Aptera App
A concept companion app for the Aptera solar EV, built around the solar power that makes the car so unique.
ROLE
Designer & Developer
TIMELINE
3 weeks
PLATFORM
Mobile
TEAM
Gergo Fusti-Molnar
TOOL
Zed IDE
Context
Aptera isn't quite like other EVs, and the battery isn't even the interesting part. What sets it apart is the up to 40 miles a day it can pull in just from sitting in the sun without plugging in. How much you actually get depends on where the car's parked and for how long, which is a different relationship between a driver and their car than what most EV experiences are built around. Nothing on the market has a solution for such a unique need.
Problem
Most EV apps rely on the same core routine. Plug in, wait, watch a number climb. Charging is treated like an appointment, something that happens in a known place, at a known rate, on a schedule you control.
A solar EV doesn't work that way. Much of its range can be gained passively over the course of a day, shaped by things a normal charging screen has no way to account for, like which direction the car is facing or how much shade it's sitting in.
On top of that, most vehicle apps land on one of two extremes: they either throw every feature at you at once, or they show only the bare basics up front and bury everything else behind a series of menus. Neither approach actually reflects how a driver wants to use the car day to day.
Approach
Two things drove this concept. One was getting the information hierarchy right, giving drivers what they need at a glance without overwhelming them or hiding everything behind a menu. The other was making sure the experience reflected the unique experience of owning a solar EV, sometimes quietly, sometimes not so quietly.
01
Improving the EV App Formula
THE CHALLENGE
Most vehicle companion apps land in one of two camps. Some try to put everything in front of you at once and end up overwhelming. Others go the other way, surfacing only the bare basics and burying everything else behind a series of unnecessary interactions. Both approaches end up frustrating more than they help.
THE SOLUTION
The Aptera app takes a third path. The map handles the big picture, giving important info at a glance without having to dig for it. Below that lives a grid of tiles that act as live widgets rather than basic menu buttons, showing meaningful high-level info while collapsed and expanding for more info when needed.
02
Embracing Solar Power
THE CHALLENGE
Every EV app assumes charging is something that happens occasionally, at a plug, on a schedule. None of them are built around a car that's charging almost constantly just by sitting in a parking lot, which changes what a driver actually needs to know and when they need to know it. Driving a solar-powered car means the sun turns into a character in your daily routine.
THE SOLUTION
A car that's charging almost all the time, just by sitting in the sun, needs an interface built around that ongoing state, not one that assumes charging is something you start and stop. This aspect of the car is woven into the DNA of the app, like the sundial effect that casts a live, moving shadow to show exactly how sunlight is hitting the car right now.
Solution
The home screen and the grid underneath work as one continuous space rather than two separate ideas. The map stays anchored at the top, the grid flexes underneath it, and each of the five panels doubles as a live widget, showing what's happening before you ever tap it, instead of being squeezed into a shared template.
The home screen balances giving drivers important info with keeping things neat. The map acts as a base, with widgets and basic controls keeping everything one tap away.
Basic vehicle info like tire pressure, miles, and service info is all in one place. Drivers have the option to access repair docs themselves, leaning into Aptera's right to repair commitments.
The charging experience is different when nature is a main character. Drivers need weather info to decide whether they need to plug in or let the sun power their commute.
Routes can be generated to maximize solar charging, making every mile count towards a driver's goal of never plugging in.
Charging in the sun means drivers don't have to feel guilty about stepping into a perfectly cooled cabin on a hot day.
Reflection
What made this project so much fun was how unique the Aptera is. It’s a vehicle that completely rethinks what an EV can be, which gave me the freedom to rethink how a driver interacts with it. Even as a concept app, taking the time to truly tune into the personality of the car was the best part of the work. It reinforced for me that whether a product is real or conceptual, letting its character drive the design is the best way to create something memorable.