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!
Elon Musk
SpaceX’s next Starship flight set to make history on Friday the 13th
SpaceX is targeting Friday, November 13 for Starship Flight 15 and its first ship catch.
SpaceX is targeting Friday, November 13 for Starship Flight 15, the mission the company plans to use for its first attempt at catching the ship itself with the launch tower.
SpaceX Vice President of Launch Kiko Dontchev shared the date on stage at the UP.Summit on Thursday, according to Ars Technica’s Eric Berger, who was in attendance. It is the first launch target to come directly from a SpaceX executive. Until now, the public schedule had relied on FAA air traffic planning slides, which listed Flight 15 for no earlier than November 8 and later November 12. SpaceX has not posted an official mission page yet, and no launch time has been shared.
The date lands inside the window Elon Musk sketched out last month. Speaking at Giga Texas on October 10, Musk said the flight would “probably launch a little bit before Thanksgiving,” as Teslarati reported. On SpaceX’s third quarter earnings call ten days later, he confirmed that Flight 15 would try to catch both the Super Heavy booster and the ship, and put the odds of a successful ship catch at “more likely than not.” SpaceX also aired an animation of the maneuver during that webcast, showing the ship swinging vertical over Starbase before dropping into the tower’s chopsticks.
The hardware is ready. Booster 22 fired all 33 of its Raptor engines for a full duration static fire at Pad 2 on October 25. Ship 42 followed with a single engine burn simulating a deorbit maneuver on October 26 and a 60 second firing of all six engines the next day, according to NASASpaceflight. Ship 42 had already rehearsed the catch in September, when the Pad 2 arms lifted it into position and crews connected the quick disconnect arm while the vehicle hung from the tower.
The remaining hurdle is regulatory. The FAA’s Starship page does not yet list a Flight 15 license. SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said in October that, after “significant constructive engagement with the FAA,” she expects the license to cover a return to the launch site and a tower catch for both stages. Bringing the ship home means a reentry path that heads toward land, rather than ending over open ocean as every Starship flight so far has.
SpaceX has caught Super Heavy three times, on Flights 5, 7 and 8, but the ship comes back from orbital velocity and has never been caught. Flight 14 on September 28 was the first Starship to reach orbit, deploying 26 Starlink V3 satellites before splashing down despite an early engine shutdown that Musk blamed on engine computer software.
Musk has called a successful ship catch “the first time that there’s been full recovery of an orbital class rocket,” and he has already named the step after it: a Flight 16 where both the booster and the ship fly again. NASASpaceflight reports that Ship 43, the next vehicle in line, is set for static fire testing in December.
EVgo has tapped Tesla Superchargers for its most recent efforts to expand its charging presence in the United States, a move that seems logical based on the effectiveness of the automaker’s own infrastructure.
EVgo opened its first Supercharger site in Illinois, a 12-stall station near downtown Chicago at 3145 South Ashland Avenue in the Riverside Square & River’s Edge center, right beside a grocery store. This marks the start of the company’s plan to deploy hundreds of Supercharger stalls across the United States, primarily at grocery-anchored Regency Centers properties where drivers can shop, eat, or run errands while they charge.
We’ve opened our first EVgo Supercharger location in Illinois, marking the start of our plan to add hundreds of Supercharger stalls across the U.S.
Designed for both NACS and CCS vehicles with Magic Dock technology, these new sites help make fast charging more accessible and convenient for all EV drivers. Learn more: https://t.co/V92t5FDryQ
— EVgo Fast Charging Network (@evgonetwork) November 5, 2026
The new location uses Tesla’s Magic Dock technology so both NACS and CCS vehicles can plug in natively without drivers needing to carry their own adapters. Peak power reaches 325 kW at this site, with pricing set between $0.25 and $0.35 per kWh depending on the hour—the same rate for Tesla and non-Tesla drivers.
