If you thought green tech was the next dot com, then this investment seems to confirm it. Aptera Motors, the California based electric car start-up, secured funding from Google.org on Tuesday and sealed a $24 million in a series C round by Thursday.

Aptera, which plans to use the capital for its manufacturing plant, has set the end of this year for the release of its all-electric Typ-1, a two-seater, three-wheeled electric car whose streamlined shape might look at home in a Jetsons cartoon.

The target price tag for this electric car is less than $30,000.


The electric version of the three-wheeler would drive 120 miles per charge, while a hybrid version due for release near the end of 2009 is meant to achieve 300 miles per gallon.

“The Aptera Typ-1 is designed to be the lowest-energy way to transport two passengers safely from point A to point B,” Bill Gross, chairman and CEO of start-up incubator Idealab, which backs Aptera, said in a statement.

Google’s philanthropic arm on Wednesday shared that it will split $2.75 million toward its RechargeIt initiative between Aptera and battery start-up ActaCell.

Other investors in Aptera include Esenjay Investments, the Simons Family, and the Beall Family Trust.

The company said it has received 3,300 deposits of a minimum $500 each from potential customers in California.

By Martin from Global Warming Issues