More from the ZAP board

Since i have been following the ZAP message board rather keenly this post by ecolocomotion struck me as the Voice of reason:

"Something strange going on

I have been reading this board for a while now and the reason that i decided to weigh in, is because i am very puzzled by the amount of negative stuff posted here. People seem to be going out of their way to dig up every bit of bad stuff ever written about ZAP. Either they are being paid to do this by a competitor or by oil companies (but this just sounds paranoid and unreal, after all how could a company this size be a threat major enough for such action) or they have some undisclosed grouse against the company.

From the research that i have done on my own around the net, i have found plenty of positive stuff about ZAP. Admittedly, their track record has been bumpy in parts but i have also found that they have been rather shabbily treated by certain companies like Daimler-Chrysler, who i believe they are suing? I am not sure. Perhaps there may be a substantial award made out to them sometime in the future?

Also historically, the electric vehicle has faced tremendous discrimination and there has always been some major opposition and stumbling blocks to its development.

If in spite of all this ZAP has persevered with its goal for providing zero air pollution vehicles, then i as an investor am impressed."

and the reply from thehirsutezebra (LOL) was also reasonable so here it is:

" I mostly agree with you there ecoloco.

As a part of the xebraevs@yahoogroups, i have come across people who have had trouble with their Xebra sedans but equally there are people who talk about their good experiences. Remember though that people are more likely to talk about negative experiences and complain than to go out of their way and tell people that all is well. Research as proved that a satisfied consumer is only one tenth as likely to tell everyone about a product than a person who has had a problem with the product. So by that you can conclude that for every one complaint you read there are 10 satisfied customers who dont write about their experience.

Some people here have dug deep to find dirt on ZAP, so let me reproduce what a member said below:

"Hello everyone,
I have a 2007 SD that was delivered the first week of December 2007
from Voltage Vehicles in Fulton, CA. I am currently happy with the
vehicle and have actually put over 2000 miles on it already. In
January, after about a month and a half, the windshield wiper
stopped working. My husband called ZAP in Santa Rosa (we live in
Stockton, CA - about 1.5 hrs. away) and they actaully sent someone
out the next day to fix it. A few days later a fuse (I believe)
blew in the back while my husband was driving and somehow landed on
the divider between the jack and controller which it burned and
caused smoke which then freaked out my husband more. My husband
called the guy from ZAP who came out to fix it and they sent a
trailer out the following day and took my car to fix it. I got it
back two weeks later and have not had any problems since. We often
drive the vehicle 25 miles (my son goes to school about 12 miles
away) and I have been able to plug it in for 3 hours and drive
another 25 miles to pick him up. Luckily we live in a pretty flat
town so I don't contend with many steep hills and aside from driving
my son to school, most of our local in town trips are at the most, 8
miles away (16 round trip). We basically pull into our garage and
keep the car plugged in at all times so with opportunity charging I
have gone up to 60 miles in one day. I am currently happy with it
because it fits my needs and lifestyle but am aware that I've only
owned it for 4 months and will check back in with the group in a few
months for an update. I do not know anything about how to test the
batteries, etc. Any tips for a new owner who is slightly (and I'd
like to stress slightly as in I know I have six 12-volt batteries,
lol) knowledable on how to maintain the vehicle for optimum life and
performance from some of you experienced owners would greatly be
appreciated.
Peace & Blessings,
Liz""

Another good post

I read another good, well researched, moderate sounding post, which isn't unreaonably strident in its criticism of ZAP. There seems to be such a lot of shrill and raucous negative publicity happening over the internet in the recent past (as i have talked about in my earlier posts) it is enough to make anyone wonder if it is orchestrated in some way, whether it is designed to insidiously discredit and malign the efforts of ZAP. In the midst of this, this post here is a more coherent stating of facts, this time including ZAP's side of the story and not just flinging around a lot of wild and baseless accusations.

Post from Yahoo's ZAP message board

Found good, relevant post on Yahoo's ZAP message board, am simply reproducing it, because it echoes my sentiments:

"This is not a term you will hear from anyone associated with oil companies. Here is an article that is an exception to that rule:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/arti...

