ZAP the electric car
A California car company called ZAP is developing a line of electric vehicles and has recently added 12 new dealerships to the 30 it already has committed to its line.
ZAP teamed with a British design firm, Lotus Engineering, to develop an electric-powered, seven passenger, all-wheel-drive crossover vehicle that has a 350 mile range between battery charges. Although it won’t be available for several years with a starting price of around $60,000, ZAP CEO Steven Schneider said that they have the ear of dealerships suffering from stalled SUV sales and trying to capitalize on the electric cars' and plug-in hybrids' increased exposure.
ZAP’s creditability was hit in the past when it attempted to sell Smart cars made by DaimlerChrysler AG in the U.S. after modifying them without DaimlerChrysler’s approval. A lawsuit is still being waged in the courts, but Schneider told Reuters that now that ZAP has a partnership with Lotus, investors are taking them seriously again and the company is much smarter about its business.
The company also has plans for a microcar that can run on ethanol or gasoline. The vehicle should be available in the next few years. Currently in California, ZAP sells a small electric car called the Xebra that is mostly for city use. It's able to reach speeds of 40 MPH and plugs into a 110 volt outlet (like the kind in many homes). After a full charge of six hours the car can go 40 miles without having to be recharged. And yes, you can get it with zebra stripes.
