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Perhaps the Cyclone Engine can run on Salt Water, Local TV News of the amazing discovery...
http://www.youtube.com/v/aGg0ATfoBgo
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R we rich yet?
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ZAP Proposes Endless Gas Tax Holiday With Electric Vehicles
SANTA ROSA, CA is proposing a permanent holiday from gas taxes by using electric vehicles.
ZAP electric vehicles use no gasoline so no tax need apply. To provide an additional incentive, the Northern California Company is offering a $100 rebate to customers who purchase its newest electric scooter, the Zapino.
Now in stock and available for immediate delivery, the Zapino is a good way to beat record gas prices this summer, whether there is a Gas Tax Holiday or not. To receive the rebate, order online at http://www.zapworld.com through May 31st.
Perhaps ZAP can provide some electric vehicles to the Presidential hopefuls? Republican presidential candidate John McCain first proposed the idea for a Gas Tax Holiday earlier this year in which the federal gas tax would be suspended for three months to give consumers a break. Then Hillary Clinton took up the issue, which has been opposed by her political rival Barack Obama. With gas prices rising well over $3 per gallon in most parts of the country, the Gas Tax Holiday has become an important political issue for voters.
ZAP points out that its electric vehicles refuel by plugging into normal household electrical outlets. The cost of recharging the vehicle can range from one to three cents per mile depending on your electrical rates, meaning a full charge could cost anywhere from 25 to 75 cents. Meanwhile, electric vehicles produce almost no pollution, reducing automotive emissions by more than 90 percent over gasoline, even including power plant emissions to generate the electricity, according to the California Air Resources Board.
Both McCain and Clinton thought a Gas Tax Holiday would be a good idea because it would give average Americans a break from rising gas prices.
Meanwhile, critics say the savings is not worth the effort. Recently 150 economists signed a statement from the Brookings Institution to oppose the Gas Tax Holiday. Their study showed that, assuming the average driver travels 4,000 miles this summer with a car that gets 20 MPG, the Gas Tax Holiday would save $18 per driver. They also said waiving the tax would encourage people to use more gasoline, generate more profits for oil companies, and threaten the record budget deficit forecasted this year.
About ZAP
ZAP has been a leader in advanced transportation technologies since 1994, delivering over 100,000 vehicles to consumers in more than 75 countries. 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. For product, dealer and investor information, visit http://www.zapworld.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, continued acceptance of the Company's products, increased levels of competition for the Company, new products and technological changes, the Company's dependence upon third-party suppliers, intellectual property rights, and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Contact:
Alex Campbell
ZAP
707-525-8658 x 241
acampbell@zapworld.com
If you have a green thumb, add to your favorites…
Perendev Magnetic Motor, MDI Air Motor, and called the most amazing science discovery, burning salt water…
Perendev Magnetic Motor
Cha Ching, Atomic Dog is the darling product, Bionic should do better...
Your not alone. Watching Hall of Fame beverage explosion into a penny should be inspiring.
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GREEN ECO MPH News - ZAP Electric Car, Truck Arrive in Florida at West Palm Beach Dealership Foreign Affairs Auto
As oil and gas keep hitting new records this week, an electric car dealership opened in West Palm Beach, Florida offering a new affordable design for city-speed driving called the ZAP (OTCBB: ZAAP) Xebra.
Foreign Affairs Auto (http://www.foreignaffairsauto.com), located at 1681 N. Military Trail in West Palm Beach, is now offering the Xebra®, an electric four-door compact car or two-seat pickup that transforms into a flat-bed or a dump truck. The vehicle was designed for gas-free, city driving up to 40 MPH and plugs into any normal household outlet.
Foreign Affairs officially launched its electric cars on Earth Day with the planting of a tree to signify another way to fight global warming. The dealership has already sold several Xebras in its test-marketing and finds that the majority of the initial sales are coming from businesses, with two of the first vehicles being used for landscaping and pizza delivery. More consumers have started buying them as they learn they are available and see them driving around town.
Family owned and operated since 1982, Foreign Affairs is branching out into gas-free electric vehicles to stay on the cutting edge of transportation. Studies show electric vehicles can reduce air pollution and ownership costs compared to gasoline. The vehicles are priced a little over $11,000 and are estimated to cost between one and three cents per mile. ZAP says an electric car can reduce fueling, maintenance and operating costs, and overall they are about half the cost of owning a gasoline car.
"My family started this dealership 26 years ago with the idea of offering a premium level of products and service," says Jonathan Ortiz of Foreign Affairs. "As part of the next generation, I believe the best way to reach the next level for our business is to get in on the ground floor of advanced automotive technologies. Our new division, Foreign Affairs: Zero, will be marketing vehicles like the ZAP Xebra."
