Aptera, the California-based solar-electric vehicle manufacturer, is moving closer to production with a major component order enabling the build of 40 vehicles. The company, which has existed in various forms for nearly 20 years, has never been this close to shipping its hyper-efficient, solar-charging EV.

The vehicle stands out for its ability to gain up to 46 miles of range per day from sunlight while parked, potentially eliminating the need to plug in for local driving. With nearly 50,000 reservations already secured, Aptera is now ramping up manufacturing at its Carlsbad, CA facility.

Earlier this year, the company built five vehicles on its production-intent assembly line to validate its build process and develop quality assurance tools. While some of the upcoming 40 vehicles will be reserved for testing, the first customer deliveries are expected to go to large investors and early backers who secured priority placement.

With only one major certification remaining, Aptera is positioned to begin customer deliveries soon, marking a significant milestone after two decades of development.