Feel Good Cars Introduces the ZENN

7 May 2006

States with LSV legislation. Source: Feel Good Cars

Feel Good Cars is unveiling the all-new ZENN (Zero Emission No Noise) luxury electric Low Speed Vehicle (LSV) at the Clean Cities Congress and Expo 2006 in Phoenix. (Earlier post.)

A fully-enclosed LSV or NEV (Neighborhood Electric Vehicle), the ZENN has a curb weight of 1,280 pounds (581 kg) and is powered by six 12V heavy-duty valve-regulated sealed lead-acid AGM batteries and a 3.7 kW front-wheel drive electric motor. The car currently has a top speed of 25 mph (40 km/h), and a range of approximately 35 miles (approximately 56 km). A full recharge takes 8 to 9 hours, 80% rechargeable in four hours.

LSVs are a class of vehicle created by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) allowing vehicles to travel on roads marked 35 mph or less, at a maximum speed of 25 mph. Forty-five states plus the District of Columbia in the United States have some level of legislation permitting LSV use.

The markets for the ZENN include drivers in planned communities, urban core commuters, drivers who participate in car-sharing programs, users on university or corporate campuses, communities on islands, environmentally sensitive areas such as parks and car rental companies.

The ZENN is also intended for fleet- and environmentally-focused buyers, as well as inner-city dwellers who need protection from the elements and something more versatile than a scooter but not a gas-guzzling high-speed car. Each 100 miles driven in a ZENN displaces three gallons of gasoline and eliminates more than 60 pounds of CO₂ emissions, according to Feel Good Cars.

By driving a ZENN you cut emissions, not comfort or performance. With its European styling and appointments, you also don’t have to give up style to feel good while you drive.

—Ian Clifford, CEO of Feel Good Cars

Feel Good Cars has worldwide exclusive rights to purchase EEStor’s new Energy Storage Unit—a high-power-density ceramic ultracapacitor—for the small vehicle market and golf carts (up to 100 HP and 1,200 kg curb weight).

The EEStor ESU is projected to offer up to 10x the energy density (volumetric and gravimetric) of lead-acid batteries at the same cost. In addition, the ESU is projected to store up to 1.5 to 2.5 times the energy of Li-Ion batteries at 12 to 25% of the cost.

EEStor recently informed FGC that it continues on schedule in the commercialization of the ESU. FGC is up to date and current with its commitments to EEStor Inc. with the next milestone consisting of independent 3rd party verification of EEStor’s technology, expected during the summer of 2006.