If these become available in Canada, I will buy one...

[89coupe]

http://www.zenncars.com/

Watch the Rick Mercer video on it.

[ercchry]

um arnt they MADE in canada? why would they not be available here?

EDIT: nvm watched the video

[Redlyne_mr2]

I couldnt find the range for the battery on their site. Sort of sucks that you cant take them on the highway either but theyre a great price nonetheless.

[djayz]

yah no highway driving kind of sucks.

I wonder if it even moved after all that beer was loaded up :rofl:

[djayz]

Originally posted by Redlyne_mr2
I couldnt find the range for the battery on their site. Sort of sucks that you cant take them on the highway either but theyre a great price nonetheless.

In the second video it states that the range is 35miles per full charge :zzz: and 0-25mph in just under 10 seconds
4 hours to charge to 80% and 8 hours for a full charge.

This would be good to get to work and back if its close. But if theres traffic and you run out of juice you're screwed :rofl:

[pome902]

Id buy one.

[Xtrema]

It's cool, I would buy one but not for $12K and not in the land of SUV's.

[89coupe]

It would be strictly for city use. I think its a great idea. I would save a shit load of money on gas.

[Mr_ET]

can't watch the vid at work but if it's what I'm thinking about this is made in Quebec somewhere and our government is blocking them from offering it here for stupid reasons.

This model is not my cup of tea but if they made something that looks a bit more like a sports car and it has a good range of mobility, this might become very interesting!

[300zxfairlday]

Those are so coooolll

[Canmorite]

Maybe as a second vehicle, but theres no way I would use it as a primary. 40 miles...pff.

I love the 'saving the environment' aspect of it too. The electricity used to charge that car most likely came from coal fired generators :rofl:

[pome902]

Wind power baby j/k most likey ... coal =D

[01RedDX]

.

[ExtraSlow]

they would be a great second car for a family. I'd buy one, since most of my trips are only a few kms.
really, you could buy a kia or a yaris for pretty similar prices, but this thing is cooler. I've got gas guzzling vehicles when I want them.

[Hakkola]

Originally posted by 89coupe
It would be strictly for city use. I think its a great idea. I would save a shit load of money on gas.

Yeah, you'll just have a higher electricity bill.

I'm sick of this zero emissions B.S, where do people think electricity comes from?

[89coupe]

Originally posted by Hakkola


Yeah, you'll just have a higher electricity bill.

I'm sick of this zero emissions B.S, where do people think electricity comes from?

Why?

I would charge it during the day at a parkade downtown...LOL:rofl:

[Antonito]

Originally posted by Hakkola

I'm sick of this zero emissions B.S, where do people think electricity comes from?

Potentially (or in the case of places like Vancouver, currently) from far more enviro friendly sources, which will never be the case for gas powered engines. I agree, if you live where the only power supply comes from coal, it's not a very good idea. But if/when better alternatives are created, well then you're sitting pretty

[Weapon_R]

Buy a hyundai accent for 9995. Anyone who pays 17k for this would be an idiot.

[89coupe]

Its not just the gas pollution, but the noise pollution.

Can you imagine an entire city full of electric cars? Wouldn't that be a weird sound?

A silent city. How cool.

[Zephyr]

25MPH regulated?! Wow, at least I'll never get a speeding ticket

[Eleanor]

Originally posted by 89coupe


Why?

I would charge it during the day at a parkade downtown...LOL:rofl:

Too bad you would've had a hummer h2 plow into you while doing 130km/h on the deerfoot before you got to work.

Seriously? 25mph and 35 mile range? :thumbsdow Why bother even releasing it?

[2002civic]

it's a glorified golf cart

[rage2]

Originally posted by 89coupe
Its not just the gas pollution, but the noise pollution.

Can you imagine an entire city full of electric cars? Wouldn't that be a weird sound?

A silent city. How cool.
Not cool at all. People would be able to hear me fart. That would suck if I can't sneak one out walking around.

[Weapon_R]

Originally posted by Eleanor


Too bad you would've had a hummer h2 plow into you while doing 130km/h on the deerfoot before you got to work.

Seriously? 25mph and 35 mile range? :thumbsdow Why bother even releasing it?

They already have much better electric cars available. In the States, you can see them advertised in malls with better mileage and a decent top speed for a lot less than 17k.

[pome902]

all you could hear is peoples music ! than we'd have music pollution ... and rage farting lol

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by Zephyr
25MPH regulated?! Wow, at least I'll never get a speeding ticket

It's not like it couldn't be faster. By not going over 25mph, it can be classify as scooter and hence avoid crash standards.

Love to see crash testing of these Zenns.

Sounds like a bunch of people exploiting green movement by selling death traps.

[01RedDX]

.

[gpomp]

nobody here is going to buy one. just like how nobody will buy a hyundai genesis...

