The Zap

JaJae · 02-09-2008, 02:34 PM

Anyone heard of the Zap before? It's a three wheeled electric car expected to go into production next year.

It's looks pretty neat..

It's expected to cost only $30k with a top speed of 100mph and can go 150miles on a single charge.

Zap apparently stands for "zero air pollution."

The real cool car they're making is the Zap-X. This bad boy has a theoretical 644hp electric motor and a top speed of 155mph and does 0-60 in 4.8seconds. It has AWD and it's expected get 350 miles per charge. It'll set you back $60k. It is being marketed as an SUV.
Zap teams with Lotus for electric sports car | CNET News.com

Here is the Zap-X

I want one!

jimeigh · 02-09-2008, 09:01 PM

hopefully electric cars start gettin more popular and have more variation. most of the models ive seen look like absolute shit

motivez · 02-09-2008, 10:15 PM

I've seen a video of that three wheeled thing, looks REALLY fun to drive.

JaJae · 02-10-2008, 12:35 AM

Originally Posted by motivez

I've seen a video of that three wheeled thing, looks REALLY fun to drive.

Someone drove it in an Austin Powers movie.

motivez · 02-10-2008, 02:53 PM

Originally Posted by JaJae

Someone drove it in an Austin Powers movie.

Really? Have a link to a clip?

I'm talking about like a test video or something, not in a movie.. looked like the cornering was going to be amazing because of the design, unless I'm thinking of a different vehicle

JaJae · 02-10-2008, 03:18 PM

YouTube Video

There is a short test drive at the end of this video. Doesn't show you much.

AVengeance · 02-18-2008, 03:06 PM

There are some unrealistic expectations (and false assumptions) that must be overcome for electric vehicles to hit it off.

1) you don't need to drive 100 miles in a day, and even if you do, RENT A CAR, DUMBASS

2) the possibility of being stranded on the roadside because your car isn't charged is no different than being stranded with an empty gas tank. I can't believe the times I've had people ask me "what do you do when the batteries run out" when talking about my electric PT Cruiser I owned. I said "probably the same thing that would happen if you drove 'till you ran out of gas- call for help!". Hell, at least with an electric car, you don't even have to make it as far as a gas station- just some place with an electrical outlet.

My wife says I can have my Viper (my dream car) when I buy her a Tesla (her dream car).

ps: three wheeled vehicles are often registered as cycles, which means you might get out of some of the typical passenger-car snags (safety issues, etc.). Of course, you might have to wear a helmet, too. Depends on the state, I imagine.

WickedLou9 · 02-19-2008, 09:58 AM

Originally Posted by AVengeance

There are some unrealistic expectations (and false assumptions) that must be overcome for electric vehicles to hit it off.

1) you don't need to drive 100 miles in a day, and even if you do, RENT A CAR, DUMBASS

2) the possibility of being stranded on the roadside because your car isn't charged is no different than being stranded with an empty gas tank. I can't believe the times I've had people ask me "what do you do when the batteries run out" when talking about my electric PT Cruiser I owned. I said "probably the same thing that would happen if you drove 'till you ran out of gas- call for help!". Hell, at least with an electric car, you don't even have to make it as far as a gas station- just some place with an electrical outlet.

My wife says I can have my Viper (my dream car) when I buy her a Tesla (her dream car).

ps: three wheeled vehicles are often registered as cycles, which means you might get out of some of the typical passenger-car snags (safety issues, etc.). Of course, you might have to wear a helmet, too. Depends on the state, I imagine.

I drive 80-90 miles a day, every day. 40 miles to and from work + any errands I run on my lunchbreak. I don't want to rent a car every day

I know people that drive further than me too.
So I need something that won't run out of charge in 100 miles. I don't want to be coasting home with no wiggle room. IF they can get that nano battery stuff working and increast battery life 10X, I'm down for an electric car, no questions asked.

AVengeance · 02-20-2008, 10:18 AM

Originally Posted by WickedLou9

I drive 80-90 miles a day, every day. 40 miles to and from work + any errands I run on my lunchbreak. I don't want to rent a car every day
I know people that drive further than me too.
So I need something that won't run out of charge in 100 miles. I don't want to be coasting home with no wiggle room. IF they can get that nano battery stuff working and increast battery life 10X, I'm down for an electric car, no questions asked.

And some people need to haul plates of glass every day, so a Ford Focus isn't for them. No "one" vehicle works for everyone. My PT Cruiser got a realistic 30 mile range, in Missouri's hilly back roads. I expect my first Dakota to get about 60 miles. My last build will get me to work and back, which would be a range of 120 miles (50 miles one way + wiggle room).

Out of curiosity, what kind of daily driver do you have right now? Is it appropriate for the miles you put on it?

WickedLou9 · 02-20-2008, 11:31 AM

Originally Posted by AVengeance

And some people need to haul plates of glass every day, so a Ford Focus isn't for them. No "one" vehicle works for everyone. My PT Cruiser got a realistic 30 mile range, in Missouri's hilly back roads. I expect my first Dakota to get about 60 miles. My last build will get me to work and back, which would be a range of 120 miles (50 miles one way + wiggle room).

