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Aptera’s Gamma Alpha Prototype is as crazy as it is efficient in first hands-on look

Credit: Fully Charged Show | YouTube

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Update 8/12: Headline and any reference to the vehicle has been changed to “Gamma Alpha Prototype.”

Aptera offered a hands-on look at a prototype of the Gamma Alpha solar-powered vehicle today, which is as crazy looking as it is efficient, thanks to a world-class drag co-efficient and incredibly sleek design.

The Fully Charged Show was given access to what Aptera called the “Alpha prototype” of their upcoming Gamma model. This vehicle was significantly more finished-looking than the “beta prototype,” where the complete drivetrain, suspension setup, and software were being tested, yet also looked quite different than the vehicle that was teased earlier this week.

Incredible efficiency with a world-class drag coefficient

The prototype shown in the video above has a 0.13 drag coefficient, which is significantly lower than other EV offerings on the market. The Lightyear Zero solar car has a 0.20 drag coefficient, while the Tesla Model 3 holds a 0.22 rating. The Lucid Air Dream Edition has a 0.21 drag coefficient, while the Tesla Model S Plaid has a 0.208.

Drag coefficients are a significant factor for electric vehicle efficiency. While Aptera has already achieved a world-class energy usage metric in terms of miles driven per kWh. The Tesla Model 3 will offer 5 miles of range per kWh, but the solar-powered Aptera Gamma prototype will give drivers an efficiency rating of double what the Model 3 will offer, and that is in no way an insult to the mass-market sedan from Tesla, which was noted as the “poster child of efficiency” by Fully Charged.

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Polarizing interior designs

The Alpha Gamma prototype had some significant differences compared to the teased Aptera interior. A more normal-looking steering wheel replaced the ever divisive yoke, the driver dash screen was revealed to be the rearview mirror system, and the center divider/console appeared significantly more finished with a center armrest and center storage area. However, the interior matched the teaser image’s minimalism, lacking many physical controls, sunshades, and air conditioning vents.

One area shown on the video that was absent from the teaser images was the door. The interior door panel included a leather strap that would hang down to help close the door when sitting, a set of window controls that control the Subaru SVX style split windows, and otherwise remained sparse, matching the rest of the interior.

Technical information shared in the video includes Aptera’s “skin cooling” technology, whereby the vehicle’s underside is used as a heat sync to cool the batteries as the vehicle drives. The charging port was a Tesla connector underneath the rear license plate. And finally, the UI was described to have a lot of features that aimed to help the driver increase range whenever possible, mainly discouraging the use of AC and seat heaters.

Aptera has over 27,000 reservations for the Gamma so far. With the company holding a plan to start deliveries by next year, the vehicle could be introduced with a starting price under $20,000, which is amazingly affordable considering the efficiency the vehicle could ultimately offer.

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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!

Will is an auto enthusiast, a gear head, and an EV enthusiast above all. From racing, to industry data, to the most advanced EV tech on earth, he now covers it at Teslarati.

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Elon Musk

Tesla Board Chair discusses what is being done to protect CEO Elon Musk

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Credit: xAI

Tesla Board Chair Robyn Denholm met with Bloomberg this morning to discuss a variety of topics, but perhaps one of the most interesting was her comments on what is being done to protect company CEO Elon Musk.

After the assassination of right-wing political commentator Charlie Kirk this week, there have been concerns about Musk’s safety, as well as that of other high-profile business leaders and political figures.

Earlier this week, Musk said himself that his security detail would be increased significantly following Kirk’s death, a move that many investors and fans of the company had requested because of political violence.

Elon Musk assures Tesla investors he will enhance his security detail

“Definitely need to enhance security,” Musk said. Tesla spent $3.3 million on Musk’s security in 2024 and January and February 2025. For reference, Meta spent over $27 million on Mark Zuckerberg’s security last year, which is higher than any other tech CEO.

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During Denholm’s appearance on Bloomberg TV earlier today, she stated that the company has been focused on Musk’s security detail for “many years,” especially considering he is one of the richest people on Earth and holds an incredible amount of influence.