About ZAP
ZAP has been a leader in advanced transportation technologies since 1994, delivering over 100,000 vehicles to consumers in more than 75 countries. 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. For product, dealer and investor information, visit http://www.zapworld.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, continued acceptance of the Company's products, increased levels of competition for the Company, new products and technological changes, the Company's dependence upon third-party suppliers, intellectual property rights, and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=744819
CONTACTS:
Jonathan Ortiz
Foreign Affairs Auto
(561) 478-9999
jortiz@foreignaffairsauto.com
Alex Campbell
ZAP
707-525-8658 x 241
acampbell@zapworld.com
ZAP Electric Car, Truck Arrive in Florida at West Palm Beach Dealership Foreign Affairs Auto
As oil and gas keep hitting new records this week, an electric car dealership opened in West Palm Beach, Florida offering a new affordable design for city-speed driving called the ZAP (OTCBB: ZAAP) Xebra.
Foreign Affairs Auto (http://www.foreignaffairsauto.com), located at 1681 N. Military Trail in West Palm Beach, is now offering the Xebra®, an electric four-door compact car or two-seat pickup that transforms into a flat-bed or a dump truck. The vehicle was designed for gas-free, city driving up to 40 MPH and plugs into any normal household outlet.
Foreign Affairs officially launched its electric cars on Earth Day with the planting of a tree to signify another way to fight global warming. The dealership has already sold several Xebras in its test-marketing and finds that the majority of the initial sales are coming from businesses, with two of the first vehicles being used for landscaping and pizza delivery. More consumers have started buying them as they learn they are available and see them driving around town.
Family owned and operated since 1982, Foreign Affairs is branching out into gas-free electric vehicles to stay on the cutting edge of transportation. Studies show electric vehicles can reduce air pollution and ownership costs compared to gasoline. The vehicles are priced a little over $11,000 and are estimated to cost between one and three cents per mile. ZAP says an electric car can reduce fueling, maintenance and operating costs, and overall they are about half the cost of owning a gasoline car.
"My family started this dealership 26 years ago with the idea of offering a premium level of products and service," says Jonathan Ortiz of Foreign Affairs. "As part of the next generation, I believe the best way to reach the next level for our business is to get in on the ground floor of advanced automotive technologies. Our new division, Foreign Affairs: Zero, will be marketing vehicles like the ZAP Xebra."
About ZAP
ZAP has been a leader in advanced transportation technologies since 1994, delivering over 100,000 vehicles to consumers in more than 75 countries. 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. For product, dealer and investor information, visit http://www.zapworld.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, continued acceptance of the Company's products, increased levels of competition for the Company, new products and technological changes, the Company's dependence upon third-party suppliers, intellectual property rights, and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=744819
CONTACTS:
Jonathan Ortiz
Foreign Affairs Auto
(561) 478-9999
jortiz@foreignaffairsauto.com
Alex Campbell
ZAP
707-525-8658 x 241
acampbell@zapworld.com
I’m getting Vasocongestion waiting on Bionic Water to hit the shelves...
One of them is Me, Chips please...
‘morning team, ERUC fundamentals tech chart link is updated.
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Take a gander at this tech chart.
Green Team News, Chicago Rolls Out ZAP Solar Electric Car for Catering on Earth Day
- Chicago's Sopraffina Marketcaffe is rolling out a new solar electric car from ZAP (zapworld.com) for Earth Day, modified to deliver catering in downtown Chicago. La Grange Park electric car dealer Jessup's Automotive helped bring the vehicle to Chicago. (PRNewsFoto/ZAP)
http://prn.newscom.com/cgi-bin/members/thumb/wmark?doc=PRN/prnphotos/docs/071/071&size=512&logo=logo
Chicago Rolls Out ZAP Solar Electric Car for Catering on Earth Day
- Chicago's Sopraffina Marketcaffe is rolling out a new solar electric car from ZAP (zapworld.com) for Earth Day, modified to deliver catering in downtown Chicago. La Grange Park electric car dealer Jessup's Automotive helped bring the vehicle to Chicago. (PRNewsFoto/ZAP)
http://prn.newscom.com/cgi-bin/members/thumb/wmark?doc=PRN/prnphotos/docs/071/071&size=512&logo=logo
Zap Opens First Dealership In Davis, California, Stereotype Reinforced - DAVIS, California (April 13, 2007) — A dealership for electric car pioneer ZAP (OTC Bulletin Board: ZAAP) opened this week in the City of Davis.
