ZAP-X Crossover Electric Car:  The Buzz Is Building

Motoring Channel Staff - 22/Feb/2007

California, America — With the Tesla electric sports car already doing good business in California and other US States (they're even planning a larger 100% electric car) another company appears to be on the verge of selling a car that runs purely on electricity.

The new ZAP-X is a 'plug-in' car, meaning that owners will have to attach a lead from the car into a wall socket, but this AWD vehicles is claimed to have a 10 minute recharge time, which is almost unheard of.

Furthermore, it has a 560km (350 mile) range from this 10 minute recharge, and the company has teamed up with Lotus to create what it hopes will be the world's first high performance electric crossover vehicle.

And with more and more purely electric cars cropping up - and oddly none of them are from the established car makers - it's only a matter of time before an Australian company begins selling a plug-in electric car.

ZAP, a Californian-based company, already sells the XEBRA in the United States, a tiny electric car that looks a bit strange, and is relatively affordable. But with a new style and more interior room, the new ZAP-X could be the vehicle that sets ZAP on a new course, one that could lead to millions of sales around the world in the next couple of decades.

ZAP, by the way, stands for Zero Air Pollution.

According to ZAP, it will join forces with Lotus Engineering will begin the first phase of an engineering project to use the British consultancy's APX ("Aluminium Performance Crossover") as a basis for designing a production-ready electric all-wheel drive crossover high performance vehicle for ZAP in the USA market.

ZAP explains that a combination of the lightweight aluminium vehicle architecture together with a new and more efficient drive and advanced battery management systems will enable a theoretical range of up to 560km (350 miles) between charges, with a rapid 10-minute recharging time. It is also working on an auxiliary power unit that would support longer distance journeys and road trips.

Electric Motors "In The Wheels"

Rather than dumping an electric motor in the boot like a lot of hybrid cars do, ZAP and Lotus will replace the gasoline V6 engine of the standard APX vehicle with in-hub electric motors, which it claims will deliver a storming 644 horsepower. In the metric scale, this is 480kW, which is more power than most exotic European cars can muster.

The innovative American company also says that in all-wheel drive mode, the ZAP-X is theoretically capable of a top speed of 250km/h (155mph). Sitting on Lotus' lightweight APX body shell, the vehicle's expected power-to-weight ratio is also expected to surpass many of the world's quickest sports cars.

Some of the benefits of electric cars include their inherent low maintenance, which stems from the fact that these things don't have as many moving parts as a petrol engine. There's no clutch, there's no oil, there's no water pump, not even a catalytic converter.

"We'll Build It"

Steve Schneider, who is the CEO of ZAP, had this to say about this interesting electric concept: "Lotus Engineering's APX technology demonstrator vehicle is a perfect fit for our plans to introduce a full product portfolio of electric cars. 

"Due to the initial design by Lotus, our cost and time to production will be significantly reduced. We believe that the ZAP-X will become the most advanced, most practical and most appealing flagship electric vehicle to date and will revolutionise the industry providing the driver with the enjoyment of a sports car and the practicality of an SUV."

The other half of this collaboration is equally upbeat about this new electric car prospect. Mike Kimberley, the CEO of Group Lotus, said: "Lotus Engineering's APX is a world-class innovative concept and was developed to showcase real solutions to new challenges facing the automotive industry. So it's very satisfying that ZAP's proposed new model will make use of a great deal of the APX concept's advanced body structure and chassis technology. 

"The bringing together of these next-generation vehicle technologies represents another significant step forward for automotive technology."

While ZAP is working on the electric in-wheel motors for the car, and also the recharging and energy storage systems, Lotus is providing the canvas in the form of the APX. Lotus says that this vehicle showcases Lotus Engineering's Versatile Vehicle Architecture technology, combining lightweight aluminium vehicle architecture with exceptionally strong and stiff structural rigidity, as well as lower manufacturing investment requirements. 

First seen at 2006 Geneva motor show, the APX concept took out the 2006 European Aluminium Awards in the "Transport and Automotive" category. Moreover, the innovative placement of the power train leaves the space previously occupied by the conventional engine and drive train for additional battery capacity and amenities, making it a very consumer-oriented electric car concept. These design features will give the ZAP-X crossover the structural strength, and potentially storage and range that no electric vehicle has yet achieved publicly.

The American and British companies have confirmed that the development programme is proposed to be managed from a new centre of excellence for research and development of environmentally-friendly vehicle designs and technologies, while the engineering input will come from Lotus Engineering Inc, and the British technology consultancy's other research and development centers in the UK, Malaysia and China.

ZAP has been a leader in advanced transportation technologies since 1994, delivering over 90,000 vehicles to consumers in more than 75 countries. A publicly owned company, ZAP is at the forefront of fuel-efficient transportation with new technologies including energy efficient gas systems, hydrogen, electric, fuel cell, alcohol, hybrid and other innovative power systems. Check out their website here, they have a number of vehicles for sale in the US that could be imported.

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