ZAP CEO Holds Electric Car Meetings in Europe, Middle East
ZAP CEO Steve Schneider has been jet-setting around Europe discussing business deals for ZAP's expansion. He is soon to be joined by recently appointed Chief Operating Officer Amos Kazzaz as the meet with suppliers for electric car production, and potential dealers and distributors. Schneider has been impressed that even in places like the Middle East, "where you would think people have all the oil they need," there has been an increasing interest and demand for electric vehicles.
He feels the main technology that will facilitate the growth of ZAP and their product line into a large high-demand business is PML FlightLink Limited's wheel hub motors. They save space and are surprisingly powerful, according to Schneider, and will inspire other innovations throughout the rest of the vehicle. Recall on the Lotus APX concept, which ZAP is reportedly planning to produce, the electric motors in each wheel (making for a nice, simple all-wheel-drive system) add up to over 600 horsepower. Schneider believes that these motors are at least as important a technological development as the new generation of lithium-ion batteries.
We wish him the best on his trip.
[Source: Zap!]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Kardax 6:00PM (6/01/2007)
Even in the middle east, oil-derived fuels pollute as much as they do here. The interest is quite understandable.
That said, I think this trip is more about getting new investors than anything else. ZAP's financial condition is downright frightening... my guess is they can't get any more money in the western world, so they're heading east in a desperate attempt to survive.
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Joseph 8:38PM (6/01/2007)
Of course people in the middle-east want EVs. After the U.S. and Europe developed, people saw the problems with gas cars and the need for alt. fuels. The rest of the develping world,(Some parts of Asia and some parts of the Middle East), see the issue and wants something better. Whether it happens or not is up to the corrupt political systems.
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