hmm..interesting April 9, 2008 posted by Nigel

Online spat hits out at Zap Electric Cars – EV market to link arms and protest?

zappevcarreport small Online spat hits out at Zap Electric Cars EV market to link arms and protest?

Wired started it, Metafilter broadcast it and numerous sites are talking about a new downer review of the Zap company and its range of electric cars. Or rather the lack of a range. It’s all a bit sad really, since all we’re waiting for is a half decent electric vehicle which makes commercial, consumer and technical sense.

Funnily enough, in amongst all the furore I stumbled across an electric car maker which looks like it’s actually getting somewhere (i.e. they’ve actually sold 250 cars) albeit of the slow and legally crippled type. Zenn Cars, a Canadian outfit, have a vehicle which looks half decent and seems to be fairly reasonably priced. See the video here.

zenncar Online spat hits out at Zap Electric Cars EV market to link arms and protest?

What’s even more interesting are reports that the company plans on releasing a ‘proper’ highway legal electric vehicle next year called the cityZenn, based around EEstor technology. We’re talking 80 mph and 250 mile range, rechargeable in less than 5 minutes. Yeah yeah, I know, believe it when we see it, but hey, these guys seem kosher and have actually invested substantial money in the EEstore company. We’ll see, eh?

Secretive ultracapacitor firm EEStor, backed by Zenn and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, is developing a solid-state electrical energy storage unit which it says will be longer lasting, lighter, more powerful, and environmentally friendly than current battery technologies. “EEStor’s technology is a tenth the weight and volume of lead-acid batteries, and significantly smaller than the most advanced chemical batteries today,” said Clifford. Zenn said EEStor has publicly committed to commercialization in 2008, and that EEStor’s first production line would be used to supply Zenn. Zenn holds 3.8 percent of EEStor after investing $2.5 million in the ultracapacitor company in April. Kleiner Perkins invested a reported $3 million in EEStor in 2005.

Tags: zap+cars, ecological, electric+cars, zenn+cars, green

About the Author:

Nigel is the managing editor of the Red Ferret, as well as a freelance columnist for the Sunday Times newspaper in London. Loves tech and fancies himself as a bit of a futurist, but then don't we all?

Nigel – who has written 5153 posts on The Red Ferret Journal.

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Gerry

Rechargeable in 5 minutes??? With what, a 4000AMP burst???
Keep repeating to yourself “Watts X Hours”…. “Watts times Hours”

…and keep your checkbook closed until someone does an independent verifiable test…..
FREEDOM

I don’t know about a 5 minute recharge, but a 10 minute recharge at 440V seems more reasonable (6 hours at 220V) — a technology already developed and proven by Altair Nanotechnologies, Inc (ALTI) and others. And, ZAP has a better chance of getting their 3-wheeled vehicle out by next year — because a 3-wheeled vehicle has less rigid and fewer street legal requirements than a 4-wheeled vehicle. This is a very good strategy on ZAP’s part. Think about it — which can be expedited and more likely to be produced and pass the requirements of a street legal vehicle by sometime in 2009? — a 4-wheel sedan, or a 3-wheel vehicle that is classified as a motorcycle?
FREEDOM

I don�t know about a 5 minute recharge, but a 10 minute recharge at 440V seems more reasonable (6 hours at 220V) � a technology already developed and proven by Altair Nanotechnologies, Inc (ALTI) and others. And, ZAP has a better chance of getting their 3-wheeled vehicle out by next year � because a 3-wheeled vehicle has less rigid and fewer street legal requirements than a 4-wheeled vehicle. This is a very good strategy on ZAP�s part. Think about it � which can be expedited and more likely to be produced and pass the requirements of a street legal vehicle by sometime in 2009? � a 4-wheel sedan, or a 3-wheel vehicle that is classified as a motorcycle?
http://www.ultracapacitors.org James Jackson

I did see where using an ultracapacitor they can have just a 5 minute recharge. On the site: http://www.ultracapacitors.org they say that the technology charges in seconds/minutes. For instance, there is a new screwdriver that charges in 90 seconds. Amazing new technology.

jj
Martel

Oh, come on, forget about Zap. I doubt they ever even intended to produce anything more than nice, computer rendered images and fairy tales.

Just wait for another six months to one year, and you’ll have a new EV brochure released from Zap, with nice pictures and everything… With the publicity they gain from releasing those false announcements, they fool some gullible people out of their money. That is their business, nothing else.