[Destinova403]

http://clubs.ccsu.edu/Recorder/editorial/editorial_item.asp?NewsID=188

its about the prius but the points about batteries are valid... regardless... as cool as it is, i cant see any practical use for it in calgary. no matter where i go, i need to go faster than 35 MPH.

[Gibson]

Originally posted by Destinova403
[url] no matter where i go, i need to go faster than 35 MPH.

25MPH, as it would be.

Really can't wait for the Tesla sedan. I've read it will have a 250km range, and since the Roadster is so freaking fast you know it's possible in an electric.

[TegLover]

Originally posted by Hakkola


Yeah, you'll just have a higher electricity bill.

I'm sick of this zero emissions B.S, where do people think electricity comes from?

umm what are windmills, solar cells and hydro dams for then? Last i checked those don't create emission.

[JGerke]

and if teg lover took a look at the way electricity is generated in Alberta he would realize that all the baseload is coal fired and the peak load is almost entirely gas fired. Alberta has next to zero in hydro and wind. Plus wind is basically useless at providing peak energy.....

POS if you ask me, in a city like Calgary or pretty much any Canadian city, you cannot get around driving that slow.

[MaLwa]

I wonder if you attach an amp to the motor would it boost the max speed?

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by JGerke
POS if you ask me, in a city like Calgary or pretty much any Canadian city, you cannot get around driving that slow.

Vancouver and Toronto Metro can. But engine shutdown will probably be better.

And for $17K? I rathe pay another $10 for a Civic Hybrid. Or one of the future plug in hybrids.

[ExtraSlow]

Civic hybrid's start at $26k according to Honda canada website.
The Prius starts at $29.5k.

[Syph3r]

They can easily make electric cars faster and longer range, however for them to meet crash ratings or to be cheap enough to compete with gas power it's just not practical right now.

Give it a couple years and electric power will become much more feasible. Right now its virtually usless.

[ExtraSlow]

Batteries are the largest limiting factor on electric cars. There are advances being made in battery technology, but we may be five, ten or twenty years from seeing those in commercial production.

[403Gemini]

For an electric car i think id go with the chev volt before the ZENN... But at the end of the day i wouldnt drive either

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/41/Chevrolet-Volt-DC.jpg/800px-Chevrolet-Volt-DC.jpg

[mx73someday]

Would charging the car from the grid be more cost effective than driving a small gas car? Emissions don't really matter to me, I care more about saving money. I personally wouldn't drive one unless it could at least do 110km/h.

The Hummer argument seems silly to me, how much protection does a motorcycle offer? The reason small electric cars aren't on the road has nothing to do with safety, it's because Transport Canada is working for the big manufacturers, they care only about roadblocking free trade.

It seems to be a common complaint that Transport Canada officials mislead Canadian car manufacturers, they misinterpret their own regulations and contradict themselves to effectively stop any businesses that aren't big businesses:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PiyVd_4s_4

Wouldn't it be a good thing if a Canadian electric car company created more manufacturing jobs? You'd think the government would do everything it could to help get these businesses going, instead they do everything they can to stop them from even starting.

If you want an alternative to what we have now, consider getting a 15 year old Kei car. My car gets 400km on 20 liters of premium.

[Mazstyle]

Originally posted by mx73someday

If you want an alternative to what we have now, consider getting a 15 year old Kei car. My car gets 400km on 20 liters of premium.

Good point. It's too bad most of north america doesn't realize Japan was doing their versions of the smart cars/tata nano's 20 years ago...

[FilthyMcNasty]

id hope insurance for that car would be cheap as fuck considering you can only go so fast. or should i say go so slow...

[The Cosworth]

double post

[The Cosworth]

Originally posted by djayz


In the second video it states that the range is 35miles per full charge :zzz: and 0-25mph in just under 10 seconds
4 hours to charge to 80% and 8 hours for a full charge.

This would be good to get to work and back if its close. But if theres traffic and you run out of juice you're screwed :rofl:

you wouldn't be burning battery power sitting in traffic unless your cranking the radio. so as long as you can get to work and back in the distance it shouldnt matter how long you sit.

I would probably buy one as I live about 4 km from work

[zarge]

the problem is that we generate the bulk of our power in alberta with coal.. you're still polluting the environment.

[kenny]

Originally posted by rage2

Not cool at all. People would be able to hear me fart. That would suck if I can't sneak one out walking around.

Amen! :rofl:

[Hash_man]

I personally don't care much for the zenn cars... trying to classify them as they are, it appears to me that they are just trying to get around safety standards and such, however the government does appear to be dicking them around on getting them on the roads.

But I mean hell.. Electric cars have been done before, and were pretty successful until the manufacturers pulled them off the road and crushed them all. The AV1 might have been more expensive, and a GM lol... but it was quick 80mph top speed and 0-60 in 8 seconds... would be pretty realistic for a daily driver car and city commuting.