This is the first electric car dealership for Davis, California, famous for being one of the most bicycle-friendly towns in the world. The University of California at Davis is also known for advanced transportation technologies, with its renowned Institute for Transportation Studies. Theo Drushell and Tom Kelly are Davis' first electric car dealers, with Davis Electric Cars.
"I think the size of [Davis] allows you to live on the outskirts and drive to town and back several times on the same charge," said Theo Drushell, co- owner of Davis Electric Cars, to the UC Davis Newspaper, The California Aggie (http://www.californiaaggie.com). "Davis is also flat, so driving around will take less energy."
The new dealership carries ZAP's XEBRA Sedan and Truck. ZAP calls the XEBRA (pronounced 'zebra') a 'city-car,' designed for short distance driving up to 40 MPH. Able to plug into any standard electrical outlet, the XEBRA was designed to quickly and affordably fill the need for all-electric cars and trucks brought on by recent high gas prices. ZAP says the XEBRA can be a great value for corporate and business fleets looking to save money on fuel, but also could be just what environmentalists are looking for as an alternative. Customers can even order zebra-stripes.
ZAP manufactures the XEBRA electric car and truck through a strategic partnership with a Chinese automaker and sells them through a licensed sales and service network for about $10,000. The cars will cost about $0.02 cents per mile to charge on electricity versus $0.12 cents or more for gasoline.
"[The cars] plug into regular 110-watt plugs," said Drushell. "You can plug it in at home, at work, at certain businesses and hotels."
You can see the vehicles and meet with the owners at the dealership or at upcoming events like the UC Davis Picnic Day Parade (Saturday April 14th 10AM), the Green Car Gala (John Natsoulas Gallery: 521 First Street ~ Saturday April 14th 6:30PM-10PM), and Celebrate Davis! (Community Park ~ May 17, 2007 4:30PM-9:00PM). On April 21st from noon-4:00PM, Davis Electric Cars will host a Grand Opening Celebration at its Olive Drive location.
One of the great benefits of electric cars is less maintenance (they have less than 10% the moving parts when compared to a gasoline vehicle). Electric vehicles don't have pistons, transmission, engine oil, spark plugs, valves, grinding starters, clutch, rotors, distributor, oil filters, fuel pumps, fuel filters, air filters, radiators, anti-freeze, water pumps, timing belts, fan belts, catalytic converters, or mufflers. No fumes, no exhaust, no smog tests, no oil changes, no radiator flushes, no loud engine, no warm-ups, no gas lines, and the batteries are recyclable.
The owners of Davis Electric Cars, Theo Drushell and Tom Kelly, are advocates of bicycle transportation first and EV transportation as an alternative. Theo (a graduate of Humboldt State University) and his wife (a graduate of UC Davis) are committed to working with the community in bringing this venture to life. Tom (a graduate of UC Berkeley) has been a long-time advocate of utilizing technology to promote advancement in an environmentally friendly manner. He pioneered a toner cartridge recycling company in the 1980s that is currently saving over 200 tons of plastics from entering our landfills every month.
A publicly owned company based in Santa Rosa, California, ZAP has strong ties with UC Davis. Many employees in ZAP's 12-year history were UC Davis graduates. ZAP Chairman Gary Starr built his first electric car as an undergraduate at UC Davis in 1974 during the gasoline shortages caused by the OPEC oil embargo. ZAP's first dealership in Santa Rosa, California is managed by UC Davis graduate Jeff Schneider.
Trade-In a Gas-Guzzler for an Electric Car This Earth Day at ZAP
Remember that electric car prices are coming down as you ponder the meaning of Earth Day on April 22, while gas prices keep going up. You may just want to trade in your old gas-guzzler for an electric car today at participating ZAP (OTCBB: ZAAP) dealers.
If your commute is fairly short, ZAP says you can potentially save thousands of dollars per year by trading in your old gas-guzzler for an electric car. ZAP estimates there are 250 million cars and trucks in the United States today. The vast majority of these cars are older models with less fuel economy. Retiring one million used cars and trucks would save about $1 billion per year and reduce emissions by 60,000 tons of HC, 448,000 tons of CO, and 17,000 tons of NOX, from a 1994 study by the US Congress Office of Technology Assessment. Imagine what it would save at today's gas prices.
ZAP's dealership in Santa Rosa, California will now take trade-ins towards the purchase of an electric car and for qualified buyers will finance any residual. ZAP is expanding its network of electric car dealers, with more dealers now offering the option of taking trade-ins towards your electric car purchase. Visit http://www.zapworld.com to inquire about a test drive at a participating ZAP dealer near you.
