New ultra lightweight car: 150 mpg claimed

well that is all part of why i am buying it. i will provide a few threads on my thoughts. i want EV's to prosper but not ones that deserve it. does the Zenn deserve to be promoted to Priuschat??

dont know that. but i will be documenting as much as i can including estimated electricity used, stated range verses real world, hill climbing, battery longevity (eventually. Zenn does come with all encompassing 3 year warantee on battery replacment) etc...

i guess i have volunteered to be the Zenn guinea pig

 

well that is all part of why i am buying it. i will provide a few threads on my thoughts. i want EV's to prosper but not ones that deserve it. does the Zenn deserve to be promoted to Priuschat??

dont know that. but i will be documenting as much as i can including estimated electricity used, stated range verses real world, hill climbing, battery longevity (eventually. Zenn does come with all encompassing 3 year warantee on battery replacment) etc...

i guess i have volunteered to be the Zenn guinea pig

 

well that is all part of why i am buying it. i will provide a few threads on my thoughts. i want EV's to prosper but not ones that deserve it. does the Zenn deserve to be promoted to Priuschat??

dont know that. but i will be documenting as much as i can including estimated electricity used, stated range verses real world, hill climbing, battery longevity (eventually. Zenn does come with all encompassing 3 year warantee on battery replacment) etc...

i guess i have volunteered to be the Zenn guinea pig

*edit*

oops.i guess i mean that i dont want EV's that dont measure up to be promoted

 

I figured out your "oops." But if it doesn't deserve promotion, then bashing it on PriusChat would be OK! I looked around their site, and they have video demo. For the most part it's useful, but it made me laugh aloud when they showed the Zenn do a little bit of weaving in a parking lot while they talked about its agility. It looked like a clown car doing that dance!

Not that I'm skeptical. I'd love for my next vehicle to be a tiny thing like that... or even an electric scooter. Then my Prius will officially be my SUV. Seriously, people thinking they need overly large vehicles could be fixed by lowering the average size of vehicles to something very small.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daniel @ Oct 8 2007, 06:26 PM) [snapback]522836[/snapback]</div>

I see nothing impractical about this car. If you want a 150 mpg car it cannot look like todays automobile. It will need to be aerodynamic. These means it will be very low to the ground which. That means that traditional doors will not work unless you plan to crawl into the car. I see the forward opening door as a very elegant solution to a technical problem.

 

I checked out the Zenn.
It has a maximum speed of 25 MPH. I'm afraid that is within the golf cart range.

I used to have a moped that went 30 MPH and that always seemed slow to me. I always felt like I wanted to push it faster.

 

This car is way cool, but do they have to ruin it by making it a yucky stinky diesel? Ugh. I don't care how high the mpg are in a diesel engine, it's far more poluting and foul than a gas engine. I cough and get an imediate monstrous headache from the exhaust when a diesel goes by, but not when a gas engine goes by. I believe my lungs and aching brain cells are telling me something.....

They should turn this new car into either a full EV or a (gas) hybrid, IMO.

 

the 35 mph conversion is available for all Zenn models. you need to check with your state since many dont allow NEV's to go faster than 25. mine will do 35 mph and the State of WA allows it

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Kablooie @ Oct 8 2007, 09:24 PM) [snapback]522976[/snapback]</div>

There is one you can buy: The Zap Xebra. There are now three in Spokane alone. It's a city car. Top speed 40 mph. (It's not a NEV so the NEV speed limits do not apply to the Xebra.) Range from 17 to 45 miles depending on the battery pack you put in it. I get 45 miles on a charge. It won't go on the freeway, but in town it keeps right up with the flow of traffic.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DaveinOlyWA @ Oct 9 2007, 07:28 AM) [snapback]523104[/snapback]</div>

No need to estimate the electricity. Get yourself a Kill-a-Watt meter (available from Amazon, and maybe at your local hardware store) and you'll know exactly how many kwh you are using, as well as how many amps you are drawing during charging, your line voltage, etc.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Kablooie @ Oct 9 2007, 07:48 PM) [snapback]523406[/snapback]</div>

In Washington State, the limit for NEV's is now 35 mph. This is a very recent change. Enthusiasts are pushing for this in other states as well. But in some states the limit is still 25 mph, and I agree that this is too slow for most city driving. That's why the Zap Xebra is the EV of choice today, with its 40 mph top speed, as noted above. (Putting larger rear tires on it gives it a top speed of 45 mph, at the cost of slightly less acceleration: basically it increases the gear ratio.)

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Starbug @ Oct 9 2007, 07:51 PM) [snapback]523412[/snapback]</div>

I agree 100%. I don't care what they say about the newer diesel technology. Diesel is filthy. I would not buy one even if it was a 150-mpg hybrid.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Ichabod @ Oct 9 2007, 04:29 PM) [snapback]523266[/snapback]</div>

:lol: :lol: Clown Car :lol: :lol:

Im still guessing a semi would blow it off of the road with the wind turbulence when passing..

Hmm I wonder if they could pipe in the clown music? :lol:


I don't care what they say about the newer diesel technology. I would buy one if it was a 150-mpg hybrid thats the size of the Camry.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DaveinOlyWA @ Oct 9 2007, 07:54 PM) [snapback]523418[/snapback]</div>

Whoa, they have a 35mph conversion?! Well now, that makes the car potentially far more useful then it is at 25mph (not useful). Do post a write-up of how you like it, what sucks, what rocks, and the general quality of materials used in it. I may be interested in a few years (need job without freeway travel, and closer to home, first). I forget, what's the range on the Zenn?

 

would not have done it at 25 mph... could got something at that speed for nearly half the price. as far as the kill o watt meter, daniel, got my UPS tracking numbrer for it this morning, should be here waaaay before the car is unfortunately.

i am pretty excited about the whole thing. i test drove one in downtown seattle which included a pretty steep hill climb, it slowed a bit but around here all the steep hills are 25 moh or less and was able to do that ok.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daniel @ Oct 10 2007, 07:45 AM) [snapback]523578[/snapback]</div>

Amen!

<rant> One can always, without fail, smell out a diesel long before they can see it. Diesel should be banned from all cars, with the possible exception of semis that need the enormous torque a diesel engine provides to get themselves moving. I'm not sure if a gas engine would have what it takes to run a semi, so those guys may be exempt....but regular cars/trucks/SUVs don't need a diesel! </end rant>

....can you tell I hate diesels?