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Revolution EV in Salem- Great Video
Apr 24th, 2008
Four Wheel Electric Car Revolutionizes Economical Driving (VIDEO)
Tim King Salem-News.com Video Business Report
This online version of our special ten minute report on electric cars in Salem, Oregon and the connection to the four wheel car called the Revolution, Neil Young and the Electric Wheels dealership, comes to you courtesy of Salem-News.com and YouTube:
For more information about Larry Dye and Electric Wheels Inc. in Salem, Oregon visit: electricwheelsinc.com
What an awesome turn out! Lot's of people were very interested in the 2008 Zenn. Many said it would be perfect for the Santa Barbara area. EVM is working on getting a Zenn certified service center in Santa Barbara so our customers there have somewhere local to take their EV in the rare event that it would need servicing.
Auto Week Magazine Article about our Zenn
Apr 23rd, 2008
SPECS
ON SALE: Now
BASE PRICE: $15,995
DRIVETRAIN: Three-phase AC motor, 5.69 kW, 43 lb-ft; fwd
CURB WEIGHT: 1280 or 1350 lb (depending on ZENN source)
0-60 MPH: Never
FUEL ECONOMY: N/A
By MARK VAUGHN
You can't approach a neighborhood electric vehicle the same way you'd approach a typical gasoline-powered, fully functioning car. NEVs are meant to fill a gap in the transportation chain for clean city vehicles. (NEV is a federal category for electric cars that don't exceed 25 mph. Big carmakers are likely to use them to help meet coming zero-emissions-vehicle requirements.) They are nowhere near as solid, sturdy or safe as even the flimsiest Fiat. However, they are-and this one, in particular, is--well north of the golf-cart category.
ZENN stands for "zero emission, no noise," and that's pretty much what you get, as long as you figure electricity off the grid as zero emissions. The ZENN EV seats two people and can haul 13 cubic feet of luggage in something that is far more substantial than the golf-cart-like GEM e4 we wrote about four years ago ("A Glimpse of Future Past," AW, June 28, 2004).
The ZENN is a three-door hatchback ("fully enclosed!") with an aluminum spaceframe covered in plastic body panels. An AC electric motor spins the front wheels. With all of its torque available at 0 rpm, the ZENN, like many electric conveyances, launches from stops with squealing authority.
The problem after launch is that federally mandated 25-mph NEV speed limit. Most customers make the (technically illegal) software change to increase top speed to 35 mph and thus increase their chances of coping in urban traffic. Our test car had no such software assistance, and we found ourselves regularly ducking out of traffic and crawling along curbs to avoid everything else coming up behind us. Nothing goes 25 mph in Los Angeles, no matter what the posted speed limit says.
ZENN lists its range as either 35 miles or 30 to 50 miles, depending on where you read it. We found that to be a bit of a stretch. We traveled 11 miles from home to EV Motors in Glendale and used well more than half the indicated charge.
Power comes from six 12-volt lead-acid glass-mat batteries. The brushless AC motor makes 7.5 hp, which, on paper, doesn't seem like enough to move the 1280-pound car around, but it behaved better than most gasoline-powered cars off the line and across the intersection. It was just after that where the ZENN faltered.
The car bounced and wallowed more than a typical Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic, and the very skinny 13-inch wheels and tires were easily overwhelmed. But you adapt your driving style accordingly. The four-wheel discs, along with regenerative braking, meant that slowing was a little choppy.
Inside, the ZENN is much more like a real car than the GEM. The doors, dash, seats and instrumentation were far better and more carlike than those in the GEM, which we described as being "like a really well-engineered" port-a-potty. Our test ZENN had the optional power cloth sunroof ($1,195) and stereo ($195) and the standard power windows, heater and defroster. We didn't have the $2,200 electric air conditioning. Base price is $15,995.
ZENN knows it can't market this car the same way you'd market a Pontiac or a BMW.
"This is a car for the urban pioneer," said ZENN regional sales director Bill Williams. "The urban pioneer is a young college grad with a job who needs to wear a suit to work yet lives in and around this downtown core center."
There are now 34 dealers in and around downtown core centers, including the pioneering guys at www.environmentalmotors.com in Glendale, California, where we got this car. To find your ZENN, visit www.zenncars.com.
Come celebrate Earth Day with us!
Apr 3rd, 2008
ZENN's Highway Speed EV powered by EEstor
Apr 1st, 2008
ZENN MOTOR COMPANY DETAILS PLANS FOR
HIGHWAY CAPABLE ZENN POWERED BY EESTOR!
