New Electric Car Factory in China Produces First ZAP Xebra
24 October 2007
A new factory in the Shandong Province of China has rolled out the first of its ZAP Xebra sedans and pickups.
ZAP formed a joint venture with Shandong Jindalu Vehicle Company Ltd.—the manufacturer of the XEBRA electric micro-car which ZAP imports—in 2006. The joint venture involves the design and manufacture of a new generation of low-cost advanced transportation vehicles that run efficiently on gas, electricity, ethanol and other unspecified advanced technologies and fuels. (Earlier post.)
The new factory has the capacity to produce up to 4,000 vehicles per month, according to officials from ZAP and Shandong Jindalu Vehicle Company, Ltd. The previous facility had the manufacturing capacity to produce up to 1,000 vehicles a month.
ZAP has done what practically all the critics say is impossible. Electric cars and trucks are rolling off an assembly line and customers around the world are sending in orders faster than we can deliver.
—ZAP CEO Steve Schneider
The standard lead-acid battery-powered XEBRA has a single-charge range of 25 miles (40 km). ZAP has two XEBRAs in Denmark undergoing refinement with new lithium batteries and an advanced battery management system developed by Danish technology firm Lithium Balance. In January, ZAP signed an exclusive distribution agreement for the battery management system. (Earlier post.)
A ZAP article without comments from haters. What gives?
Anyway, I say congrats to them and I hope all the little Xebra fuglies find nice homes.
I'd encourage folks to click on the link and check out the slide show. I love the inflatable gold lions (or maybe dog demons) and red archways and flying lanterns. Good show.
Posted by: domenick | 25 October 2007 at 02:06 AM
A ZAP article without comments from haters.
I hate ZAP no more than I hate the Tooth Fairy or the Easter Bunny. If they were to ever actually have a product besides press releases, there might be cause for taking a side.
Posted by: jack | 25 October 2007 at 08:43 AM
jack: check the article again ... they have produced something besides paper.
Posted by: Neil | 25 October 2007 at 09:12 AM
jack: check the article again ... they have produced something besides paper.
Yes, I know. A blind squirrel found a nut.
Posted by: jack | 25 October 2007 at 09:25 AM
zap is all right, but 12000 dollars is a lot of money for a three wheel car when i can get a 2003 honda accord for the same price, with a 5spd I can hypermile that shittzle and get easily over 40 mpg like my hypermile star Wayne from cleanmpg.com
so right now the cost for EV is jokes when one wants to save money.
Posted by: philmcneal | 25 October 2007 at 02:52 PM
forgot to mention i'm sure an accord will hold up a crash better than a zap car anyday! It hurts to drive electric, as much as I love them.
Posted by: philmcneal | 25 October 2007 at 02:53 PM
@jack... I now it's frustrating that they haven't followed through on a lot of thier vehicle promises. I'm still waiting to see an Obvio. They have, though, sold a bunch of Xebras and scooters and such. So, it's not like they haven't produced anything. There seems to be lots going on with the forever promised ZAP-X now too and I think we'll actually see some for sale in a year from now if the testing goes reasonably smoothly.
Posted by: domenick | 25 October 2007 at 04:19 PM
@philmcneal: 12,000 is a lot of cash for a three wheel car like the Xebra and the Accord is definitely is more crashworthy (and superior in just about every way). But, for some, never stopping at a gas station again is priceless.
Posted by: domenick | 25 October 2007 at 04:24 PM
"But, for some, never stopping at a gas station again is priceless."
That is why I bought a prius taxi for 14000 instead of an accord for 12000, even though the warranty is toast on my prius I'm waiting for those A123 packs to become cheap and I'll drive to Ontario to get one retrofitted!
Can't wait! When the price drops to 5000 a conversion I'll consider, which I assume that price includes government incentives.
Although 55 km/h max ev speed is pretty hurting though, albeit I can use the extra capacity to assist the engine anyways since its either 1500 rpm - 2300 rpm or bust (kill the engine), since I got SO MANY HILLS HERE IN BEAUTIFUL BRITISH COLUMBIA THE CURRENT 1.3 KWH PACK IS ****ING WEAK YO.
Although technically MG1 can overspin beyond its 6500 rpm limit, toyo is just too ****y to reflash our ECU's and allow us to milk the current HSD prius until it can barely move anymore.
NOOOOOO we all have to buy new bodystyles, no wonder the ****ing planet is dying.
Posted by: philmcneal | 25 October 2007 at 07:04 PM
also to consider there needs to be a good link between battery juice and weight.
take this one for example that Wayne the class A hypermiler actually took this into account.
Yaris vs Prius for hill fuel economy
yaris 2300 pounds, 20 mpg to climb the hill, and then going down for unlimited mpg assuming your using the engine off coasting technique and restart with 5spd manual clutch = good mpg
prius with 3000 pounds 10 mpg to climb the hill, and then going down for unlimited mpg BUT battery gets full already, UH OH better waste all that extra energy and throw it away (ICE SPIN HEAVEN)
yes the 1.3 KHW pack does suck, it gets filled way too easily, now if the pack was 5 KWH then... maybe the yaris would win in this case.
Posted by: philmcneal | 25 October 2007 at 07:07 PM
er i meant PRIUS, when the prius is 500 pounds heavier and when going down gains no benifits vs the yaris then technically that makes the Prius the gas guzzler!
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Posted by: arash | 23 April 2008 at 05:06 AM
I think zap has more potential then most. considering the fact that a repo company is a backing company for zap i would say they have lots of money. this could also explain why their financial s are so waver y.
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