ZAP says its Xebra electric city-car and truck cost from 1-3 cents per mile while gasoline costs 15-20 cents per mile. ZAP's research into used gasoline cars shows that average late model used cars average between 15-22 MPG. On a pure energy consumption basis, the ZAP Xebra can get about 146 MPG, though one Xebra owner computes that he gets the cost equivalent of 600 MPG.
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) estimates that fuel costs for a gasoline vehicle can be over five times greater than an electric vehicle. By driving an electric vehicle with a 30-mile commute, a person can reduce gasoline consumption by an estimated 750 gallons annually. At today's fuel prices, this can result in a savings of approximately $2,500 a year.
Saving money aside, you may purely want to be kind to the planet. ZAP says electric vehicles are the cleanest and most environmentally friendly automotive technology today. They have no tailpipe exhaust or evaporative emissions, nor emissions systems that can degrade or fail with time. CARB studies show there are no emissions from the refining of fuel and service stations. And, EVs reduce pollutants by more than 90 percent when compared to the cleanest conventional gasoline-powered vehicles, even when factoring in the emissions from the most polluting power plants.
The United States has the lowest average fuel economy among first world nations; the European Union and Japan have fuel economy standards about twice as high as the United States. Fuel economy regulations currently do not apply to vehicles with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating of more than 8,500 pounds. Therefore, some large pickup trucks, vans, and SUVs are not tested, and fuel economy labels are not posted on their windows.
ZAP of Santa Rosa, California is developing a range of electric vehicles along with its sales and service network. To sign up or to arrange a test drive of an electric Xebra go to http://www.zapworld.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, continued acceptance of the Company's products, increased levels of competition for the Company, new products and technological changes, the Company's dependence upon third-party suppliers, intellectual property rights, and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Contact:
ZAP
Alex Campbell
707-525-8658
acampbell@zapworld.com
ECO Car News
Seattle Times - Potholes on the road to electric cars
SAN CARLOS, Calif. — On a Friday in February, about 100 people gathered at Tesla Motors headquarters, awaiting the future of transportation. A trailer truck disgorged a sleek, black electric sports car that promises to change the world as much as the Model T did a century ago.
The crowd toasted with champagne, and Elon Musk, Tesla's chairman, made a triumphant speech. "This is the culmination of an enormous amount of work," he said.
What he didn't mention was that Tesla's Roadster had arrived months behind schedule with an improvised transmission that reduced acceleration by 40 percent. Or that the San Carlos, Calif.-based company's visionary co-founder had been abruptly ousted months before. Or that Tesla plans to make fewer than 1,000 of the cars this year — and sell them for $100,000 apiece.
Tesla and more than two dozen other start-up companies — most based in California and backed by piles of venture capital — are in a feverish race to develop a viable, electricity-powered alternative to the internal combustion engine. Electric cars, they argue, offer less pollution and noiseless operation for a fraction of the per-mile cost of traditional cars, while weaning drivers off oil.
Even investors have doubts
Yet even environmentalists and investors who want to see these companies succeed question whether they have the know-how or leadership to replace the nation's gasoline fleet. Many of these companies seem bogged down fighting lawsuits, issuing breathless press releases, pummeling their rivals on blogs and bickering internally.
California's top air regulator recently voted to reduce the number of all-electric vehicles it would require automakers to market in the state in coming years. That, combined with the start-up industry's challenges and competing ethanol and fuel-cell technologies, could shift momentum away from electric cars altogether.
"There are real questions about whether they can do this," said Chelsea Sexton, who worked with GM on electric cars in the 1990s and now directs Plug In America, an advocacy group. "There's a lot of talk, but it's still vaporware."
"It's very cute for people out of Silicon Valley to want to bolt an electric motor to a chassis," said Ray Lane, managing partner at venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, which has invested in two start-ups: Irvine's Fisker Automotive and Think! of Norway. "But that's a long way from actually making a real car."
Most traditional automakers have programs to develop electric, fuel cell and biofuel cars and are under government pressure to improve fleet fuel economy, adding to speculation they may gobble up any start-up that produces a viable electric car.
"Even if these start-ups are successful, I worry their prize will be that they're forced to compete with Toyota and GM," said Silicon Valley venture capitalist Vinod Khosla, who put money in ethanol rather than electric. "That's why I never invested."
A look at four California companies — Tesla, Phoenix Motorcars, Fisker and Zap — illustrates the challenges facing start-ups trying to build the car of the future.
Phoenix gets burned
Ontario, Calif.-based Phoenix plans to mate a Korean SsangYong pickup with a battery that can be charged in as little as 10 minutes.
