ZAP! If you're rich and can afford a new car, here's an alternative to the Prius...

[Matsubara]

"Parking Karma"


"Parking Karma"


http://www.zapworld.com/

Coming Soon: The Zap - X Electric Sedan



ZAP has announced with Lotus Engineering the development of the new ZAP-X Crossover, incorporating distinct technological advancements that will result in one of the most advanced electric cars ever developed.

ZAP and Lotus are utilizing the award-winning APX lightweight aluminum architecture design to achieve unprecedented levels of performance and utility for electric cars.

The drive system alone is enough to excite driving fanatics, featuring an innovative all-wheel drive option with revolutionary electric motors inside each of the wheels, potentially delivering 644 horsepower and speeds up to 155mph.

An advanced battery system will enable the car to travel a range up to 350 miles between charges, with a rapid charge technology that can recharge the batteries in as little as 10 minutes.

[gollygee]

1. That's cute

I like it!

[Initech]

2. You could always go with the Chevrolet Volt

http://www.chevrolet.com/electriccar/

[SharonRB]

4. They have no idea when the Volt will go into production

They're still trying to find a suitable battery for mass production. I'd love a Volt. I might get a Smart car next year.

[Initech]

6. I'd be tempted to go with a Volt over a Hybrid if they ever go into production

[KansDem]

5. Heeeeyyy!!! I like the look of that car!

A "lean, mean" almost "sinister" look combined with economy and style!!!

I like...I like...:thumbsup:

How much?

[Initech]

7. Dunno, they have not gone into production yet.

If they ever do, I will probably snap one up in a hurry!

[bullwinkle428]

11. Gasoline OR diesel? (In addition to the electric motor) I'm sorry, I won't be the guinea pig

for that one! I'm old enough to remember their atrocious effort which involved attempting to convert engines that were designed for use with gasoline into diesel powered units. GM lost a small fortune buying those vehicles back from their owners as they were such miserable creations...

Great looking, and a fantastic concept in theory, but haven't the slightest idea how they can make it work...

[SharonRB]

16. There are several options.

Plugs into a regular outlet to recharge the electric motor.

[RedCappedBandit]

3. Good luck being able to afford it

I doubt it will be as good as they say.

[Stuckinthebush]

8. Where do my three kids sit?

along with my wife?

Kinda small.

[Liberal In Texas]

9. Of the model in the OP (not yet in production) their site says:

"Interior
Seating for 5 +2 with European ergonomic design; all electronic touch screen controls on-board carputer: Windows XP, Wi-Fi, Blue-tooth, High definition video, iPod ready, Fire wire, USB2 and Mini USB ports."

I wish they'd give a clue about the price. It may be wildly expensive.

[bullwinkle428]

10. Lotus does the engineering for the Tesla Roadster - I think

this is awesome! Lotus was very innovative in both road car and racing car design (Formula 1 primarily), and I hope they can make this a reality and make a fortune from it!

[IDemo]

14. Lotus did do much of the engineering

but the drive system: motor & motor controller, battery charging circuitry, and bi-directional grid power interface (V2G) came from AC Propulsion

[IDemo]

12. Very likely using the same wheel motors as this car->

PML Flightlink Electric Mini Cooper


Good to see more innovation occurring in the EV arena, but if they used wheel motors of only a quarter the power (40 hp each vs 160), they would still have a fairly peppy ride and get much improved range.

[InvisibleTouch]

18. Now THAT one is cute!

If I could manage it, I'd have a small hybrid or electric car (but it's gotta be cute/cool!) for around-town stuff, shopping trips, post-office runs, and the like, and keep my beloved Grand Caravan for those times when I do actually have to haul the whole dog pack cross-country, or have to transport a bunch of stuff. As minivans go, it gets decent mileage, especially with the monstrously heavy 2nd and 3rd row seats removed, but it still can't live up to the little hybrids. I loved the little spaceship-shaped 2-seaters that came out a few years ago (Hondas?), though I don't see them much anymore (did they not hold up well?), and I'm now enamoured of that blue Mini Cooper. Something to aspire to, I guess! :)

[Blackhatjack]

13. Think where we would be today if the US had invested $400 bil on alternative energy instead of war..

Now we are committed to using tax revenue to pay off the deficit financed war in Iraq, and that money is not available to develop technology like this which could have resulted in our being free of foreign oil dependence.

What has happened is criminal, and the oil companies have banked the largest profits in US Corporate History.

[Gregorian]

15. It's an interesting time of transition.

Actually, I'm seriously considering one of the high performance electric cars.

I just glanced at their order page, and it has a drop-down suggested price of $50-100k.


And oddly enough I was flying down a dirt road two days ago on my mountain bike, and around a blind corner I nearly ran into a Hummer. If it had been the other way around, I'd have been swearing. But later the same dipshit found me a few miles away and managed to swerve into the dirty side of the road, picking up a ton of debris. Asshole. Fortunately for me I just rode over to the other side of the street. But that's the mentality we're living with in this last few decades. Pigs. I'm still laughing about that though. You don't see Hummers in dirt very often.


If all goes well, in the next year or so I should be posting here about my electric car and new photovoltaic system. I really shouldn't blab about it until it happens. But I totally foresee where this is heading. It's almost like the 50's again. For years I've been saying how we don't realize the high performance of electric motors. Again, it's our faulty leadership that has dropped the ball in the name of the big corps. that has kept us from growing out of our love relationship with internal combustion.

And then there's the bigger picture of how we generate the electricity for these. But that's also coming along.

[alfredo]

17. What happens when the batteries wear out? How much will that cost

to replace?