires less energy to move and hence can use fewer batteries to achieve the same range, once again reducing weight (a positive feedback loop).
Ultimately, Mr. Anthony notes that fewer rare earth minerals are mined, and the vehicle as a whole becomes a more sustainable option for consumers. More specifically, Aptera uses 30% of the metal found in a typical vehicle, uses recycled composite materials for its exterior body panels, and uses recycled cloth and plastics on the interior.
The long-term goal is to have these vehicles on the road 50 years from now via upgraded parts along the way; better batteries, improved solar cells, replaceable interior pieces, etc.
Efficiency and beauty –
Manufacturers worldwide have been using aerodynamics to improve efficiency since the car’s inception. But perhaps most recently, due to the limitations of battery capacity, this pursuit has resulted in finding the most efficient shape possible, arguably at the cost of design. While vehicles like the Lucid Air and Mercedes EQS may have been beautiful in previous years, with the introduction of the Volkswagen ID Aero, it is clear that manufacturers are willing to trade unoriginality for efficiency.
Mr. Anthony doesn’t think that this has to be the case. In his response to this issue, he notes that Aptera proves that new and exciting designs can still be made in different form factors while still achieving maximal efficiency.
Are smaller vehicles the future? –
Aptera has highlighted the numerous benefits of producing smaller form factor vehicles. They can be more efficient, reduce manufacturing costs, be more aerodynamic, and be more sustainable. But are these motivators enough to get Americans to buy smaller vehicles in the future?
The CEO doesn’t believe so. Americans are obsessed with huge vehicles, evidenced by exceptionally high SUV and Truck sales. But perhaps, if anything, Aptera can show Americans what future transportation could look like, and if they are willing to give it a chance, maybe it will even change hearts and minds.
Aptera CEO Chris Anthony was incredibly gracious in giving Teslarati a piece of his busy schedule. If you want to learn more about the company’s vehicle, go to their website. And if you happen to be in the San Diego area, it’s worth the trip to the Fully Charged Show to check out the Aptera booth and the numerous other manufacturers attending the event.
William is not an Aptera ambassador, order holder, or investor.
What do you think of the article? Do you have any comments, questions, or concerns? Shoot me an email at william@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @WilliamWritin. If you have news tips, email us at tips@teslarati.com!
Tesla engineers deflected calls from Apple on a daily basis while the tech giant was developing its now-defunct electric vehicle program, which was known as “Project Titan.”
Back in 2022 and 2023, Apple was developing an EV in a top-secret internal fashion, hoping to launch it by 2028 with a fully autonomous driving suite.
However, Apple bailed on the project in early 2024, as Project Titan abandoned the project in an email to over 2,000 employees. The company had backtracked its expectations for the vehicle on several occasions, initially hoping to launch it with no human driving controls and only with an autonomous driving suite.
Apple canceling its EV has drawn a wide array of reactions across tech
It then planned for a 2028 launch with “limited autonomous driving.” But it seemed to be a bit of a concession at that point; Apple was not prepared to take on industry giants like Tesla.
Wedbush’s Dan Ives noted in a communication to investors that, “The writing was on the wall for Apple with a much different EV landscape forming that would have made this an uphill battle. Most of these Project Titan engineers are now all focused on AI at Apple, which is the right move.”
Apple did all it could to develop a competitive EV that would attract car buyers, including attempting to poach top talent from Tesla.
In a new podcast interview with Tesla CEO Elon Musk, it was revealed that Apple had been calling Tesla engineers nonstop during its development of the now-defunct project. Musk said the engineers “just unplugged their phones.”
Musk said in full:
“They were carpet bombing Tesla with recruiting calls. Engineers just unplugged their phones. Their opening offer without any interview would be double the compensation at Tesla.”
Interestingly, Apple had acquired some ex-Tesla employees for its project, like Senior Director of Engineering Dr. Michael Schwekutsch, who eventually left for Archer Aviation.
Tesla took no legal action against Apple for attempting to poach its employees, as it has with other companies. It came after EV rival Rivian in mid-2020, after stating an “alarming pattern” of poaching employees was noticed.
There are a lot of Tesla bulls out there who have astronomical expectations for the company, especially as its arm of reach has gone well past automotive and energy and entered artificial intelligence and robotics.
However, some of the most bullish Tesla investors believe the company could become worth $100 trillion, and CEO Elon Musk does not believe that number is completely out of the question, even if it sounds almost ridiculous.
To put that number into perspective, the top ten most valuable companies in the world — NVIDIA, Apple, Alphabet, Microsoft, Amazon, TSMC, Meta, Saudi Aramco, Broadcom, and Tesla — are worth roughly $26 trillion.
