3-wheeled Aptera aspires to car-pool lane

CARLSBAD, Calif. -- Bored working as an engineer for a biotech company, Steve Fambro began to dream of a better way to get to work.

Why not design a fuel-efficient car that would allow a single driver onto California's car-pool lanes?

"Most people thought I was crazy," Fambro recalls.

Some might still wonder when they see what emerged: a futuristic commuter car powered by electricity with a skin of epoxy resin, not sheet metal. And perhaps oddest, it has three wheels, not four.

The Aptera, with a range of 190 miles between charges, is intended to sell for around $30,000.

It's an example of how high gas prices are encouraging entrepreneurs to give the car business a try. From electric high-performance roadsters to low-speed runabouts, start-ups are trying to take advantage of interest in alternative technologies.

Aptera is being developed in a tidy industrial park here, a few miles north of San Diego. CEO Fambro, 41, and COO Chris Anthony, 31, a former stockbroker who also runs a boat-making shop, have about 15 employees so far, mostly fabricators and engineers.

At present, Aptera has one working prototype of its electric car. A hybrid gas-electric version is being built. Production is scheduled for later this year.

Fambro says about 400 potential buyers have slapped down a $500 refundable reservation to get in line. Having received its start with an investment from company start-up incubator Idealab, Aptera is currently looking for another round of financing. Anthony, who spends most of his time on investment matters, says he has attracted interest.

They are drawn by the unique design.

The prototype features high-tech touches such as rear and side cameras instead of rear-view side mirrors to further reduce wind drag. There's a solar panel on the roof to provide a bit of extra power.

Making the car out of laminates slashes its weight to about 1,500 pounds, making it potentially one of the lightest cars on the road. Less weight means longer range. The company also hopes to use off-the-shelf lithium phosphate batteries that are proven and safe, Fambro says.