Faced with production costs that suppliers say are more than double the truck's $47,000 retail price, the company cut ties with its motor supplier and engineering firm last year, leading both to sue.
Phoenix blew its goal of delivering 500 trucks in 2007 (it produced none). That, in turn, threatened its contract with Nevada-based battery supplier Altairnano. Last month, Phoenix severed relations with its co-founder and chief technology officer. Now, the privately held outfit says it plans to design its own motor and switch from rear-wheel to front-wheel drive, major challenges for a company that didn't develop the technology in its prototype.
"The feeling is that they aren't bringing anything of their own to the table, which is problematic," said Spencer Quong, head of the Union of Concerned Scientists' Clean Vehicle program.
Yet CEO Daniel Elliott said Phoenix hoped to deliver its first trucks by May. "We're heading down the final stretch."
Fisker's mysterious Karma
Another player, Fisker, made a splash at January's Detroit auto show with the Karma sedan, which it says will reach 125 mph and cost $80,000. Unlike competitors' vehicles, the Karma is a plug-in gasoline-electric hybrid.
Fisker's chief asset is founder Henrik Fisker, a former designer at Aston Martin and BMW. His experience could be crucial because the company intends to create the Karma from scratch, rather than installing an electric drivetrain in an existing vehicle. Fisker has raised $20 million.
Yet the company has declined to reveal information about the Karma's technology except that it comes from Quantum Technologies. Quantum, also of Irvine, has worked on hydrogen fuel-cell and plug-in hybrids but has significant debt problems and stock-market-compliance issues.
Henrik Fisker says a test model will be available before summer, with production starting by late 2009. As to his company's secrecy, Fisker said: "Everything is so proprietary that we don't see the need to show it to anybody. We will fulfill the milestone we've established."
Zap's hype adds up to zilch
Santa Rosa-based Zap has repeatedly made promises it hasn't fulfilled. The publicly held company sells electric scooters and low-speed, three-wheel cars, and CEO Steven Schneider says Zap plans to sell a highway-legal three-wheeler starting next year.
Online stock-trading message boards accuse Zap of operating as a "pump-and-dump" shop that attempts to raise its stock temporarily by aligning itself with hot transportation trends. Schneider denied that, saying "moving the stock around doesn't help us."
The company has put out 26 news releases this year, and last year issued one headlined, "Zap not acquired or bombed by warplanes according to news reports." In the past several years, it has announced plans to sell a hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle, an ethanol vehicle and a 644-horsepower electric sports sedan. None has materialized.
Zap is in litigation over its 2005 attempt to sell Daimler's Smart Car in the U.S. without a license from the automaker. It also faces nearly a dozen unrelated lawsuits, including fraud and breach of contract.
In the past four years, Zap's stock price has gyrated between 26 cents and almost $5. It hit its 2008 high of 89 cents in January, shortly after announcing it had created an "electric car made for iPod" — one of its low-speed models with an MP3 input jack. The shares are now around 50 cents.
"We put out a lot of news because it's a vicious market and we need to remain in the news," Schneider said. "Shareholders call screaming, 'We want news, we want news,' and so we give it to them."
Tesla to partner up?
For the moment, Tesla is free from stockholder pressure. Although execs have been hinting at an initial public offering, the company is privately held and has raised $145 million from VantagePoint Ventures and other firms.
Last month, the company said it had begun full production of the $100,000 Roadster. So far, 900 people, including California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, have put down deposits.
Delivery was delayed six months, however, by a transmission problem. Also a factor was the ouster of co-founder Martin Eberhard and about 10 percent of its employees late last year.
Yet Tesla says it hopes to complete nearly 1,000 Roadsters by year-end.
"It is something we absolutely can do," Musk, the chairman, said.
But even harder may be the next step: making good on its intentions to build a $50,000 electric sedan and a $30,000 economy car in mass quantities.
The problem is, high-volume production is an expert's game.
The start-ups "mistakenly believe that they have the problems all worked out," said David Patterson of Mitsubishi, which is developing its own electric car for sale in Japan next year. "They're butting up against some of the biggest challenges of the auto industry itself."
Some suggest that could play into Tesla's long-term strategy. In addition to Mitsubishi, Nissan has announced plans to sell electric cars. GM and Toyota are each working on a plug-in hybrid.
"I don't think anybody would be shocked to see Tesla partnering with one of the larger automakers," said CEO Alan Salzman of VantagePoint.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/living/2004356900_tesla180.html
Seattle Times - Potholes on the road to electric cars
SAN CARLOS, Calif. — On a Friday in February, about 100 people gathered at Tesla Motors headquarters, awaiting the future of transportation. A trailer truck disgorged a sleek, black electric sports car that promises to change the world as much as the Model T did a century ago.
