ZAP GOES BACK TO ALL-ELECTRIC

ZAP’s Xebra

With electric vehicles part of the wave of the future, ZAP took more than 2,500 dealer orders for its electric vehicles at the convention, says chief executive officer Steve Schneider.

The newest vehicle, ZAP-X, a high-performance aluminum crossover designed by Lotus Engineering, still needs to get an electric powertrain and then pass U.S. safety regulations. Lotus’s demonstrator APX V-6 engine has been replaced by wheel-mounted electric motors. The car is four-wheel-drive, has a 355-mile range, 644 hp, a top speed of 155 miles per hour, and can be recharged at a household outlet in 10 minutes. It will cost around $60,000.

ZAP is the company that planned to import the Smart car without a final deal with DaimlerChrysler and took many orders from dealers that it was never able to fill. Schneider admits “we lost our credibility” but says the company now plans to stick to electric vehicles. ZAP also sells smaller personal electric vehicles, such as the Xebra, a three-wheeler that goes up to 40 miles per hour.