Zap Battles Tesla Motors for Vaporware Award

by Robert Farago

March 15th, 2008 8:06 AM

zap battles tesla motors for vaporware award

C/Net reports that Zap, failed smart importer and provider of the TTAC one-star Xebra electric vehicle, has big plans. Again. Still. Two years ago, Zap was trash talking about a luxury, all-electric SUV called the Zap-X. It was due, uh, now. Anyway, forget about that, for now (Zap says later, Dude). Zap is now busy hyping the three-wheeled Alias, supposedly set for production in 2009. Following the Tesla template for over-promising and under-delivering, Zap says the $30k Alias will top-out at 100mph and travel 150 miles on a single charge (or less, obviously). The Alias will "likely" come with a hybrid range extender: a small gas motor that can power the car or charge the battery. And just in case that doesn't sound totally Tesla-like, "Zap and China's Youngman Automotive Group , through a joint venture called Detroit Electric, will then follow up with an economy car, roughly coming out in 2010 or 2011, then a four-seater sedan similar in size and price to a Honda Civic. Subsequently, it will come out with a four-seater sedan that will compete in the Audi class." As if.

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4 of 6 comments

Rtz on Mar 15, 2008

Let's go back in time over ten years ago. http://www.megawattmotorworks.com/display.asp?dismode=article&artid=305 That company is still around.

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Paul Niedermeyer on Mar 15, 2008

rtz: (solectria) That company is still around. Not in making electric vehicles, they're not.

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Bill Wade on Mar 16, 2008
# L47_V8 : March 15th, 2008 at 9:44 am I should’ve nominated all independent electric car companies for the Lutz Award for talking out of their asses. And mainstream GM with their Volt is different how?

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on Mar 16, 2008

Sounds like they do a good job of copying Tesla's PR, at least.

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