Does This Look Like a Motorcycle?

Take a ride in the 200-mpg car the feds want to keep in the slow lane.

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When Steve Fambro and Chris Anthony founded Aptera Motors in 2006, they wanted to create the world’s most fuel-efficient car. To do that, they had to ditch all conventional notions of car design to make the most aerodynamic vehicle possible.

The result is the Aptera 2e, a two-seater powered by an electric motor that delivers 100 miles of driving on an 8-hour charge from a standard outlet. The company says 4,000 people have already put down a deposit for the car, which is slated to hit driveways later this year.

But the design that makes the Aptera so efficient also disqualifies the car from the Department of Energy’s $25 billion loan program for ultra-efficient cars—the same fund from which GM has requested more than $8 billion. The company wants the low-cost loans to develop other models, such as a plug-in hybrid with a gas-powered generator. So Aptera Motors went to Washington to show the feds why the reg needs to change.

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BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things they don’t like—which is most things that are true.

No one gets to tell Mother Jones what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

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