Chairman of India's leading oil company ONGC, has written from the point of view of an insider. He says,
"I strongly believe double-digit oil price is already history. Oil addicted economies, the world over, will have to reconcile to this fact and work out suitable solutions to insulate development from the oil price curve." For oil addicted economies, read USA and the like.

He goes on to say,
"‘Peak Oil’ theory has kept every one guessing. Have we reached the peak or not quite yet? We may not have a definite answer as of now, but its effect is quite visible on the dynamics of the oil market. Now, many oil geologists believe that 90% of the globe’s oil fields have already been tapped and many are already exhausted. This is reflected in the report cards of oil MNCs." Scary? Very much so. Solution? Alternative enery! Wind, solar, electric.

Guys, give the people at ZAP a break, let them do their job providing us with some alternatives to the cars we use at present. If on the way some mistakes and U-turns are being made, those are par for the course for any small or medium size company who is dealing with emerging technology and who is facing some very substantial opposition. They need encouragement and support, not brickbats and abuse."

California Air Resources Board meet in Sacramento

The California Air Resources Board met in Sacramento on Thursday consider regulations requiring major automakers to produce more low-emission cars such as plug-in hybrids and zero emission cars such as EVs.

The board's decision plays a key part in its mandate to meet California's ambitious goal of reducing air pollution and cutting greenhouse gas emissions as required by landmark legislation, AB32, enacted more than a year ago. When the state enacted this zero-emission vehicle mandate in 1990, it called for 10 percent of new-vehicle sales from big automakers to be all-electric by 2003, or about 100,000 cars or more a year. Under pressure from automakers and the Bush Administration, that requirement was eventually delayed by several years and reduced to the current level. Automakers are advocating the view that a mix of cleaner-burning gasoline cars, hybrids and plug-in hybrids would be more realistic.

Supporters and owners of electric cars were to demonstrate at the State Capitol in Sacramento driving their electric cars around to show the technology is practical today.

While it was feared that there would be a dilution of up to 90% in the requirement of porducing 25,000 cars, this article reports that

"The Air Resources Board of California voted Thursday to reduce by 70 percent the quota of emission-free cars that vehicle manufacturers must sell in the state. It sets the number at 7,500 units of electric and hydrogen fuel-cell automobiles and 58,000 plug-in hybrid electric cars by 2014."

Another article here says,

"The air board's staff recommended changing the rules to allow manufacturers to make just 2,500 such vehicles in the first phase and 25,000 in the second.

But they would have to compensate by making more than 180,000 low-emission vehicles, such as plug-in hybrids, which use electric and gasoline engines, and those that burn hydrogen.

But board members said the recommendations were too lenient and unanimously adopted the formula offered by board member Daniel Sperling - a minimum of 7,500 zero-emission vehicles along with 58,000 low-emission vehicles between 2012 and 2014. Requirements for the following three-year period were not established."

So the outlook is not as bleak as feared after all, however Former air board Chairman Robert Sawyer is quoted as having said "California needs every tool to meet its global warming goals... California is a place where electrical vehicles can and should happen."

That is true not just for California but for the whole world!

A step Backward

In this article we are informed that US Emissions from Power Plants Increased 2.9% in 2007. We would have thought that this would so worry the powers that be, that they would be busy formulating policy and drafting legislation designed to reduce emissions. So are they? In a word, No!

In fact The California Air Resources Board meets in Sacramento to consider a plan to cut the number of pure electric vehicles that carmakers would be required to sell over the next few years from 25,000 to 2,500. When the state enacted this zero-emission vehicle mandate in 1990, it called for 10 percent of new-vehicle sales from big automakers to be all-electric by 2003, or about 100,000 cars or more a year. Under pressure from automakers and the Bush Administration, that requirement was eventually delayed by several years and reduced to the current level. Automakers are testifying that a mix of cleaner-burning gasoline cars, hybrids and plug-in hybrids would be more realistic. Talk about taking a step (or several) backwards!

