This assembly jig is used to align and bond Aptera’s body structure together. (Photo courtesy Aptera Motors Corp/GlobeNewswire)
CARLSBAD, Calif.—Aptera Motors Corp., a solar mobility company working to develop ultra-efficient transportation, reported that it began building out its validation vehicle assembly line.
In a company release, Aptera described the initiation of the line as a critical step that lays the foundation for its future low-volume production line at the company’s Southern California assembly facility.
The new line represents a tangible move from prototype builds to a structured, repeatable assembly process. Engineers and technicians are now refining the systems, tools, and procedures that will guide Aptera’s transition into scalable manufacturing.
“This marks an important moment in Aptera’s journey,” said Chris Anthony, co-CEO of Aptera, in a statement. “For the first time, our technicians will be assembling vehicles along a defined sequence of stations, using processes developed hand-in-hand with the engineers who designed them.”
At the heart of the new setup is a large-scale precision assembly fixture that enables Aptera’s Body in Carbon (BinC) to be built with exceptional dimensional accuracy. The fixture enhances throughput, ensures consistency, and establishes a technical baseline for Aptera’s future expansion into low-volume assembly, the company said in the release.
The parts pictured here are to be used on the BinC assembly fixture. (Photo courtesy Aptera Motors Corp/GlobeNewswire)
Aptera has expanded its operations team and continues to hire engineers and assembly line technicians to support the buildout. With BinC components and chassis assemblies now arriving from supply chain partners, the company has begun assembling validation vehicles through this repeatable process.
“Seeing this line come to life signals the next phase for Aptera,” added Steve Fambro, co-CEO, in the release. “It’s the bridge between our prototype builds and the preproduction and series production systems that we aim to one day use to deliver solar mobility at scale.”
The validation assembly process will allow Aptera to optimize every stage of low-volume vehicle assembly, from materials handling to final fit and finish, in preparation for customer-ready production. To advance through this stage and initiate low-volume production, the company estimates it will require $65 million in funding, consistent with its previously disclosed plans.
Aptera Motors Corp., headquartered in Carlsbad, California, is a solar mobility company driven by a mission to advance the future of efficient transportation. Its flagship vehicle is conceived to be a paradigm-shifting solar electric vehicle that leverages breakthroughs in aerodynamics, material science, and solar technology to pursue new levels of efficiency. As a public benefit corporation, Aptera is committed to building a sustainable business that positively impacts its stakeholders and the environment, the company said.