eBay Find of the Day: First Tazzari ZERO in America
Tezzari Zero - Click above for a high-res image gallery
Interested in the chance to purchase the very first Tazzari ZERO sold in America? Good news then, you're free to bid on it on eBay. In addition to the actual electric car itself, included in the winning bid will also be a plane ticket for you and the guest(s) of your choice to New York City for a special event where you'll be handed the keys to your new ZERO by IndyCar racer Nelson Phillippe.
At this point, the date of that future event has yet to be set in stone, but the car's delivery date will reportedly be sometime in the first quarter of 2010 – a few months later than initially planned. The auction is open through June 3rd and the starting bid is $25,000. That's also listed as the Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price, and it compares favorably to the car's expected £18,000 starting price in the UK.
Click here to visit the actual eBay auction page and be sure to check out our galleries below.
Gallery: Tazzari Zero
Gallery: Tazzari Zero renders
[Source: eBay Motors]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Matt 8:56AM (5/27/2009)
Up to 88 miles per charge, with a top speed of 45 mph... yaaaaay
...call me when those numbers double.
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guyledouche 9:08AM (5/27/2009)
For the vast majority of folks out there, 88 miles to a charge and 45 MPH is perfectly suitable as a second "around town" commuter car. It would certainly be fine for my wife and I.
I must say, Your posts always seem to bash on upcoming EV's and existing "green" cars like the Prius. That is not the point of this site. Perhaps you should find a new place to whine and carry on. Your posts are getting old and tiresome. Nobody cares if the Tazzari ZERO is good enough for you. The point of these stories is to enlighten people who actually care about the advancement and commercialization of EV's and other green car technologies, not to rag on their limitations.
Like the old saying goes, if you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything at all.
Matt 12:01PM (5/27/2009)
Maybe you misinterpreted some of my old posts when you looked at my profile or something, but I am not bashing EV's. I comment here because I honestly believe the manufacturers check these sites for input; therefore I give mine. I whole heartedly support EVs, but I often defend ICEs when people bash them for not being a Prius. In fact, I even like the Prius (also ICE, BTW), but I don't think it's the only right choice, and I think they have room to improve it.
As for this particular machine, I might be able to deal with the limited range, but seriously, 45 mph? I hit 45 in my driveway. I'm sure they have limited it so that it meets a certain status like NEV or something, but am I going to spend $25k on it? No! I firmly believe that for a passenger vehicle to be useful and successful it needs to be highway capable. Even for city drivers, sometimes the interstate is the only reasonable way to the destination.
Mark 9:11AM (5/27/2009)
I think Guy some people are just sore that they can't fill up their V8 when gas is so expensive so they have to bash EVs as they will be jealous.
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Throwback 10:23AM (5/27/2009)
So if I say this car is brutally ugly am I bashing all EVs? For EVs to be mainstream, they at least need to look good, or at least not ugly. Most people would prefer not to buy an ugly car, even an electric one.
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jharlan 10:40AM (5/27/2009)
We are still waiting. We want a nice looking car with 3 to 4 hours range, hiway speed capable and at a price comparable to an equivalent ICE car. Impossible you say? Then I'll still be waiting and driving something worth the price. I have great hopes for the EV revolution, but they will have to do better than that ugly little green roller skate. This car does make sense for urban commuters, however.
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meme 11:42AM (5/27/2009)
Price comparable or TCO comparable? If all you care about is price comparable, then A) you'll be waiting a long time, and B) you're an idiot. The real number that matters is whether it's TCO comparable, which factors in purchase price, fueling costs, maintenance, insurance, taxes, and depreciation.
harlanx6 5:42PM (5/27/2009)
Good point, Meme, but right now for my needs, it's range and price, with comfort , performance, and cost of ownership also considered. Where I live it's 100 miles to the nearest traffic signal. The nearest decent shopping is 2.5 hours away. That makes my needs much different from urban dwellers. If I lived in the suburbs, and had a regular commute like most people, I would be seriously considering an EV, in spite of the fact that waiting a year or 2 will likely give us much better choices.
