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Local Company Gears Up To Push Unique Vehicle

POSTED: 3:19 pm PST November 2, 2009
UPDATED: 11:36 am PST November 3, 2009

A Vista-based car company is gearing up for mass production next year of a unique three-wheeled, all-electric vehicle, 10News reported.

Aptera Motors will be pushing its all-electric Aptera, a three-wheeled, aerodynamically styled vehicle, and Aptera Motors CEO Paul Wilbur said, "2010 is going to be a big year for us."

By summer, it's full speed ahead for its production lines at Aptera's Vista plant off Palomar Airport Road. They expect to hire 300 employees to help build and assemble a few thousand Apteras. The company has already received 4,000 advanced deposits, each $500, from consumers wanting to hold their place in line.

In 2012, Aptera hopes to put its production on overdrive. Rep. Brian Bilbray was behind a bill that was signed into law just last week by President Obama that allows Aptera motors to qualify for the Department of Energy's Advanced Technology Vehicle Program, a $25 billion loan program set aside for companies that can make fuel efficient vehicles with 75 mpg or more. Originally, Aptera didn't qualify because it has three wheels.

"Congressman Bilbray was instrumental in getting a new bill passed that says any vehicle, regardless of its size, if it gets more than 75 mpg, we ought to let it in that program," says Wilbur.

Aptera applied for a $75 million loan, which will help the company grow its staff to 3,000 employees and manufacture 100,000 Apteras a year, instead of few thousand cars.

The approval process for this loan could take another six months, and by that time Aptera hopes to have already begun its initial production in the summer.

Their plans to start production this fall were delayed after the company decided to make dozens of changes to the car "promising a better vehicle."

Such changes included installing power windows instead of static windows and widening side and rear windows to bring in more light and improve safety.

Learn more about Aptera by visiting their Web site.
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