The stalls also appear in Tesla’s in-car navigation and Trip Planner, making them easy for Tesla owners to find and route to. Illinois has seen EV registrations rise nearly 60 percent over the past two years, and EVgo’s broader network has experienced more than 700 percent growth in charging demand over three years, so the timing fits the market’s trajectory.
Choosing Tesla hardware through the Supercharger for Business program turns out to have been a smart, practical move.
Tesla’s V4 stalls and cabinets deliver high, reliable power with a proven track record of strong uptime, while Magic Dock delivers true dual-standard compatibility in one package. Because the sites show up in Tesla’s navigation tools, EVgo instantly gains visibility among millions of existing Tesla drivers, which should raise utilization and help the company double its addressable market as more vehicles adopt NACS. EVgo still owns the stations and sets pricing, yet benefits from Tesla’s established hardware, longer cables, and operational support.
The result is faster, lower-risk infrastructure expansion that serves every EV driver—Tesla or otherwise—with convenient, high-power charging at everyday retail locations. For drivers, that means fewer adapters, more predictable stops, and a denser network just as electric vehicles become everyday transportation.
Tesla’s Austin Gigafactory is reportedly shifting to round-the-clock vehicle production through the end of 2026, according to longtime drone observer Joe Tegtmeyer.
In his November 2 update, Tegtmeyer, widely regarded as one of the most reliable independent sources on Giga Texas activity (we call him the Drone GOAT), stated that the plant has added a night shift, creating two 12-hour production shifts.
Tegtmeyer said in his video:
“Now, I do have some interesting news about that when it comes to the production schedule here at Giga Texas, and things are actually looking pretty good, especially when you think about what the demand is and the delivery numbers that they’re looking for and what they’re expecting. So, normally they have shifts Monday through Friday. It’s a day shift and it’s about 10 hours long or so, give or take. But now they’re on day and night shifts and they’re going to 12-hour days. So they’re going to be adding or they have another shift. They have 12 hours for both of them. In addition to that, the typical downtime that we’re going to be seeing around the holidays, specifically Thanksgiving and Christmas to the New Year time frame is actually changed. And we’re not going to see those big several day events where there is no production. At least that’s what the plan is right now. So, it’s really a great sign, I think, when we consider what they’ve done in the past and what production and the deliveries have been so far. So, maybe it’s shaping up to be a really strong quarter.”
Previously, General Assembly typically operated on a single roughly 10-hour day shift, Monday through Thursday or Friday. The new arrangement keeps General Assembly on its Monday-to-Thursday schedule while adding overnight capacity, and most other areas of the factory continue working the full week with some weekend activity.
Notably, the plant is also forgoing the multi-day shutdowns around Thanksgiving and the Christmas–New Year period that have occurred in prior years
Giga Texas currently builds the Model Y, the larger Model Y L, the Cybertruck, and the Cybercab robotaxi. Tesla has not confirmed the shift change or specified which lines will receive the extra output. Recent comments suggest Cybercab production has been constrained by the pace at which the Robotaxi fleet can absorb new vehicles, making the Model Y and Model Y L the more likely beneficiaries as the company works through order backlogs.
Tegtmeyer’s November 2 footage and commentary also highlighted broader site progress. Cortex 2 continues to expand, with additional compute coming online, a roughly 25 percent lengthening of the structure on the north end, and work on a third cooling plant.
The Boring Company tunnel site showed increased activity in the large launch pit, while the Advanced Technology Chip Fab (a SpaceX–Tesla joint R&D facility) continued steel superstructure and heavy truss installation, along with concrete pours.
The reported capacity increase arrives as Tesla aims for a strong fourth quarter following solid third-quarter results. While unconfirmed by the company, the information aligns with Tegtmeyer’s consistent track record of accurate on-site observations.
If Tesla makes the decision to sustain the all-day production plans, the dual 12-hour shifts would meaningfully raise weekly output potential at one of Tesla’s most important manufacturing hubs.
SpaceX’s next Starship flight set to make history on Friday the 13th
EVgo taps Tesla Superchargers for mass charging expansion