Will Tesla join the fold? Predicting a triple merger with SpaceX and xAI
Cathie Wood of ARK Invest believes the number is reasonable considering Tesla’s long-reaching industry ambitions:
“…in the world of AI, what do you have to have to win? You have to have proprietary data, and think about all the proprietary data he has, different kinds of proprietary data. Tesla, the language of the road; Neuralink, multiomics data; nobody else has that data. X, nobody else has that data either. I could see $100 trillion. I think it’s going to happen because of convergence. I think Tesla is the leading candidate [for $100 trillion] for the reason I just said.”
Musk said late last year that all of his companies seem to be “heading toward convergence,” and it’s started to come to fruition. Tesla invested in xAI, as revealed in its Q4 Earnings Shareholder Deck, and SpaceX recently acquired xAI, marking the first step in the potential for a massive umbrella of companies under Musk’s watch.
SpaceX officially acquires xAI, merging rockets with AI expertise
Now that it is happening, it seems Musk is even more enthusiastic about a massive valuation that would swell to nearly four-times the value of the top ten most valuable companies in the world currently, as he said on X, the idea of a $100 trillion valuation is “not impossible.”
It’s not impossible
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 6, 2026
Tesla is not just a car company. With its many projects, including the launch of Robotaxi, the progress of the Optimus robot, and its AI ambitions, it has the potential to continue gaining value at an accelerating rate.
Musk’s comments show his confidence in Tesla’s numerous projects, especially as some begin to mature and some head toward their initial stages.
Elon Musk
Celebrating SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy Tesla Roadster launch, seven years later (Op-Ed)
Seven years later, the question is no longer “What if this works?” It’s “How far does this go?”
When Falcon Heavy lifted off in February 2018 with Elon Musk’s personal Tesla Roadster as its payload, SpaceX was at a much different place. So was Tesla. It was unclear whether Falcon Heavy was feasible at all, and Tesla was in the depths of Model 3 production hell.
At the time, Tesla’s market capitalization hovered around $55–60 billion, an amount critics argued was already grossly overvalued. SpaceX, on the other hand, was an aggressive private launch provider known for taking risks that traditional aerospace companies avoided.
The Roadster launch was bold by design. Falcon Heavy’s maiden mission carried no paying payload, no government satellite, just a car drifting past Earth with David Bowie playing in the background. To many, it looked like a stunt. For Elon Musk and the SpaceX team, it was a bold statement: there should be some things in the world that simply inspire people.
Inspire it did, and seven years later, SpaceX and Tesla’s results speak for themselves.
Today, Tesla is the world’s most valuable automaker, with a market capitalization of roughly $1.54 trillion. The Model Y has become the best-selling car in the world by volume for three consecutive years, a scenario that would have sounded insane in 2018. Tesla has also pushed autonomy to a point where its vehicles can navigate complex real-world environments using vision alone.
And then there is Optimus. What began as a literal man in a suit has evolved into a humanoid robot program that Musk now describes as potential Von Neumann machines: systems capable of building civilizations beyond Earth. Whether that vision takes decades or less, one thing is evident: Tesla is no longer just a car company. It is positioning itself at the intersection of AI, robotics, and manufacturing.
SpaceX’s trajectory has been just as dramatic.
The Falcon 9 has become the undisputed workhorse of the global launch industry, having completed more than 600 missions to date. Of those, SpaceX has successfully landed a Falcon booster more than 560 times. The Falcon 9 flies more often than all other active launch vehicles combined, routinely lifting off multiple times per week.
Falcon 9 has ferried astronauts to and from the International Space Station via Crew Dragon, restored U.S. human spaceflight capability, and even stepped in to safely return NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams when circumstances demanded it.
Starlink, once a controversial idea, now dominates the satellite communications industry, providing broadband connectivity across the globe and reshaping how space-based networks are deployed. SpaceX itself, following its merger with xAI, is now valued at roughly $1.25 trillion and is widely expected to pursue what could become the largest IPO in history.
And then there is Starship, Elon Musk’s fully reusable launch system designed not just to reach orbit, but to make humans multiplanetary. In 2018, the idea was still aspirational. Today, it is under active development, flight-tested in public view, and central to NASA’s future lunar plans.
In hindsight, Falcon Heavy’s maiden flight with Elon Musk’s personal Tesla Roadster was never really about a car in space. It was a signal that SpaceX and Tesla were willing to think bigger, move faster, and accept risks others wouldn’t.
The Roadster is still out there, orbiting the Sun. Seven years later, the question is no longer “What if this works?” It’s “How far does this go?”
Tesla engineers deflected calls from this tech giant’s now-defunct EV project
Tesla to a $100T market cap? Elon Musk’s response may shock you
