Zenn EV coming to America in late July
The Zenn electric vehicle (read more here) will be available for sale in the United States in a few weeks, according to Autoweek. Feel Good Cars, Inc., based in Toronto has signed up 20 Zenn (zero emissions, no noise) dealers in the U.S., and expects to have about 45 by the end of the year. The tiny Zenn (its only about 10 feet long) will cost just under ten grand. That's a lot for a top speed of 25 mph and a range of only 35 miles. But for short city trips, that should do it for some people. If you want the same cramped quarters and diesel power, you can always drive the MC-2 in Europe, which is the same body coupled with a different powertrain. Feel Good Cars imports the frames and installs the electric engines.
[Source: Autoweek]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Robert Hawley 9:12PM (7/01/2006)
Oddly enought, even though they are in Canada, it appears that no province in Canada has approved the use.
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Ping Wang 10:01AM (7/02/2006)
A top speed of 25 mph? Its really hard to imagine driving this car on the road, now I know why GM ditched their electic vehicle.
Perhaps this company should just start making golf carts.
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Howard Lee Harkness 9:23AM (7/03/2006)
I might be interested in the diesel version, but the economics of electric cars just aren't quite ready for prime time yet (and "zero emissions" doesn't count the original generation of the electricity, which in Texas is mostly from burning coal). The top speed of 25 mph is pretty much a show-stopper; the ZENN website shows a map of the US with the various LSV restrictions, and the limitations in most states make LSV's nearly useless. A top speed of 40 or 45 would make a vehicle like this MUCH more useful.
BTW, I was not able to find any information about any diesel version on the ZENN website, so I'm wondering where Sebastian Blanco found that information.
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Darin 2:28PM (7/03/2006)
#1: "it appears that no province in Canada has approved the use."
Almost none... They're currently street legal in B.C.
#3: "BTW, I was not able to find any information about any diesel version on the ZENN website"
Feel Good Cars doesn't sell a diesel version. I think the article was referring to the fact that in Europe, this car is sold by its manufacturer with a conventional (diesel) engine. Feel Good Cars imports the cars minus their ICE drive trains, and installs the electric components here.
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rick 6:24PM (7/10/2007)
NEVs can already go 45-50. The auto and oil companies are the reason for the 25mph limit. Watch "Who Killed the Electric Car" for a real eye opener.
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Chris M 7:37PM (7/10/2007)
Comparing the ZENN car with the GM EV1 shows just what a huge step backwards ZENN has taken. The EV1 had a top speed of 80 (power train could go faster, but GM put in a speed control), and a range of 60 to 140 miles.
ZENN will have a hard time making any headway in a tiny market that is already overcrowded.
Note, still no new word on the supposedly miraculous EESTOR capacitors for ZENN. Why the delay? Could it be that they don't actually work?
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