Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Transportation Alternatives, ZENN
A 9 minute video of the ZENN Neighborhood Electric Vehicle
The benefits and drawbacks of Neighborhood Electric Vehicles, or NEVs, are pretty widely know debated. The ease of use, lack of gasoline consumption and low environmental impact spur their purchase by drivers who need to get around large complexes and communities, but their lack of speed, range and safety equipment limit their use to low speed use only.
ZENN, which stands for zero emissions no noise, has released a video of their newest NEV model, the 2.22. I found the video fairly informative, and I think it is worth a watch. I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for the tip, Linton!
[Source: Youtube via Hugg]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Johnburk 7:14AM (3/25/2007)
Good concept, but not good enough. It would need the following.
Maximum speed of minimum 60 mph (96 km/h).
25 mph (40 km/h) is just too slow, even for inner-city travel.
Rage minimum of 100 miles (160 km). Because 35 miles is really nothing. A 4 hour charge will get you 28 miles and it not enough for inner-city travel.
You can by similar small city diesel cars in Europe that can reach 80 miles a gallon. With 15 liter (4 gallon) tanks, they will reach 320 miles, instead of 35 miles. And according to the ZENN calculator, they are only 105USD more expensive per year.
The only plus of the ZENN is that it has zero emission, but it just has too many negative points for it to be a success.
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Dennis Hancock 8:09PM (3/26/2007)
With 1/3 of all US greenhouse gases attributed to the transportation sector, the ZENN can help to drastically reduce the smog and pollution in every city. The ZENN is a Zero-Emission, No Noise, 100% electric vehicle that is designed to meet neighborhood and urban transportation needs.
The regulated maximum speed of a ZENN is 25 mph. As such its intended use is busy urban areas, lower speed roads and places like gated communities and campuses where speed is neither necessary, desirable or safe.
In addition to remarkably low operating costs (energy equivalency of 245 mpg), using a ZENN in place of a conventional car can eliminate over 6 tons of CO2 from the atmosphere each year. Research based upon the extensive use of NEVs throughout North America has shown that most Americans can replace up to 90% of their city-core driving with a NEV, making it a viable addition to many households.
www.ZENNcars.com
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TomJorgensen 3:38PM (3/31/2007)
Will Zenn ever make a car that will hold 3 or 4 people ????
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Daniel 4:10AM (4/01/2007)
ok, the appeal of a a geek presenting a product has it's limits. i'm sure i know where they are now.
the presentation was also very disingenuous. what about the option for solar panels? i live in chicago and i know how effective the sun is. the weasely statistics are a bit much. you'd think that $0.01 per mile or $245 miles per gallon actually made sense, but they don't. i cut my unemployment teeth on enron.
i don't like the idea of a 25 mph car. give me 30 mph and i'll waffle. 35 to 40 mph might actually excite me. i know that the laws regulating the classification of vehicle are the issue there but market your mojo by explaining that your product can do that.
fire your marketing department or firm. parents of new drivers, elderly people, urban mass transit users (like chicago) and UNgated communities can benefit from your product. market to the schools, supermarkets/megamarts and municipal counsels instead. it's all in the imagination.
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