Aptera Motor’s production-intent solar-powered electric car has successfully undergone a test drive conducted in a San Diego car park.

Since 2019, San Diego-based Aptera Motors has set a goal of developing a solar-powered electric vehicle (sEV).

In this pursuit, the firm has now announced it has reached a significant milestone – the successful first drive of its latest “production-intent” (PI2) vehicle, which will now be used for real-world validation and testing.

The first in a series, Aptera Motors says the PI2 has been engineered to rigorously test the production-intent design, production components and critical performance metrics such as range, solar charging capability and efficiency.

According to the company, the PI2 doesn’t need to be plugged in to recharge and instead gets its daily power directly from the sun.

Steve Fambro, Aptera’s co-founder and co-CEO, said: “Driving our first production-intent vehicle marks an extraordinary moment in Aptera’s journey.

“It demonstrates real...