Greetings!
There have been several recent videos posted on YouTube showing the demolition of a small number of untrimmed Aptera vehicle bodies. The videos were taken approximately eight months ago at Aptera's Oceanside facility, which the company officially exited in May 2011. However, the posters of these videos have tried to portray these clips as an angered response from Aptera employees at the recent closure of the company. These claims are completely false.
The bodies in question were not slated for demolition because on any ill will or malice from any member of the company present or past. These particular 2e's were defective and/or obsolete development properties that no longer had any value to the company. We destroyed the bodies because they were unsafe for use as a vehicle -- with high potential for loss of life if they were involved in a crash. (This is evidenced by the upper body and lower skins separating from each other on impact.)
While the company often engages in technology sharing with academic institutions (area elementary, middle and high schools, universities and museums, we never released vehicle assets that had the potential of being misused and resulting in physical harm or loss of life.
Contrary to the stories that have been written recently, there was no destruction of company property during the closure of Aptera. It is appalling how low journalism in the internet age has sunk in pursuit of sensationalism. In fact, our employees exited the building honorably and professionally. The accusations that have been made to the contrary are insulting and demonstrate the kind of uninformed defamation that diminishes the all of Aptera's efforts and undermines the work of everybody committed to perpetuating clean transportation.
Finally, there are currently seven prototypes of the Aptera 2e concept inside our former headquarters in Carlsbad, Calif. These prototypes reflect every generation of Aptera vehicle body ever created, from the very first tested concept vehicle (built by the founders) to the most recent prototype that was campaigned at the Automotive XPRIZE. An eighth prototype resides at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. Incidentally, none of these vehicles have been damaged in anyway.
