Will America lose the "electric car race" to China?
Recently, I wrote that the Zap-X could be "months" away from mass production. No one shared my enthusiasm because the estimate included an indeterminately long "testing" period. I contacted Zap and they said the "situation is evolving very quickly because Youngman is already a very large manufacturing company with plans to move into automobiles" unlike, say, Tesla. Zap says the "ZAP-X is on the agenda" but "timetable projections will not be confirmed until the JV (joint venture) business plans between ZAP and Youngman have been further developed."What was I thinking? The ink on the Zap-Youngman contract is still wet. Zap just showed the car images for the first time this year. The safety testing required for American cars could easily push the release to late 2008, early 2009... in America! I found an interesting interview with the CEO of Zap, Steve Schneider, where he says Zap will develop "electric vehicles for sale in China, and the Middle East, and South America, and here in the United States." Youngman is in China so "it gives us (Zap) the China market, of course" said the CEO.
This opens up an interesting possibility: What if affordable, normal, electric cars are commonplace in China before the US? Four things could keep Zap-X from premiering on China's streets. First, could the Chinese afford the Zap-X? The Cleantech article says "with volume manufacturing, Schneider said ZAP's target is to not have any passenger vehicle over $30,000." Two, can Youngman make enough cars? Youngman expects a capacity of 200,000 vehicles in 2008 and 300,000 in 2009. Three, what about safety tests for China? I don't mean to insult the great nation of China but from what I see in the headlines and Congressional hearings; IMHO quality testing won't cause a big delay there. Four, what if Zap just does not want to release in China first? I asked them but have not received a response yet.
I could see why Zap might be concerned. I know if I saw affordable, good looking, four door sedans driving around the streets of China for under $30,000, for a whole year while it went through testing in America, I might start to look into the electric car grey market. This is all very hypothetical, but do you think seeing the Zap-X crowding the streets of China could be a Sputnik-like moment for China-US relations? Do you think America should be embarrassed if it loses the "electric-car race" to China or another country?
[Source: Cleantech]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
OhmExcited 5:47PM (10/17/2007)
Electric cars are already on the road in the US. Basic electric cars have been around a century. The Chinese are perfectly capable of producing Zap like vehicles, as are many, but the Chinese won't be designing and building Tesla or Volt type vehicles anytime soon.
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Kardax 6:08PM (10/17/2007)
The absence of safety standards in China do make bringing a product to market a lot simpler, but we won't see a car matching the description of the ZAP-X on sale there... it's specs are just too unreasonable and in fact totally unnecessary for the China market.
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Zeus 6:27PM (10/17/2007)
Will China do or not? That question is a bit off center. The body is manufactured by Lotus (England), the motors by PML Flightlink (England), the batteries by a number of sources (US, France, and China included), it is only assembled in China, and it is essentially owned/mananged by an American company ZAP. Zap does produce an electric car in the US already (the Xebra - $12k) but its butt ugly and does not appeal to your average person (hence Zap-X).
I honestly don't care who brings an electric car to market first, just as long as its done! The next 3 years should be veeeeeery interesting!
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Domenick 7:42PM (10/17/2007)
If the streets of China become home to thousands upon thousands of electric cars it can only be a good thing. Anything to help alleviate some of the air pollution in the cities. Already the Chinese are discovering the electric scooter. So much so that lead is becoming an expensive commodity. http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?alias=china-e-bikes-silently-dr&chanId=sa003&modsrc=reuters
We can only hope increased EV production leads to volume related cost efficiencies that help adoption here in America.
Should America be embarrassed? I think we have enough to be embarrassed about already. (War on Freedom? oops, I mean terror?)
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Bill 8:14PM (10/17/2007)
You mean the Sputnik analogy where another country beats us first with a crude device with little practical application, but then we exploit it to its full potential, leaving them far behind?
Well, wait 3 years and see where we are with the Volt (and copies)
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Andrew Tanasescu 8:17PM (10/17/2007)
Have we even had a glimpse of what this may look like? and i dont mean that lotus picture that is linked to all the articles concerning this. I havent seen anything concrete coming from these people on this car. If they can show so me something, i might be a little more intrested...
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eversaw 12:43AM (10/18/2007)
Sensationalist analogy, but not so far-fetched. Change is inevitable. China is a manufacturer to the world already. The balance may have already tipped. The real challenge between the US and China should be a cooperative one because the future of the planet is at stake.
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why not the LS2/LS7? 3:45AM (10/18/2007)
Whoa, did Martin Eberhard ghost write this article? It's awfully nasty towards Zap, etc.
Anyway, before you think of buying a Chinese car that doesn't meet US regs, I think you should go to China and check some out.
These Chinese cars that are built to Chinese-only standards ARE ABSOLUTE DEATHTRAPS. Sorry for the caps, but saving the environment isn't quite worth dying over. Oh, did I fail to mention, even seatbelts are optional in these Chinese cars?
The Chinese are absolutely capable of making good quality, safe cars. But the way the internal market works in China, they won't be doing so. Instead they'll be saving money through safety compromises here and there.
Once the cars meet US safety specs, then you might want to consider getting one.
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eversaw 5:27PM (10/24/2007)
Get real. You can't buy a car in China and bring it into the US without approval from the DOT and EPA. All cars made in China will have to pass US safety standards. China has been getting a bad rap for quality, but they also make some of the highest quality products that exist today.
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Alex Campbell 4:06PM (10/25/2007)
The ZAP Xebra is in production in China already. Does that count? See our news from yesterday.
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Eddie Alexander 3:27AM (11/02/2007)
Sorry all, way too technical.
Bottom line: Zap has put all the pieces together. Long established EV industry standards, the most experienced and capable executives, incredible partners (i.e. China's highly respected Youngman), ample funding, but most impressive of all -- Zap's sharply focused and unrelenting corporate philosophy. If you think this is way crazy, I suggest a bit of research into
Bob Swanson's little start-up, Genentech. Given the similar innovative corporate culture which founder Gary Starr and CEO Steve Schneider have so smartly set into motion, ZAP's future as the industry leader seems all but assured.
Yes it's been a long frustrating wait to break the back of the earth distroying fossil fuelers but guess what, the little old lady from Pasadena is soon going to be driving a GLOBALLY produced breakthough product with a ZAP! nameplate.
So all, take your best shots, but the facts are still the facts. Just like Genentech's magic recipe, Zap's future will not be denied. Oh yeah, it seems that our strong willed environmentally-correct Governor Schwarzenegger agrees too. Way to go GUV!
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John 10:46AM (11/15/2007)
Zap represents a stunning new paradigm in automotive marketing: Over Promise, Under Deliver. Write breathless Press Releases where the Sizzle is Always Greater Than the Substance. Announce Game Changing financial deals between Zap and It's Insiders. Call a three wheeled vehicle a "Car" but skip all the safety tests by having it actually be categorized as a motorcycle. Promote the notion that your Chinese supplier is going to move from prototype to production in weeks or months on a vehicle Toyota, Honda and GM haven't figured out how to build yet ... all while using readily available components.
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Erik 4:40PM (1/07/2008)
::yawn:: I think we're forgetting that ZAP's main product is press releases. Come on, lets all generate some more unfounded excitement about ZAP so that more chumps go buy ZAP stock and make their executives richer, yay!
http://www.autobloggreen.com/2007/07/12/san-jose-paper-says-zap-might-soon-climb-out-of-debt-but-that-d/
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