The crowd toasted with champagne, and Elon Musk, Tesla's chairman, made a triumphant speech. "This is the culmination of an enormous amount of work," he said.
What he didn't mention was that Tesla's Roadster had arrived months behind schedule with an improvised transmission that reduced acceleration by 40 percent. Or that the San Carlos, Calif.-based company's visionary co-founder had been abruptly ousted months before. Or that Tesla plans to make fewer than 1,000 of the cars this year — and sell them for $100,000 apiece.
Tesla and more than two dozen other start-up companies — most based in California and backed by piles of venture capital — are in a feverish race to develop a viable, electricity-powered alternative to the internal combustion engine. Electric cars, they argue, offer less pollution and noiseless operation for a fraction of the per-mile cost of traditional cars, while weaning drivers off oil.
Even investors have doubts
Yet even environmentalists and investors who want to see these companies succeed question whether they have the know-how or leadership to replace the nation's gasoline fleet. Many of these companies seem bogged down fighting lawsuits, issuing breathless press releases, pummeling their rivals on blogs and bickering internally.
California's top air regulator recently voted to reduce the number of all-electric vehicles it would require automakers to market in the state in coming years. That, combined with the start-up industry's challenges and competing ethanol and fuel-cell technologies, could shift momentum away from electric cars altogether.
"There are real questions about whether they can do this," said Chelsea Sexton, who worked with GM on electric cars in the 1990s and now directs Plug In America, an advocacy group. "There's a lot of talk, but it's still vaporware."
"It's very cute for people out of Silicon Valley to want to bolt an electric motor to a chassis," said Ray Lane, managing partner at venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, which has invested in two start-ups: Irvine's Fisker Automotive and Think! of Norway. "But that's a long way from actually making a real car."
Most traditional automakers have programs to develop electric, fuel cell and biofuel cars and are under government pressure to improve fleet fuel economy, adding to speculation they may gobble up any start-up that produces a viable electric car.
"Even if these start-ups are successful, I worry their prize will be that they're forced to compete with Toyota and GM," said Silicon Valley venture capitalist Vinod Khosla, who put money in ethanol rather than electric. "That's why I never invested."
A look at four California companies — Tesla, Phoenix Motorcars, Fisker and Zap — illustrates the challenges facing start-ups trying to build the car of the future.
Phoenix gets burned
Ontario, Calif.-based Phoenix plans to mate a Korean SsangYong pickup with a battery that can be charged in as little as 10 minutes.
Faced with production costs that suppliers say are more than double the truck's $47,000 retail price, the company cut ties with its motor supplier and engineering firm last year, leading both to sue.
Phoenix blew its goal of delivering 500 trucks in 2007 (it produced none). That, in turn, threatened its contract with Nevada-based battery supplier Altairnano. Last month, Phoenix severed relations with its co-founder and chief technology officer. Now, the privately held outfit says it plans to design its own motor and switch from rear-wheel to front-wheel drive, major challenges for a company that didn't develop the technology in its prototype.
"The feeling is that they aren't bringing anything of their own to the table, which is problematic," said Spencer Quong, head of the Union of Concerned Scientists' Clean Vehicle program.
Yet CEO Daniel Elliott said Phoenix hoped to deliver its first trucks by May. "We're heading down the final stretch."
Fisker's mysterious Karma
Another player, Fisker, made a splash at January's Detroit auto show with the Karma sedan, which it says will reach 125 mph and cost $80,000. Unlike competitors' vehicles, the Karma is a plug-in gasoline-electric hybrid.
Fisker's chief asset is founder Henrik Fisker, a former designer at Aston Martin and BMW. His experience could be crucial because the company intends to create the Karma from scratch, rather than installing an electric drivetrain in an existing vehicle. Fisker has raised $20 million.
Yet the company has declined to reveal information about the Karma's technology except that it comes from Quantum Technologies. Quantum, also of Irvine, has worked on hydrogen fuel-cell and plug-in hybrids but has significant debt problems and stock-market-compliance issues.
Henrik Fisker says a test model will be available before summer, with production starting by late 2009. As to his company's secrecy, Fisker said: "Everything is so proprietary that we don't see the need to show it to anybody. We will fulfill the milestone we've established."
Zap's hype adds up to zilch
Santa Rosa-based Zap has repeatedly made promises it hasn't fulfilled. The publicly held company sells electric scooters and low-speed, three-wheel cars, and CEO Steven Schneider says Zap plans to sell a highway-legal three-wheeler starting next year.