Toronto, Ontario - March 28, 2008 - ZENN Motor Company Inc. (TSXV: ZNN; the "Company"), a leading manufacturer of electric vehicles, held its Annual and Special Meeting of Shareholders at which time management updated shareholders with Company progress in 2007 and detailed future plans for EEStor implementation including specifications around a highway capable, fully electric cityZENN!
ZENN Motor Company’s business will expand to include highway capable vehicles and international markets:
Target Launch of the cityZENN, powered by EEStor: Fall 2009
The cityZENN is planned to be a fully certified, highway capable vehicle with a top speed of 125 KPH/ 80 MPH and a range or 400 kilometers/250 miles. Powered by EEStor, the cityZENN will be rechargeable in less than 5 minutes, feature operating costs 1/10th of a typical internal combustion engine vehicle and be 100% emission-free! The Zero-Emission, No-Noise cityZENN will be designed to meet the transportation requirements of a large percentage of drivers worldwide.
"EEStor's game-changing energy storage technology is in the advanced stages of commercialization", stated Ian Clifford, Chief Executive Officer. "EEStor has publicly committed to commercialization in 2008 and their first production line will be used to supply ZENN Motor Company."
ZENN Motor Company also plans to expand its low-speed product lineup for the 2009 model year with a four-passenger and a utility LSV (Low-Speed Vehicle). Both products will dramatically increase ZMC's available target audience and potential market for LSVs.
The Company also plans to work with strategic OEMs to offer a ZENNergy drivetrain, powered by EEStor, in various vehicle platforms as ZENN branded vehicles. ZENNergy drive systems will also be developed for the retrofitting and conversion of existing internal combustion vehicles to electric drive. The Company's initial target for these retrofit kits will be large, high-profile fleet opportunities.
In order to capitalize on all future growth opportunities, the team has been diligently working on building awareness of the ZENN brand - with overwhelming success. ZENN Motor Company has garnered an impressive amount of international media coverage, and it is clear from both its customers and retailers that the Zero-Emission, No-Noise message resonates clearly with its target market. The current ZENN LSV is recognized as a leading, cost-effective, zero emission vehicle for urban travel.
The team has been assessing the relative merit and opportunities of different key markets globally and is defining the planned roll-out sequence including discussions with established dealer networks in major markets around the world.
The growing electric vehicle market represents a dynamic, truly global opportunity and ZENN Motor Company is excited to be a key player. In addition to the Company’s exclusive technology agreement with EEStor for new vehicles up to 1400 kg (curb weight), and the global rights to ALL retrofit conversions of existing internal combustion vehicles to electric, the Company is also an equity investor in EEStor. EEStor's energy storage technology is THE key enabler of many clean technologies today: renewable energy; grid load-leveling; consumer electronics and security applications are ALL looking for a 'better battery.' EEStor is the enabler.
"I founded ZENN Motor Company with the vision of it becoming the global leader in zero emission vehicles, and that vision is being made a reality by the entire team at ZENN Motor Company and our energy storage partner, EEStor," stated Ian Clifford, Chief Executive Officer. "We have laid the foundation of a sustainable business with explosive growth opportunities. We are well-positioned to capitalize on the global imperative for zero-emission vehicles."
Exciting news: Please look for our Zenn and EVM in the Green Section of Auto Week Magazine and DUB magazine.
Last week Auto Week came and borrowed the car and next week DUB mag is going to do the same thing!
Also, Kelley Blue Book is going to take the Zenn to do a full review in mid April.
Little Car, Big Dream- New Times SLO
Mar 21st, 2008
From New Times SLO by Patrick Howe posted March 19, 2008
Gas at $4 per gallon may be a burden to most, but it's a sign of opportunity for the folks at SLO's Revolution Electric Cars.
CEO Jules Rogoff, a '70s-era graduate of Cal Poly's engineering department with a long track record as an entrepreneur and developer, said the combination of high gas prices and the new "tremendous social consciousness" regarding people's impact on the environment spells good news for his business plans. Click to read entire article.
EVM in the New York Times
Mar 21st, 2008
EnVironmental Motors is in an article called "Alternative Dealers Selling Alternative Power". Here's part of the article:
EnVironmental Motors in Glendale, Calif., has become an E.V. dealer for the second time, reopening in 2007. The Sokolow family, which owns several traditional dealerships in the area, established EnVironmental Motors in 2000, but the store closed in 2003. In May 2007, amid rising interest in alternative-power vehicles, Taryn Sokolow reopened the store, selling Zaps and Zenns. Click here to see entire article.
