Hacker News: TeaVMFan

New comment by TeaVMFan in "Aptera announces a $44M to design and build a solar electric vehicle"

TeaVMFan — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 22:42:11 +0000

On the "charging-from-the-sun" side of the equation, they recently had an independent German test organization measure the daily charge rate, and it exceeded the 4.0kWh/day goal. The test was conducted at their Southern California headquarters during July, however, so your mileage may (literally) vary.

New comment by TeaVMFan in "$44M Solar-Powered EV Production Deal Struck"

TeaVMFan — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 22:33:44 +0000

Yes to both, plus freedom to drive/camp anywhere, even far from a guaranteed plug.

New comment by TeaVMFan in "$44M Solar-Powered EV Production Deal Struck"

TeaVMFan — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 22:32:45 +0000

That's an especially important point to this new deal, Launch will give them easier access to additional markets beyond the US.

New comment by TeaVMFan in "Aptera announces a $44M to design and build a solar electric vehicle"

TeaVMFan — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 22:32:03 +0000

Solar panel efficiency has increased and they have made an extremely slippery vehicle. 4kWh/day and 10 miles per kWh gives 40 miles per day of driving range, enough for many people without ever plugging in.

New comment by TeaVMFan in "Aptera announces a $44M to design and build a solar electric vehicle"

TeaVMFan — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 21:37:07 +0000

On August 20, Aptera announced a $44 Million partnership with Launch Design to design and build their first solar electric vehicle.

This finally answers questions that have hounded the company for years about their plan for scaling and fulfilling the thousands of reservations.

Aptera announces a $44M to design and build a solar electric vehicle

TeaVMFan — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 21:37:07 +0000

Article URL: https://frequal.com/aptera/ProductionDealAug2026.html

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49493563

Points: 29

# Comments: 48

New comment by TeaVMFan in "How I over-engineered my book"

TeaVMFan — Mon, 17 Aug 2026 20:02:03 +0000

Related: a tool to convert HTML to EPUB, with checks and smarts:

https://frequal.com/epublish/

New comment by TeaVMFan in "Production Imminent: 40 Solar-Charging Aptera EVs Coming Soon"

TeaVMFan — Sun, 09 Aug 2026 19:41:35 +0000

It's well below the average selling price for a new car in the US. In California, you'll also get HOV ("carpool") lane access, which 4-wheeled EVs lost recently.

New comment by TeaVMFan in "Production Imminent: 40 Solar-Charging Aptera EVs Coming Soon"

TeaVMFan — Sun, 09 Aug 2026 19:39:56 +0000

Impressive. Aptera claims "~700 watts of integrated solar cells", with the difference that Aptera's are fully integrated and usable even in motion.

New comment by TeaVMFan in "Production Imminent: 40 Solar-Charging Aptera EVs Coming Soon"

TeaVMFan — Sun, 09 Aug 2026 17:19:48 +0000

Recently Aptera announced they have ordered major components to build 40 production vehicles. This may not sound like many (especially since they have nearly 50,000 reservations), but this is a major milestone for the company. Aptera has existed in some form for nearly 20 years, never having come this close to shipping a vehicle before. Now they have only 1 major certification left and are ramping up to build them at their facility in Carlsbad, CA.

Production Imminent: 40 Solar-Charging Aptera EVs Coming Soon

TeaVMFan — Sun, 09 Aug 2026 17:19:48 +0000

Article URL: https://frequal.com/aptera/ProductionImminent.html

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49233394

Points: 49

# Comments: 55

New comment by TeaVMFan in "Book prizes don't work how you think"

TeaVMFan — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 22:57:35 +0000

As an indie author (https://frequal.com/novels), this makes me glad I haven't submitted my novel yet to any of these contests. The chance that a submission fee could be wasted by chance (not a match for the reviewer's interest or mood that day) is just too great. It seems that the larger publishing houses are more willing to shell out on the chance to win this lottery, according to the article.

New comment by TeaVMFan in "I Use HTML with Java"

TeaVMFan — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 00:47:22 +0000

I make modern single page apps with Java. They run in standard browsers, require no extensions, and perform great.

I Use HTML with Java

TeaVMFan — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 00:47:22 +0000

Article URL: https://frequal.com/Flavour/book.html

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48914855

Points: 9

# Comments: 2

New comment by TeaVMFan in "How to read more books"

TeaVMFan — Sun, 12 Jul 2026 23:00:30 +0000

Having books on several devices makes reading more convenient. DRM-Free books make that easy, so you can read whether you have your phone, tablet, or PC. For a list of DRM-free authors and publishers: https://frequal.com/Perspectives/DrmFreeAuthors.html

New comment by TeaVMFan in "How to read more books"

TeaVMFan — Sun, 12 Jul 2026 22:58:42 +0000

In several countries, you can find Little Free Libraries, a non-profit with a registry of small libraries like the book boxes in front of homes described in the article: https://littlefreelibrary.org/about/

New comment by TeaVMFan in "1 down, 1 to go: Aptera clears first federal hurdle"

TeaVMFan — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 00:47:33 +0000

Aptera's solar EV has obtained EPA certification, leaving just the FMVSS certification.

"This is a meaningful milestone for our reservation holders," says Aptera's Co-CEO Steve Fambro.

Get in line here with $30 off the reservation fee: https://frequal.com/aptera/reserve.html

1 down, 1 to go: Aptera clears first federal hurdle

TeaVMFan — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 00:47:33 +0000

Article URL: https://aptera.us/epa-release/

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48839502

Points: 3

# Comments: 1

New comment by TeaVMFan in "Reparaible and open source paper printer"

TeaVMFan — Sun, 05 Jul 2026 22:24:50 +0000

Title Typo? Reparaible to Repairable?

New comment by TeaVMFan in "Return of the Nigerian Prince Redux: Beware Book Club and Book Review Scams (2025)"

TeaVMFan — Sun, 05 Jul 2026 05:46:11 +0000

Thanks for sharing this. New authors have enough challenges without getting scammed. I've written a (free) guide for the writing process here: https://frequal.com/forwriters/

The writing is just the first step, however. Promotion is a whole another set of hurdles. I can easilybsee an eager or despondent author falling victim to a promotion scam.