Ze-O Electric Van: Zero Emission Motoring

Motoring Channel Staff - 15/July/2008

London, England — In the emerging green motoring marketplace, the Ze-O will be one of the first all-electric vehicles when it goes on sale in the UK in the third quarter of this year.

As the saying goes, who dares wins, and the Ze-O is one of the first battery-powered vehicles available in Europe, providing a glimpse of what will become commonplace on our roads.

The jury is still out on which company will have the first electric car on sale in Australia, but the Chevrolet Volt looks to be furthest down the development road, and could be marketed here by Holden.

The Ze-O meanwhile will make its debut at the British Motor Show this month, and will have a cruising range of up to 105km (65 miles) in city driving, for whichprimarily the new model is expected to be used by transport companies.

It is a fairly basic vehicle aimed at the commerical market, and has a top speed of 88km/h (55mph) so won't be suited to highway/motorway driving. 

It is powered by lithium-ion batteries and while the vehicle's range is modest, this will increase over the years as the battery technology improves.

The maker of the Ze-O electric car is NICE, who has enlisted a Chinese company to build the car to keep costs down. It is priced at around£14,000 or €17,500, which works out to about A$29,000.

Following its 2008 launch in the UK, it is expected to sell in Europe in 2009.

In other green motoring news, there is a growing shift among car makers to re-branding their most efficient and 'eco-friendly' vehicles.

French car maker Citroën will brand vehicles that meet new 'green' criteria with "Airdream" badges.

Some of the criteria for Airdream vehicle certification includes carbon emissions of less than 120g/km, vehicles fitted with stop/start technology, and vehicles designed to be "95% recoverable" in terms of recycling and energy recovery.

Closer to home, Lexus is reporting an increase in sales for luxury hybrid models in Australia.

Lexus predicts that its hybrid sales will pass the 2000-mark later this year. It's first hybrid car was launched in 2006, the GS450h, which we have previously road tested and rated as a 4.5 Wombat car.

Currently the most popular Lexus hybrid is the RX 400h.

Lexus chief executive John Roca said that rising fuel prices were forcing a re-evaluation at all levels of the vehicle market.

"Increased sales of Lexus hybrid vehicles show that higher fuel prices are forcing a rethink of the vehicles we drive, even at the luxury end of the market," said Roca.

"While our customers can afford to pay more for petrol, the steep rise in fuel prices has sent a signal to everyone that oil is a finite resource. 

"Lexus hybrids are widely accepted as an alternative to traditional petrol or diesel-engined vehicles, delivering real world economy and emissions benefits," stated Mr Roca. He added that hybrid sales in Australia are at a point where demand, particularly in the luxury market, is outstripping supply.

"The biggest challenge we have in satisfying customer demand is restricted supply. Worldwide, Lexus is the only luxury manufacturer producing hybrid vehicles," said John Roca.

Related articles:
- Rising Fuel Costs: Cause & Effect (2008)
- Green Crude: Algae Biofuel (2008)
- Ethanol & E85 Issues (2007)
- Volvo Bioethanol 'Flexifuel' Cars (2007)