ZAP Introduces All-Electric City Car

Jan. 1, 2020

2 min read

NEW VEHICLESZAP Introduces All-Electric City Car

NEW YORK CITY (April 24, 2006) - Innovative automaker ZAP - which according to the company stands for "zero air pollution" - unveiled its electric city car at the New York Auto Show. ZAP, in partnership with a Chinese automaker that produces the XEBRA vehicle, intends to fill the need for a gas-free, all-electric car that is both practical and affordable. ZAP Chairman Gary Starr stated, "We designed the XEBRA to be unlike anything else on the market."

ZAP's all-electric XEBRA has an MSRP of less than $10,000.
(Photo: ZAP)

ZAP says the vehicle is designed for urban, non-freeway driving. The car is ideal for households that want a fun, inexpensive vehicle for running errands around town, for municipal and corporate fleet use or for commuting to work within the city. Unlike the hybrids currently on the market in the United States, the ZAP XEBRA needs no gas at all - just plug it into any conventional outlet. The XEBRA will retail for under $10,000, with first deliveries in May 2006.

Yong Jiang, director of Business Development for ZAP shared some of the XEBRA's features, noting the primary benefit was that the all-electric powered XEBRA operating costs. Jiang said, "The XEBRA can be operated for approximately one-sixth of the cost of a comparable gasoline-powered vehicle." The vehicle is equipped with a standard lead-acid battery and onboard 110-volt charger - with a 220-volt charger, leather seats and a luggage rack available as options. In addition, the company is considering using a lithium-ion battery in the near future.

Jiang added that the fully charged XEBRA has a current range of 40 miles and can attain a top speed of 40 mph. A depleted battery can be recharged in six to eight hours (or 40 percent faster with a 220-volt charger), and the battery can be recharged 700 times - about three years of commuting to work and back - before needing replacement at a MRSP of near $1,000.

(Source: ZAP)