“It is something that we take very seriously; he takes it very seriously as well. So, again, from a board perspective, it is something we’ve discussed at length,” Denholm said.

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Denholm added that she believes “there is not anyone in a boardroom that is not touched by what has happened with Charlie Kirk.”

Although Musk’s political involvement has toned down significantly in the past, he still has enemies, especially based on groups that oppose him and the company specifically. Based on this week’s events, it feels that increased security is a necessary expense Tesla must account for.

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Investor's Corner

Tesla bear turns bullish for two reasons as stock continues boost

“I think from a trading perspective, it looks very interesting,” Nathan said, citing numerous signs of strength, such as holding its 200-day moving average and holding against its resistance level.

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Credit: Tesla Manufacturing

A Tesla bear is changing his tune, turning bullish for two reasons as the company’s stock has continued to get a boost over the past month.

Dan Nathan, a notorious skeptic of Tesla shares, said he is changing his tune, at least in the short term, on the company’s stock because of “technicals and sentiment,” believing the company is on track for a strong Q3, but also an investment story that will slowly veer away from its automotive business.

“I think from a trading perspective, it looks very interesting,” Nathan said, citing numerous signs of strength, such as holding its 200-day moving average and holding against its resistance level.

He also said he believes a rally for the stock could continue as it heads into the end of the quarter, especially as the $7,500 electric vehicle tax credit is coming to an end at the end of the month.

With that being said, he believes the consensus for Q3 deliveries is “probably low,” as he believes Wall Street is likely underestimating what Tesla will bring to the table on October 1 or 2 when it reports numbers for the quarter.

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Tesla shares are already up over five percent today, with gains exceeding nine percent over the past five trading days, and more than fourteen percent in the past month.

While some analysts are looking at the performance of other Mag 7 stocks, movement on rates from the Federal Reserve, and other broader market factors as reasoning for Tesla’s strong performance, it appears some movement could be related to the company’s recent developments instead.

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Over the past week, Tesla has made some strides in its Robotaxi program, including a new license to test the platform in the State of Nevada, which we reported on.

Tesla lands regulatory green light for Robotaxi testing in new state

Additionally, the company is riding the tails of the end of the EV tax credit, as inventory, both new and used, is running extremely low, generally speaking. Many markets do not have any vehicles to purchase as of right now, making delivery by September 30 extremely difficult.

However, there has been some adjustments to the guidelines by the IRS, which can be read here:

Tesla set to win big after IRS adjusts EV tax credit rules

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Tesla is trading at around $389 at 10:56 a.m. on the East Coast.

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Tesla lands regulatory green light for Robotaxi testing in new state

This will be the third state in total where Tesla is operating Robotaxi, following Austin and California.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has landed a regulatory green light to test its Robotaxi platform in a new state, less than three months after the ride-hailing service launched in Texas.

Tesla first launched its driverless Robotaxi suite in Austin, Texas, back on June 22. Initially offering rides to a small group of people, Tesla kept things limited, but this was not to be the mentality for very long.

It continued to expand the rider population, the service area, and the vehicle fleet in Austin.

The company also launched rides in the Bay Area, but it does use a person in the driver’s seat to maintain safety. In Austin, the “Safety Monitor” is present in the passenger’s seat during local rides, and in the driver’s seat for routes that involve highway driving.

Tesla is currently testing the Robotaxi platform in other states. We reported that it was testing in Tempe, Arizona, as validation vehicles are traveling around the city in preparation for Robotaxi.

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Tesla looks to make a big splash with Robotaxi in a new market

Tesla is also hoping to launch in Florida and New York, as job postings have shown the company’s intention to operate there.

However, it appears it will launch in Nevada before those states, as the company submitted its application to obtain a Testing Registry certification on September 3. It was processed by the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles Office of Business Licensing on September 10.

It will then need to self-certify for operations, essentially meaning they will need to comply with various state requirements.

This will be the third state in total where Tesla is operating Robotaxi, following Austin and California.

CEO Elon Musk has stated that he believes Robotaxi will be available to at least half of the U.S. population by the end of the year. Geographically, Tesla will need to make incredible strides over the final four months of the year to achieve this.

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