guyledouche 11:14AM (5/27/2009)
Let me clarify... I hate to say this because it is a step in the right direction, but the Tazzari ZERO is ugly as sin, plain and simple. That being said, it is nonetheless a commercially available EV which is something I will support to the end regardless of looks. I was not supporting this specific car, but rather the EV movement as a whole. Granted, the technology is not yet ready for many American buyers, but it is growing and advancing by leaps and bounds on a daily basis. We as a civilization need to support EV's, NGV's, and hybrids if we want any chance of prosperity and health.
Regarding the Tezzari, this car was really designed for the tastes of Euro buyers, not Americans. I think the first mainstream EV's that we will actually adopt will come from companies like BYD, Ford, Nissan, Subaru, etc...
Unfortunately though, we will have to wait quite some time for them to finish "perfecting" their current technologies before we will have a chance to own any BEV's from the big guys.
I know this has been beaten to death already on this site, but did toyota forget how they built the RAV4 EV's??!!! WTF? they all had the ability to manufactur great, mainstream acceptable EV's back in the 90's (Most of which are or would still be running today!), but now that we are actually ready to start adopting them, suddenly the technology is too complicated to release.
I hope to god BYD is able to bring the first affordable highway speed capable EV to market in the near future to show all the big boys here that it is possible, it is affordable, and that we will buy them.
UGGGHHHH
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Phil L. 11:32AM (5/27/2009)
When the Tazzari ZERO reaches the US, will it be a fully legal car (i.e., airbags, ABS, crash testing, etc.), or handled as an NEV?
The speeds listed in the auction put it above NEV limits (which vary by state) - but the auction is curiously silent on the regulatory and safety standard issues associated with any new car model.
Anyone have further info?
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Phil L. 11:41AM (5/27/2009)
Never mind: They state it indirectly within the "Details" PDF.
The Tazzari ZERO will be an NEV in the US. Its max speed will be limited based on State regulations. Which means (for my home state of MD) a max speed of 25 mph, with operation only on roads with a speed limit of 30 mph or less.
A convenient all-state NEV regulation summary can be found here:
http://bgelectriccars.com/regulations.html
RAN 2:35PM (5/27/2009)
The problem with the ZERO is, you can't *drive* it 45 mph in America, and if you're limited to 25 mph, you might as well drive a golf cart around, which you can get for a lot less than $25,000. An 88 mile range isn't bad for a city car, but it has to be able to hit 50 mph or you'll get run over in every city I've been to or lived in.
What's the deal with NEVs anyway? Are they not crash-worthy at speeds over 25 mph? Do they not go through any type of crash testing? And if not, then why are they so damned expensive?
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Sean 11:27PM (5/28/2009)
Right, NEVs don't go through any type of crash testing. However, if it's physically tested to 45MPH, there's nothing stopping you from modding it to do that after you take ownership. You're just choosing to take a safety risk in exchange for a more usable speed. As for the price, I'm guessing that to get 88 miles, they're using a lithium-based battery (or something equally expensive.)
DougieFresh 3:51PM (5/27/2009)
Auction got zapped. Anyone know why?
PR stunt?
eBay violation?
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David Silva 4:34PM (5/27/2009)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170337657443&viewitem=&salenotsupported
this is the correct listing page. Not sure how ABG got this wrong.
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Chris 5:19PM (5/27/2009)
Why would anyone bother with 88 miles of range for over $25,000? Dumb financial move.
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Jamin 11:34AM (6/02/2009)
I'm not sure how you do the ebay find of the day, but I just listed my EV for sale. It's actually the Karmann Ghia that you posted a few months ago. I bought it, but then got laid off, so I have to sell it. :( Anyway, here is the link to the auction.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140324495999
Thanks,
Jamin
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