Auto Major's Claims regarding EVs

In a statement from major auto corporation Mitsubishi, who is testing its EV the 'i MiEV' claims regarding indirect emissions of an EV have been made. It is stated that even when the emissions created by electricity production are taken into account, electric vehicles emit only about 30 percent as much CO2 as gasoline-powered vehicles of comparable size.

It was also pointed out by the company that the average 80-mile range is plentiful for most urban users, who spend lots of time in their cars but don't actually drive that many miles in a given day.

More evidence of the popularity of the EV and the desire for big companies to cash in on public sentiment by developing, testing and producing EVs.

Credentials of ZAP's Collaborators

A recently published report , talks about Youngman Corporation, the company ZAP is collaborating with to produce electric vehicles. This report talks about the substantial achievement of the corporation's buses, of having traveled some 3 million km without heavy repair.

The credentials of ZAP's collaborators are therefore not in doubt and consumers as well as investors should take a lot of satisfaction from this.

Some details of ZAP from the ZAP Blog

"ZAP was founded to revolutionize transportation, to create cost effective solutions to create no polluting electric vehicles.

Who is ZAP?
ZAP has been in the electric vehicles (EV) business for over 13 years.

ZAP has manufactured, sold and delivered 100,000 consumer EVs to over 75 countries. To our knowledge no other company in existence today can say this.

Today ZAP is the only company delivering city-speed electric vehicles that fill today's demand for electric cars and help expand the growing niche for consumer-based electric transportation. These electric cars and trucks are now being manufactured and shipped every day.

Although we hear a lot of talk about someday we may see a plug-in electric car or plug-in hybrid from the major automakers, ZAP has the only dealer network delivering plug-in electrics and plug-in hybrids today.

ZAP is perhaps the only electric vehicle manufacturer in existence that has a catalog of different EVs to suit its customers needs, from electric bicycles to scooters, motorbikes, cars and trucks.

ZAP has a nationwide dealer network of 50 factory trained electric vehicle sales and service outlets, the only dealer network of its kind in the United States.

The New York Times reported that electric car dealer Ecomotion of Portland, Oregon sold 125 EVs since its inception last year, making it the top-selling electric car dealer in the USA. Ecomotion added that the Xebra was the "surprise success" of the dealership, which sold about 50 units making it the top-selling electric car at the dealership.

ZAP is the only company that has a dealer network for plug-in electric and hybrid vehicles.

ZAP has delivered vehicles to fleet customers such as UPS, Chilectra, Coca-Cola, Domino's, Guru Beverages, Google

ZAP has the only solar-assisted electric cars available for purchase.

ZAP is one of the only companies delivering Made in China vehicles to the United States at an affordable price.

ZAP is one of the only companies with a wheel-motor driven electric scooter with a peak power of 3000 watts.

After Daimler Chrysler concluded there was no market, in the USA, ZAP sold the first fully government certified Smart Cars in the USA, and successfully sold over 300 cars, before Daimler Chrysler interfered, and is now duplicating ZAP's marketing program.

ZAP has executed a joint venture agreement with China Youngman Automotive, one of the largest vehicle manufacturers in China, to provide highway capable electric and hybrid buses, trucks and cars.

In November 2007, ZAP received a $5 million investment from the Al-Yousuf Group, one of the largest automotive importers and distributors of cars in The Middle East.

ZAP's management is responsible for these history making facts.

No matter who attempts to discredit the Company, or its management team, ZAP and its shareholders will not falter in its goal to bring true cost effective innovative vehicles to the general marketplace."

Negative Publicity

A couple of recent articles:

http://www.popsci.com/cars/article/2008-03/how-electric-cars-could-re-ar...

http://environment.newscientist.com/channel/earth/dn13418-thirsty-electr...

have been unnecessarily alarmist about EVs, which can negatively and inaccurately skew present perceptions about EVs.

