San Diego, CA, and Modena, Italy, November 3, 2022, | Solar electric vehicle manufacturer Aptera has signed an agreement with the C.P.C. Group to produce its specialized composite bodies in Modena, Italy, in the heart of the Italian Motor Valley, where legendary supercars and motorcycles have been manufactured with a passion for decades.
C.P.C. will be supplying materials and structures for Aptera’s BINC, which stands for Body in Carbon. In keeping with Aptera’s simplicity, safety, and sustainability ethos, the BINC only has six main parts. After use, we can recycle it up to five times, giving it an ultra-low CO2 lifecycle. Moreover, Carbon Fiber Sheet Molding Compound (CF-SMC) and Glass Sheet Molding Compound (SMC) make up most of the BINC.
Carbon Fiber-SMC is a lightweight material consisting of a random arrangement of short fibers that make it possible to mold intricately shaped parts. It offers much higher stiffness and strength than standard SMC. Because manufacturers press mold, this process substantially reduces manufacturing time for the BINC. It also allows Aptera to begin delivering vehicles to customers more quickly.
New Way of Thinking
According to Franco Iorio, CEO of C.P.C., “Aptera represents a shift away from the conventional thinking of the past. We desire to be a part of this future, which is why we’re joining Aptera’s movement. We’ll be building the bodies for their unique solar vehicle in the heart of the Motor Valley, allowing Aptera to scale up manufacturing right away to meet the high demand for its first vehicle.”
C.P.C. Group was founded in 1959 as a small artisan company manufacturing models solely made by the expert hand of the model maker. After switching from aluminum to composites, during the last decade C.P.C. has established a reputation as one of the most renowned and appreciated companies in the world for specialized composite solutions in the automotive world. Customers include Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren, Maserati, BMW, Lotus, and more.
Says Aptera co-founder Steve Fambro, “When we came together at C.P.C. along with Sandy Munro, we realized the true synergy where the world’s most efficient vehicle can be made with the most efficient process. For several months, our engineers have been working closely with C.P.C to finalize our Delta design, and now those efforts are being realized as we take an important step forward towards high volume production.”
With over 37,000 reservations, Aptera aims to begin deliveries in 2023. It plans to ramp up to a full-scale production rate of 40 vehicles per day at its final assembly location in Carlsbad, California. More details about vehicle specifications, final pricing, and timing will be available in forthcoming announcements.
About Aptera
Aptera Motors® delivers the world’s most technologically advanced solar electric vehicles (sEVs). They are possible through battery efficiency, aerodynamics, material science, and manufacturing breakthroughs. Aptera is the first in a series of eco-friendly vehicles to be available for consumer and commercial use. It has the longest range of any production vehicle with up to 1,000 miles per charge. Plus, the ability to travel up to 40 miles a day on free power from its integrated solar panels. It only has six key body parts. Aptera’s unique shape allows it to slip through the air using far less energy than other electric vehicles today. Learn more and join over 37,000 Aptera reservation holders at www.aptera.us.
About C.P.C. Group
C.P.C. Group is Europe’s largest composite manufacturer. It has more than 850 employees and a production capacity of 500,000 finished parts per year. In addition, the company will soon be doubling capacity to reach one million finished parts per year. C.P.C. owns one of the world’s largest press facilities exclusively used for pressing composite materials into large components. The company has the technological expertise and know-how in the automotive field. That’s from component design, through manufacture of molds used to produce aluminum casting parts and carbon fiber composite material parts. They use the latest state-of-the-art composite material manufacturing technologies. For more information, visit https://www.cpcgroup.it/en/.
