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Traveler shares the important meaning behind rare photo of a solar-powered car: 'This is the kind of photo I've been waiting to see'

"Gives me a little more reassurance that it will be able to handle the snow we get in northern Canada."

Solar-powered Aptera car

Photo Credit: u/InstantTorqueYT/ Reddit

There are some things you naturally expect to see in the snowy mountains of Switzerland: the Matterhorn, chalets, and plenty of skiers. 

But how about a solar-powered three-wheeled car from Aptera? That's what one Redditor spotted and shared with the r/ApteraMotors subreddit. Their photo shows the futuristic-looking car parked in a snow-covered region of the Swiss Alps.

"Aptera spotted in the snow near the Maloja Palace hotel in Maloja, Switzerland," the Redditor captions the photo.

Only a handful of Aptera cars have been released so far, with more expected by early 2024. The company is still taking reservations for its first major production run. So spotting one is indeed a rare sight.

Like the more common hybrid, electric, and hydrogen-powered vehicles, solar cars run on clean energy — energy from the sun! — making them a smart choice for anyone looking to reduce their use of dirty energy sources like oil and gas.

Aptera's SEVs (solar electric vehicles) come with fast charging and can use Tesla's Supercharging network. But they're also powered by solar panels, which sit on the roof of the car and constantly recharge the vehicle.

The solar panels can bring 40 miles of range to the car per day — about the range of the average daily car use, which means if you stay under 40 miles per day, you could power your vehicle entirely on free solar energy. When charged, Aptera cars can get up to 1,000 miles in range and require 70% less energy than other clean-energy cars.

The best part? Aptera is now selling its vehicles at an extremely affordable price — starting at under $26,000.

"This is the kind of photo I've been waiting to see," writes one Redditor. "It would have been great to see it staged with a skier standing next to it — maybe holding skies with the hatch open! Let's see more like this."

"Nothing got me more excited about my reservation (and investment) than seeing the Aptera in snow," writes another Redditor. "Gives me a little more reassurance that it will be able to handle the snow we get in northern Canada."

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