The popsci article talks about how the increased demand for electricity due to use of EVs will "rearrange the grid". I think this is an rather unnecessarily alarmist attitude. EVs are essentially an answer to rising oil prices, rising pollution, rising transportation costs and unhealthy levels of vehicular emissions.

Firstly, people are not all going to go out and buy an electric vehicle right this moment, the demand and the supply of these vehicles will rise gradually and any consequent rise in demand for electricity will only be required to keep pace with that.

Secondly, if demand for electricity does in fact rise considerably in the foreseeable future, a time table and cost structure could be put into place by supplying grids that could easily take care of such an eventuality.

If, for acquiring the obvious benefits available thru EVs we have to make some adjustments and modifications, we must make them!

The second article talks about an increased demand for water due to the use of EVs. The article quotes a Paul Denholm of the US Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado as stating that "the overall impacts of plug-in vehicles are modest in the larger scheme of things". I agree with that.

When you look at the big picture, the pros far outweigh the cons of Electric Vehicles. Especially if EVs are powered by sustainable sources of electricity like hydro, wind or solar power, the benefits to the environment are so considerable as to practically nullify the impact of slightly increased usage of water resources.

Also, there is no comparison between oil as a resource and water as a resource. The scarcity of the former and abundance of the latter make this is a superfluous comparison.

'Wired' All hot and Bothred

I wonder what prompted all this outrage against ZAP in this 'Wired' post which also seems to have acquired a motley gang of basher groupies to jump onto their bandwagon.

ZAP is not making any unrealistic or tall claims and the ZAP-X (http://www.zapworld.com/zap-x-crossover) availability goal is clearly slated for 2010. Alias (http://www.zapworld.com/electric-vehicles/electric-cars/zap-alias) is slated for next year. I think ZAP are sufficiently organized and informed enough about their own affairs that they won’t make claims that are not about to reach fruition. This would be a pointless and self-destructive exercise.

Seems to me that Wired and their groupies are strangely paranoid about some imaginary cabal which is a figment only of their own imaginations and are also in denial of global warming and climate change.

Meanwhile ZAP's currently available vehicles are doing a good job helping people cut transportation costs and helping the environment. Global warming and climate change are issues that will only be addressed when we take concrete steps.

ZAP's Universal Charger

I hate it when i am on long walk or a bike ride and charge on my i pod shows up red. Also in the middle of a conversation, my cell beeps to tell me its running out of power and i hate that too (sometimes of course it may be great reason to hang up ;), but i am talking about all those other times)

I often thought wouldn't it be great if i could just recharge on the go so to speak. Someone at ZAP obviously thought of this and came up with this great universal battery charger idea. The ZAP Universal Charger is great device that can be used as rechargeable battery pack or external power source.

You can take a charge from the supplied AC adaptor or from other electronic devices through the USB port. It comes with 4 rechargeable and removable AA batteries. Take the batteries out to power whatever gizmo it is your life cannot function without.

UPS's electric fleet

The rising cost of fossil fuels has ensured that people turn to alternative energy powered vehicles for their business transportation needs.

United Parcel Service (UPS) started a delivery service in California for small parcels with a 100% EV fleet recently. They bought 42 electric cars and trucks (ZAP Xebra). UPS have never used electric vehicles before and a lot of businesses should look to emulate them in order to cut costs as well as emissions.

An electric vehicle blog site posted this news a while back:
http://electricvehiclesite.com/2007/11/25/united-parcel-service-buys-its-first-ev-fleet/#comment-2853

Greening initiative by ZAP

ZAP is creating a major campaign to plant 1 million trees by 2010.

ZAP Chairman Gary Starr says the collaboration can go a long way towards restoring a balance with nature.

We would like to utilize Trees for the future to help in our endeavor. Trees for the Future have identified fast growing tees that can grow as much as 24 feet in a year.

Check out these Before/After pics!

Santa Rosa, 'Green' city

This great new initiative by the city of Santa Rosa has catapulted this unlikely city into the list of top green cities of the US.