If you really are interested in electric cars, I reccomend watching the movie "who killed the electric car?" I found it quite interesting.

http://www.ev1.org/after3.jpg

http://www.carsareevil.com/images/gm_ev1.jpg

[redline]

Originally posted by gpomp
nobody here is going to buy one. just like how nobody will buy a hyundai genesis...

lol soooooooo true :rofl: :rofl:

[retro-steve]

How about hydrogen power? Has that been completely abandoned? Doesn't anyone watch F1 and see those hydrogen 7-series BMW commercials? once it's possible to store hydrogen in mass quantities and deliver it properly ("gas" stations) I think it'll be better than electric. Right now hydrogen storage and fueling is complete crap, if you go to the Victoria museum all their flashlights for security/staff are hydrogen powered, but the refueling station for those little flashlights is massive in comparison and quite complicated to use.

As for this car: I think it's a POS, it's like the G-Wizz that they bash so much on Top Gear. They cheaped out and made a crappy dollar-store battery car to capture the market of middle-class 20-something yuppies that think they're so great because they drive an over-grown golf cart, compost their own feces and work on their laptops in Starbucks with sweaters draped around their shoulders or tied around their waist.

The Tesla Roadster looks way more awesome and definately a step in the right direction for an electric car.

[Xtrema]

Once we have diesel in every gas station, hydrogen will be 20 years after that.

It's great concept but oil will need to go much higher before it's viable.

[Hash_man]

Originally posted by retro-steve
How about hydrogen power? Has that been completely abandoned? Doesn't anyone watch F1 and see those hydrogen 7-series BMW commercials? once it's possible to store hydrogen in mass quantities and deliver it properly ("gas" stations) I think it'll be better than electric. Right now hydrogen storage and fueling is complete crap, if you go to the Victoria museum all their flashlights for security/staff are hydrogen powered, but the refueling station for those little flashlights is massive in comparison and quite complicated to use.

As for this car: I think it's a POS, it's like the G-Wizz that they bash so much on Top Gear. They cheaped out and made a crappy dollar-store battery car to capture the market of middle-class 20-something yuppies that think they're so great because they drive an over-grown golf cart, compost their own feces and work on their laptops in Starbucks with sweaters draped around their shoulders or tied around their waist.

The Tesla Roadster looks way more awesome and definately a step in the right direction for an electric car.

The auto industry and everyone has been saying Hydrogen powered cars are 10 years away for the past 15 years lol... It will still take a looong time for that to happen. Besides, hydrogen fuel cell cars are nowhere near as efficient as electric cars, and getting hydrogen fueling stations set up will take forever, and very unlikely that it will happen any time soon.

[zarge]

The point of that conversation is pointless because the rate china and asia are expanding in the amount of vehicles exponentially is 5x the rate of north americans rate. By the time hydrogen is available readily in NA asia will have the equivalent amount of cars and will still be growing faster and faster. They don't have the cash to buy new technology. I believe China alone is expected to have 120 million cars by 2020, wait until 2040. People in North America need to remember we're 5% of the world, stop trying to save it with technology that can't be afforded by 70% of the world (second/third world countries) who are going to drastically overcome our usage in the next 50 years. I guess that's the ploy though, make some new fancy car for rich north american people who know nothing about the rest of world so they can brag to their friends how they're so great for buying a hydrogen/electric car. Of course the makers just want to make money as well. Welcome to the NAs new religion, money. We don't need churches anymore.

[sputnik]

Top speed of 25 mph?

I would rather walk.

Where could you practically drive at that speed without getting constantly honked at or flipped off by passing motorists?

[Gripenfelter]

If you guys read the website you'll see they are coming out with a 125 kph model very soon. 250 mile range and 5 mins to recharge.

[Eleanor]

Originally posted by Gripenfelter
If you guys read the website you'll see they are coming out with a 125 kph model very soon. 250 mile range and 5 mins to recharge.

When (if) that ever happens, I might give a shit.

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by Gripenfelter
If you guys read the website you'll see they are coming out with a 125 kph model very soon. 250 mile range and 5 mins to recharge.

The EEstor battery is interesting. Toyota may be skippng LiIon for these type of advances.

But 5min recharge will require a special station. No house hold plug can handle that.

[4bier]

hook up a sub & amp decent stereo......= 8 mph for ten feet:thumbsup:

[bspot]

I've posted up the chart on this before, but charging an electric car from 100% coal power (worst case scenario) is still much more efficient than the best gas engine out there.

Big power plants are much more efficient than small internal combustion engines.

[403Gemini]

Originally posted by bspot
I've posted up the chart on this before, but charging an electric car from 100% coal power (worst case scenario) is still much more efficient than the best gas engine out there.

Big power plants are much more efficient than small internal combustion engines.

True, but they're not as fun... unless it's a Tesla...

[e36bmw///]

nm

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by e36bmw///
they need solar panels on there to recharge the car
layer the car with solar panels that resemble CF haha

Expect your roof to be stolen for the panels.