Out of curiosity, what kind of daily driver do you have right now? Is it appropriate for the miles you put on it?

I have an 07 Honda Fit. As far as a commuter car for mostly highway driving, I don't think you can do much better. Unless you want to talk about maybe a Prius but financially speaking the Fit makes more sense.

I think the problem is that the people who would be most concerned about fuel milage are people who drive alot and use alot of fuel. Someone who only drives 15 or 20 miles a day might not really care as much about saving fuel because the incremental costs are so minimal. To someone like me who commutes longer distances, milage and range do matter.
I used to have a Mustang GT. I would fill that thing up every 2 days. Not only was it expensive, but it was annoying always having to plan an extra stop to get gas. It only takes a minute to refuel with gasoline. Charging batteries takes hours. So unless you plan every trip perfectly, the limited range could really become a problem.

I really think that the electric cars, given thier current range limitations, would be much better suited to strictly urban environments. For instance, my brother currently lives in Philadelphia. He belongs to a service called Philly Car Share. They have designated spots all around the city where the cars are parked. I guess you have some sort of access code or something and you can just get in the car and drive it around and return it to any designated spot when you are done. An electric car would be great in that sort of situation.

AVengeance · 02-26-2008, 12:36 PM

Originally Posted by WickedLou9

I have an 07 Honda Fit. As far as a commuter car for mostly highway driving, I don't think you can do much better. Unless you want to talk about maybe a Prius but financially speaking the Fit makes more sense.

In that case, you already have a good choice. I wouldn't trade it in on a new Volt any time soon.

I think the problem is that the people who would be most concerned about fuel milage are people who drive alot and use alot of fuel. Someone who only drives 15 or 20 miles a day might not really care as much about saving fuel because the incremental costs are so minimal. To someone like me who commutes longer distances, milage and range do matter.

That may or may not be true. It's more than just gas. You don't have to change the oil in an electric car either, making it more "maintenance free" than a regular car. If you're driving just a few miles to work, you might be the wife in the family. If that's the case, your family already has one other vehicle (another car payment another oil change to schedule, mor gas...). Making the 2nd car a little buzz-around-town car would be nice. Or maybe that second car sees teenage driving duty. I'd rather my 16 year old be behind the wheel of a little electric car than a new Camaro.

I used to have a Mustang GT. I would fill that thing up every 2 days. Not only was it expensive, but it was annoying always having to plan an extra stop to get gas. It only takes a minute to refuel with gasoline. Charging batteries takes hours. So unless you plan every trip perfectly, the limited range could really become a problem.

Your Mustang most likely sat for hours and could have been charging. It's just a matter of thinking to do a thing different than you do it now.

I really think that the electric cars, given thier current range limitations, would be much better suited to strictly urban environments. For instance, my brother currently lives in Philadelphia. He belongs to a service called Philly Car Share. They have designated spots all around the city where the cars are parked. I guess you have some sort of access code or something and you can just get in the car and drive it around and return it to any designated spot when you are done. An electric car would be great in that sort of situation.

Those car share things are interesting concepts, and one I might make use of if I were in that situation.

The real limitations to range is a "conspiracy" by a select few companies with patents on battery chemistry (they bought the patents but refuse to manufacture the batteries, because they also have a stake in other fuel types). Those patents won't last forever. I fully expect my Dakota to get 60 miles range with lead-acid batteries. If I could use better (existing, not fantasy) battery techonology, it could easily be 150 miles. That's enough for my wife to drive to work and back home 3 times, with plenty of wiggle room. I don't think she'd forget to charge the truck three times in a row. If she might, I could just make a blinking fuel light and bell (like the door ajar light/sound) reminding her to plug the truck in when she takes the key out of the ignition switch.

7960 · 02-28-2008, 01:00 AM

Originally Posted by AVengeance

1) you don't need to drive 100 miles in a day, and even if you do, RENT A CAR, DUMBASS

there's a reason cars don't have 4 gallon tanks.........because we tend to drive more than the exact distance of our commute to work.

2) the possibility of being stranded on the roadside because your car isn't charged is no different than being stranded with an empty gas tank. I can't believe the times I've had people ask me "what do you do when the batteries run out" when talking about my electric PT Cruiser I owned. I said "probably the same thing that would happen if you drove 'till you ran out of gas- call for help!". Hell, at least with an electric car, you don't even have to make it as far as a gas station- just some place with an electrical outlet.

It takes 2.4 minutes to refuel my car. Does it take 2.4 minutes to recharge yours?

kombayn · 03-08-2008, 06:03 PM

Originally Posted by WickedLou9

I have an 07 Honda Fit. As far as a commuter car for mostly highway driving, I don't think you can do much better. Unless you want to talk about maybe a Prius but financially speaking the Fit makes more sense.

WOO! Me too, blue that is manual! Love my car.