The car recently received the National Safety Mark from Transport Canada, approving its use in Canada, but each province has to legislate its use as a low-speed vehicle.

Transport Canada is updating the definition of electric low speed vehicles (LSVs) to allow manufacturers of small low-speed vehicle (LSV) trucks to begin to market them in Canada. (Earlier post.)

The Zenn—short for zero-emissions and no noise—can travel at a speed 40 kilometres an hour for more than 60 minutes at a time, ideal for going to the store, and plugs into an regular electrical outlet to recharge.

It retails between US$12,000 and $15,000 and can be driven legally in 45 of 50 US states, currently its primary destination. But the Toronto-based company doesn’t have a Canadian retail price because [CEO Ian] Clifford is still waiting on the provinces.

More than 200 Zenn cars have sold in the last 8 months, according to Clifford. The Zenn currently has six 12-volt batteries. The company has also made a US$2.5 million equity investment in Austin-based energy storage developer, EEStor. The negotiated investment terms also grant ZENN an additional investment option of up to US $5 million on the same terms, following EEStor’s successful completion of its next major milestone: permittivity testing.

EEStor is developing a new high-power-density ceramic ultracapacitor (the Energy Storage Unit—EESU). EEstor has publicly claimed a permittivity figure—a measurement of the ability of a material to store an electric charge&dmash;of 18,500 or more. The required permittivity levels are specified in detail in the existing Technology Agreement between ZENN Motor Company and EEStor. (Earlier post.)