Jimmy's Zenn Testimonial
Mar 21st, 2008
Hi:
I purchased my Zenn from Vic Staley, manager of NorthCentral Zenn, New London, Ohio. It is a 2007 Zenn model 2.22, and includes a sunroof. I have been driving it for about 2 months now, and love it. The cost for charging the battery has been very low , and I have put over 700 miles on it.
Here is a photo of my Zenn and me:
Since buying this vehicle I have made a few improvements, and plan to do a few more - such as adding a locking glove box door (an option I turned down at the time of purchase). My Zenn dealership can get me whatever parts I need.
This vehicle, being electric, is so simple. No complicated gasoline engine to maintain. no oil to change, no antifreeze to think about, no tune-ups, and no gasoline to buy. It should be a breeze to maintain.
Of course this is a Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV), so it is not legal, or safe, to drive it on freeways or other high speed roadways. The controller has been adjusted with software so that my max speed is about 37 mph, and it has a summer time range of about 35 miles. The max speed of 37 mph allows me to keep right up with the traffic in my area - which are city streets and county roads. I use it for all of our daily errands, such as going to the grocery store, post office, mall, local ball games, etc.
As delivered, this vehicle just had decals ("ELECTRIC") on both doors to announce to the world that it is an EV . I changed that by filling in the 2 inch wide horizontal indentations on the body of the car with 2 inch wide black strips (with chrome edges top and bottom) purchased from Pep Boys. Then I placed chrome plated "ELECTRIC" logos on the strips located on the doors. The logos were purchased at EV Tradin' Post for $6.00 each. Both the strips and the logos were attached with adhesive that was already on the strips and logos.
Then I purchased and installed an inexpensive cup holder from WalMart. I MUST have coffee every day, and love going to McDonalds to get it (and to show off my Zenn). See the photo below:
Yesterday I decided to compare my electric bills before and during the two months I have been driving my Zenn, beginning in mid-January. During these two months I have averaged about 90 miles per week.
For the period of 12/13/2007 to 1/16/2008, my total household electric bill was $115.34. This was the period BEFORE my Zenn was delivered to me. At that time I had extra lights inside and outside the house for Christmas decorations, so my electric bill was higher than usual. For the period prior to that (11/12/2007 to 12/13/2007), the bill totaled $102.98.
For the period of 1/16/2008 to 2/14/2008, my total household electric bill (including recharging my Zenn battery pack) was $106.42.
For the period from 2/14/2008 to 3/14/2008, my total household electric bill (including recharging my Zenn battery pack) was $105.98.
Of course household electric bills will vary from month to month, depending on the activities of the family, but it looks like recharging my Zenn battery pack won't have much impact on the bill.
To say the least, I am very pleased. :)
BreatheLA Leaping Launch Party- Universal City Walk
Feb 27th, 2008
Join us for the LEAPING LAUNCH PARTY
BREATHE LA Charity Skydive Liff Off!
Where: iFLY Hollywood
Universal City Walk, Universal City CA 91608
When: 5pm
REGISTER NOW at Breathela.org to fundraise for Clean Air & Healthy Lungs - skydive April 26th after reaching a minimum goal of $500 (per jumper).
Set up your fundraising website, and your up and running... or jumping!
Raise $100 by the LEAPING LAUNCH PARTY and qualify for the 1st Fundraising Incentive - fly that night in the iFLY Hollywood wind tunnel!
ALL ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND
($100 need not be raised to attend!)
Join us for a fun & informative evening
... BREATHE LA Welcome & Intro
... Why jump for clean air: O24U
... Fundraising 101 Workshop
... Skydiving 101 Info Session
Beverages & Appetizers to be served
Invite friends to join you to TAKE A LEAP! Embark on a breath-taking adventure for clean air today!
For questions or help registering, call/email
Lizzy Beach
323.935.8050 x 248 ebeach@breathela.org
SPECS
ON SALE: Now
BASE PRICE: $15,995
DRIVETRAIN: Three-phase AC motor, 5.69 kW, 43 lb-ft; fwd
CURB WEIGHT: 1280 or 1350 lb (depending on ZENN source)
0-60 MPH: Never
FUEL ECONOMY: N/A
Exciting news: Please look for our Zenn and EVM in the Green Section of Auto Week Magazine and DUB magazine.
From New Times SLO by Patrick Howe posted March 19, 2008
EnVironmental Motors is in an article called "Alternative Dealers Selling Alternative Power". Here's part of the article:
