Check out the Aptera, developed by off-duty robotics engineer Steve Fambro in his spare time. Currently in working prototype form, it’ll be available as both an all-electric vehicle that’ll run 120 miles on a charge, and a gas-electric hybrid that gets 300 mpg. A solar roof strip provides auxiliary charge to the battery and air-conditioning system, it seats two comfortably in its cockpit, and it’ll supposedly be able to keep up with highway traffic. The Aptera is also designed to be abnormally safe for a low-slung three-wheeler, with an F1-inspired safety cage, 45-inch front crush zone, and wide, stable stance. The really incredible thing is that the Aptera is reported to be available later this year—at a retail price of $30K. Read more at msn.

The guys over at Popular Mechanics were lucky enough to land a test drive in what is quite possibly the most unique Green Machine ever, the Aptera Super-MPG Electric Typ-1 e. John reported on this oddity a about a month ago when the first details emerged, and I posted up the company’s promotional video to our video section. However, as cool as the promo video was, it simply doesn’t compare to a real-world test drive, and the guys from PM really did a great job of conveying the experience. This Jetson-esque vehicle is like nothing on the road today, and you either love the styling or you hate it, but you have to give the Aptera guys credit for breaking design and technological boundaries.  Check out the video below and for more info, hop over to PM.

While the Aptera looks like something out of a Star Wars flick, the company is currently accepting deposits, and plans to begin delivering vehicles to customers a year from now. On their website, Aptera claims its lightweight construction and hyper-efficient aerodynamics will allow for a 120 mile range for plug-in models, and that diesel/electric hybrids will be able to achieve up to—get this—300 miles per gallon. Like the Corbin Sparrow, the Aptera has three wheels, so it’s allowed to be registered as a motorcycle. Personally, I just don’t like three wheeled vehicles—they don’t seem right. Think about it, are there any animals that naturally have three legs? It’s about time states start providing a category for experimental vehicles, so cutting edge technology doesn’t have to slide through the motorcycle loophole. Though I’m a little skeptical the company will start delivery on time, I’m rooting for them. What do you think? Would you drive this puppy?