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It's Earth Day, so we would have been shocked to see the day slip by without a press release from Zap about their something or other. True to form, the EV company presents us with news that the Sopraffina Marketcaffe in Chicago will be using an electric Xebra truck with solar panels on the roof in its catering business (read more after the jump). Can't let the Ford Transit Connect have all the food fun, right?

The Xebra is Zap's one legitimate electric vehicle that has more than two wheels, but it does have some drawbacks compared to a "real" car because it's classified as a motorcycle. Still, for deliveries in downtown Chicago, running on electrons is a pretty good plan. Not a lot of sunlight reaches the street in the middle of the Windy City, but if you're on Lakeshore Drive, those panels should be able to suck up some juice. The three-cents-a-mile operating cost has got to be appealing to the business owners as well.

Well, once you have your "made for iPod" Zap car, you'll see an increase in your electric bill, right? Not if you buy a Zap Xebra sedan or pickup ordered in the next month or so. For new Xebra buyers, Zap will throw in a free Kill-A-Watt Smart Power Meter and will cover your electricity costs for one year. According to the National Post, this "preemptive action" could quiet drivers concerns about high gas prices, at least those who opt for a Xebra. You can read more, direct from Zap, here.

To qualify for the freebies, you need to order your Xebra before Valentine's Day (Feb.14). How lovely.

[Source: Drew Hasselback / National Post and Zap via EVWorld]

It's another great day in Zap PR land. The electric vehicle company has signed a deal with the Chinese luxury bus manufacturer Youngman Auto Group to jointly work on electric and hybrid vehicles. The announcement says that the two companies "have signed a joint venture agreement to manufacture, market and distribute electric and hybrid vehicles for the passenger car, truck and bus markets. The new joint venture company will also focus on the development and manufacturing of electric charging infrastructure." All well and good, but you know our skepticism regarding Zap's bluster.

But, should this partnership prove fruitful (and Youngman does work well with Germany's NEOPLAN in the Chinese luxury motor coach market), this might be how the Zap-X gets made. Factor in Youngman's new production facilities, and the company has enough capacity to produce 200,000 vehicles (for all its partners) per year

Zap CEO Steve Schneider is, naturally, bullish about the partnership. In a statement, he said, "This is the most significant relationship that ZAP has ever entered into. This joint venture will provide a platform for both ZAP and Youngman to focus each other's strengths to develop solutions that have the potential to transform the industry."

Zap even got California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to say good things about the deal: "I applaud ZAP and Youngman for bringing the next generation of mass-produced electric vehicles to California. Our state is leading the nation and world in opening the market for alternative fuel vehicles and this move is another example of bringing high-quality, high-paying jobs to California." Let's hope the governator doesn't regret saying that the way he simply must regret Batman & Robin.

The Zap-Youngman joint statement is after the jump.

[Source: ZAP; Youngman Automotive Group Co., Ltd.]