Popular Science did a write up on Santa Rosa, detailing its Geysers' wastewater-to-electricity project. Under this project 12 million gallons of wastewater the city is pumped to the steam fields daily which is then converted into 85 megawatts of power, enough to power 85,000 homes.

This is a fantastic project, because here waste water is being used to generate electricity in a really green fashion! More cities around the world should take a leaf out of Santa Rosa's book and try to harness whatever means they can to produce alternative energy.

Santa Rosa featured in Popular Science

The reason Popular Science did feature on Santa Rosa is because of its electricity generation project. The Press Democrat at (http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/article/20080317/NEWS/803170311/1033/NEWS&...) talks about Santa Rosa's mention in the magazine because,

"Popular Science boosted Santa Rosa to the upper echelon of greenest cities largely because of its Geysers' wastewater-to-electricity project, which garnered seven of the 17.2 total points Santa Rosa earned to take the 23rd spot.

The Geysers project garnered a two-page spread in the magazine titled "Tapping Geysers for Watts," which describes how it converts 12 million gallons of wastewater the city pumps to the steam fields daily into 85 megawatts of power, enough to power 85,000 homes."

More cities could implement this initiative for green electricity production over coal which is a real polluter!

Great new initiatives from ZAP

In an interview with a news channel CEO of ZAP, Steve Schneider spoke about the present business of ZAP and future plans as well:

"ZAP has amazing staying power," said CEO Steve Schneider.

Schneider told CEONEWS.Tv that ZAP is selling one of the only full-performance electric vehicles in production today and how it now has more than 50 dealerships in the United States. Schneider said that contracts with companies like Coca-Cola, UPS and Domino's are helping the Xebra expand the fleet niche for electric vehicles.

He went on to outline future plans for ZAP saying that ZAP is and will be at the forefront of fuel-efficient transportation with new technologies including energy efficient gas systems, hydrogen, electric, fuel cell, ethanol, hybrid and other innovative power systems, ZAP has a joint venture called Detroit Electric to manufacture electric and hybrid vehicles with Youngman Automotive Group, one of China's leading manufacturers of buses and trucks. Detroit Electric is developing a freeway capable electric vehicle called the ZAP Alias in collaboration with Lotus Engineering. ZAP is also developing a new generation of vehicles using advanced nanotech batteries with Advanced Battery Technologies. The Company recently announced a strategic partnership with Dubai-based Al Yousuf Group to expand its international vehicle distribution. ZAP also makes an innovative, new portable energy technology that manages power for mobile electronics from cell phones to laptops.

The new Alias, takes electric vehicles to a new level since it will be a viable vehicle for longer distances and no one can deny its great looks. Exciting times ahead for ZAP!

Film about STUFF

I saw this riveting 20 minute film The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard. It is scary, though-provoking and brutally honest. I talks about how the relentless consumerism of the developed world and in particular of the US is costing the environment and the whole world dearly. The US has 5% of the world's population, but consumes about a third of the world's resources and produces about that proportion of the world's waste as well.

It also talks about how the US exploits people and resources in the developing nations for its own profit, how it outsources all it's undesirable manufacturing processes and some other home truths as well.

This award winning film was well worth the 20 minutes i spent watching it.

EVs in India

http://www.vicky.in/straightfrmtheheart/electric-vehicles-in-india/ discusses EVs in India.

Quote from the write up:

“It is estimated that India’s fossil fuel dependency on other countries currently from 70% to 82% in 2012. If we can have three lakh Electric Vehicles on the roads by 2020, including three-wheelers, cars, and scooters, this could result in a reduction of over 16 lakh metric tons of CO, NOx and HC by 2020, savings of over Rs 3,700 crore in foreign exchange and significant health costs savings”—- automonitor"

These are very good statistics. Hope they pan out.