Online stock-trading message boards accuse Zap of operating as a "pump-and-dump" shop that attempts to raise its stock temporarily by aligning itself with hot transportation trends. Schneider denied that, saying "moving the stock around doesn't help us."
The company has put out 26 news releases this year, and last year issued one headlined, "Zap not acquired or bombed by warplanes according to news reports." In the past several years, it has announced plans to sell a hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle, an ethanol vehicle and a 644-horsepower electric sports sedan. None has materialized.
Zap is in litigation over its 2005 attempt to sell Daimler's Smart Car in the U.S. without a license from the automaker. It also faces nearly a dozen unrelated lawsuits, including fraud and breach of contract.
In the past four years, Zap's stock price has gyrated between 26 cents and almost $5. It hit its 2008 high of 89 cents in January, shortly after announcing it had created an "electric car made for iPod" — one of its low-speed models with an MP3 input jack. The shares are now around 50 cents.
"We put out a lot of news because it's a vicious market and we need to remain in the news," Schneider said. "Shareholders call screaming, 'We want news, we want news,' and so we give it to them."
Tesla to partner up?
For the moment, Tesla is free from stockholder pressure. Although execs have been hinting at an initial public offering, the company is privately held and has raised $145 million from VantagePoint Ventures and other firms.
Last month, the company said it had begun full production of the $100,000 Roadster. So far, 900 people, including California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, have put down deposits.
Delivery was delayed six months, however, by a transmission problem. Also a factor was the ouster of co-founder Martin Eberhard and about 10 percent of its employees late last year.
Yet Tesla says it hopes to complete nearly 1,000 Roadsters by year-end.
"It is something we absolutely can do," Musk, the chairman, said.
But even harder may be the next step: making good on its intentions to build a $50,000 electric sedan and a $30,000 economy car in mass quantities.
The problem is, high-volume production is an expert's game.
The start-ups "mistakenly believe that they have the problems all worked out," said David Patterson of Mitsubishi, which is developing its own electric car for sale in Japan next year. "They're butting up against some of the biggest challenges of the auto industry itself."
Some suggest that could play into Tesla's long-term strategy. In addition to Mitsubishi, Nissan has announced plans to sell electric cars. GM and Toyota are each working on a plug-in hybrid.
"I don't think anybody would be shocked to see Tesla partnering with one of the larger automakers," said CEO Alan Salzman of VantagePoint.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/living/2004356900_tesla180.html
Until the batteries become reality, perhaps t-shirts and hats for revenue…
CNN - ZAP Electric Car Deliveries Top 700
April 16, 2008: 10:00 AM EST ZAP (OTCBB: ZAAP) -- Electric car interest is picking up as gas prices push toward record highs, according to US electric car dealers.
AP reported that retail gasoline prices rose to a new average national record of $3.386, according to a survey by AAA and the Oil Price Information Service. Prices were highest in California, where mid-range and higher grades are now averaging more than $4 a gallon.
AAA said gas prices are becoming a top priority with consumer surveys. Some are starting to buy gas-free, rechargeable battery powered electric cars. ZAP has delivered more than 700 of its Xebra electric city-cars and trucks. The Northern California company is developing a nationwide network of dealers with locations opening in places like Davis, California, Leavenworth, Kansas and West Palm Beach, Florida.
Recent controversy over laws mandating the production of electric cars brought consumer demand into question, with automakers saying consumers are much more likely to buy hybrids than pure electric cars. Still some persist saying demand is growing and there are few vehicles on the market to fill the demand for electric cars.
"The ZAP Xebra was the only production EV available that could obtain such speeds and actually be driven on regular roads," wrote electric car dealer Jonathan Ortiz of Foreign Affairs Auto in West Palm Beach. "I kindly invite anyone in disbelief to enter my showroom doors to see first-hand simple evidence that an Electric Vehicle Dealership can be viable."
Experts talk about many ways of saving gas, but electric vehicles have shown to be very cost-effective compared to gasoline. Your average gas fill-up can cost over $60, yet a vehicle like the ZAP recharges for about 60 cents. Typical customers are homeowners and fleet operators. More power companies and public utility companies are offering off-peak metering plugs that can save even more.