ZAP Electric Vehicle Options

Prepare yourself for a whole new driving experience. Xebra Xero Truck's do not attempt to behave like other vehicles. They are unique. They are quiet, yet agile. Imagine a world filled with silent Xebra Xero Truck's instead of noisy internal combustion engines. The ZAP Xebra Xero Truck is the offspring of more than three decades of thought and evolution. This vehicle was created as a breed by itself. Because the use and purpose of electric vehicles are different than gas cars, the wheel did indeed need to be reinvented. No Tailpipe, just plug it in! Even after counting emissions from electric generating plants, Xebra Xero Truck's produce 98% fewer pollutants than gas cars. It's Electric! Laugh at high oil prices, in fact, forget about gas stations, oil spills, and fumes - forever! A Xebra Xero Truck's appetite is meager. And you can recharge it at any electrical outlet.

Check out all the ZAP products at http://www.zapworld.com. Here's a ready reckoner for you:

http://www.zapworld.com/electric-vehicles/electric-cars/xebra-truck
http://www.zapworld.com/electric-vehicles/electric-cars/zap-alias
http://www.zapworld.com/electric-vehicles/electric-cars/xebra-sedan
http://www.zapworld.com/electric-vehicles/electric-cars/zap-truck-xl
http://www.zapworld.com/electric-vehicles/electric-cars/xebra-xero-solar-option










http://www.zapworld.com/node/743
http://www.zapworld.com/electric-vehicles/electric-scooters/zapino-electric-scooter
http://www.zapworld.com/electric-vehicles/offroad-ev/atv-e-800-midsize

Gas prices affect everything

The thing with gas prices is that it effects every facet of consumer goods pricing. When gas prices go up so do the prices of produce, commodities, goods, everything. The cost of transportation simply gets added to the price of an item and that increase gets passed on to you as a consumer ultimately. So if we look to reduce prices, we also have to look to reduce transportation costs. This is where electric vehicles can play a huge part. Electric transport vehicles such as ZAP XL truck is one answer to this problem and ZAP's xebra-truck is another. Really, more transporters should be looking to shift to greener, cheaper vehicles!

Alternative Power

This New York times article talks about alternative power and alternative dealers of unconventional automobiles. The dealership is called Ecomotion, which i think is a nice appropriate and catchy name as well.

The columnist in the write up refers to the vehicles (which are electric vehicles from ZAP among others) as a little funny looking. I actually think they are quite cute looking and really compact. I like a compact car, which i think is really convenient for city driving. It gets into all the itty bitty parking spaces that your common or garden variety of car will not be able to fit into.

The great thing about electric vehicles (apart from the obviously great thing that it is has zero emission and is therefore a non-polluting vehicle) is that because of their compact design they take up a lot less room on the roads. This is important when you consider how much bumper to bumper traffic slows you down during rush hour! This is a huge plus which is often overlooked when you talk of all the positives of electric cars.

Electric Vehicles: the way ahead!

Did you read the headline yesterday that screamed:

Oil, gas prices surging amid supply concerns

Analysts see pump prices climbing to near $4 a gallon”

In an article on MSNBC oil prices are reported to be at all time high at $108 a barrel! We simply have to find alternatives to our gas guzzlers! For the sake of our finances if not for the planet. After all, as Mahatma Gandhi said:

“The earth has enough for every man’s need, but not every man’s greed”

One day the oil reserves of the world are going to be exhausted and then where will we be! I am seriously worried about this and so should all of us!

Electric Vehicles and the Taj Mahal

The connection between the Taj Mahal and electric vehicles is not apparent is it? But it is! There is a strong connection between this most romantic of monuments, the first wonder of the world. Some years ago, the authorities realized what petrol/diesel fumes and other toxic emissions from industry were doing to this priceless historical treasure. The Taj was getting dirty, it’s very existence was being jeopardized!

They needed to do something on a war footing! They therefore created a green zone in a one kilometer radius around the Taj. No combustion vehicles are allowed here. Electric vehicles take you to and from the Taj. If you are more adventurous, a horse drawn carriage or a pedal rickshaw will take you!

The point I am trying to make is that traditional vehicles create a noxious and harmful environment for all of us and our need to travel not going away or even going to lessen. We need alternatives to fossil fuel vehicles, and fast!