ZAP is developing a range of electric vehicles along with its sales and service network. Based in Santa Rosa, California, ZAP is expecting dealers and distributors from around the world at its next service training and seminar for prospective electric vehicle outlets, scheduled for April 25, 2008. To sign up or to arrange a test drive of an electric Xebra go to http://www.zapworld.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, continued acceptance of the Company's products, increased levels of competition for the Company, new products and technological changes, the Company's dependence upon third-party suppliers, intellectual property rights, and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=739184
Contact:
ZAP
Alex Campbell
707-525-8658
acampbell@zapworld.com
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/marketwire/0387247.htm
Have you seen Flavored Water for Pets, FortiFido...
http://www.dawsontimes.com/business/dog-owners-can-soon-hydrate-pets-with-fortifido-fo.shtml
Green ECO MPH News article, Quick Battery recharge with Microwaves
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/04/15/2217049.htm
While we wait for the bus, here's more Green ECO MPH News, Quick Battery recharge with Microwaves.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/04/15/2217049.htm
RS X Zero is Zero. Perhaps the Ibox has an Asset value...
Especially bounce on the Green…
Variable Field Motor, interesting new technology…
Look A Voltswagon...
This VW Beetle's juice is green
By CHARLES ANDERSON - Nelson | Friday, 11 April 2008
Rex Nowland has lost count of how many Volkswagens he has owned over the years but his newest acquisition is something altogether different.
Over the past three months, Mr Nowland has converted a 1971 VW Beetle into an environmentalist's dream - a totally electric car.
The Dodson's Valley resident started the car conversion as a hobby to produce a car for his wife Lorraine to drive. The Beetle - bought via the Trade Me website in January - takes eight hours to charge, which costs about $1.50, with the power lasting for about 30km.
The car is powered by four batteries each weighing 27kg. Mr Nowland replaced the original engine with an electric motor, which he bought from the United States.
The Beetle can reach a top speed of 80kmh and Mr Nowland is planning on installing two more batteries which will push the limit up to 100kmh.
The motor's producers say it will last 1.5 million km if the motor brushes are cleaned every 130,000km, which Mr Nowland said was an easy job to do.
"The motor will probably outlast the car."
One of the interesting hurdles Mr Nowland encountered was the necessity to pay road-user charges. The law states that owners of vehicles powered by a fuel that is not taxed at the source, such as diesel or electricity, must pay road-user charges.
"It seems stupid to promote a clean, green New Zealand when there are no incentives to change to something like an electric car. The only incentive is when petrol reaches two or three bucks a litre."
The car makes as much sound as an electric golf-cart.
"When you drive it you have to keep your wits about you. People are pretty surprised when they can't hear it because Beetles usually have such a distinct sound," Mr Nowland said.
He already has his mind on another project - converting a ute. "I could fit around 12 batteries in there so we would have a bit more power."
Freight costs from the United States and New Zealand's small market meant Mr Nowland was wary about creating a business from his hobby.
The car needs to be certified, so it will not be on Nelson roads for about a month. Mr Nowland believes the conversion will have cost about $12,000.
Surprise, Subaru’s Electric Car hits the streets!
Wow, nice update...
Related ECO News - Hybrid Technologies' All Electric High Performance and Street Vehicles Gain Momentum On Cover and Feature Story by NCMA's Motorsports Industry News
Hybrid Technologies, Inc. (OTCBB: HYBR) (www.hybridtechnologies.com), emerging leaders in the development and marketing of lithium-powered products worldwide, gets cover and feature story about their lithium-powered racing and street vehicles in the April issue of Motorsports Industry News.
Click here for detailed press release and article: http://www.hybridtechnologies.com/200804078
After a recent "Mean vs. Green" demonstration at Lowe's Motor Speedway, Hybrid Technologies' full line of all-electric, lithium powered products are turning the heads of respected racing organizations like NCMA, and North Carolina Motorsports Association.
Hybrid Technology paves the way offering the largest variety of all electric, lithium powered vehicles. The company is developing new battery technology that looks good toward giving lithium-powered vehicles a 200 mile driving range.
Forward-Looking Statement: This press release may include forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These statements are based on the Company's current expectations as to future events. However, the forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this press release might not occur, and actual results could differ.
Contacts:
Hybrid Technologies, Inc.
Media Contact
1-888-HYBTECH (1-888-492-8324)
Email: pr@hybridtechnologies.com
Hybrid Technologies, Inc.
Investor Relations Contact
1-888-669-1808
Email: info@hybridtechnologies.com
Website: www.hybridtechnologies.com
Use the Pinky Calculator, Oil High + Ignis Low = IGPG Boardmark...
Try your car odometer for guessing any Pinky AS and OS...
We'll watch, boardmark added...
I tried to sign up, have her send me an invitation...TIA
Converting old cars into Electric seems very profitable. 1995 BMW Repowered Electric and $150K in batteries…
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180228886907
Interesting reading on the company that repowers gas cars to electric…
http://www.eco-conversions.com/Home_Page.php