Zoomi Life

Ever wonder if you can get an all-electric Hummer, Bentley estate car, or Cadillac Escalade? The price would probably require your first born and a long-term covenant with the Devil. Right? Maybe not.

The Electric Car Company of Long Beach sells every electric get-around vehicle you can imagine and has all of the above-mentioned models and many more. They’re golf carts, but still…

This is probably the coolest thing I’ve seen in quite a while. Of course, the company also has standard golf carts and industrial electrics, but who wants that? They do have an electric four-wheeler (aka ATV), though, which I’ve always been interested in seeing.

In fact, their little Canadian EV truck with the dump bed is tempting too. There’s an eGo scooter, but I’m not big on those. They sell a full line of ZAP! vehicles too, though I doubt I’d be caught dead in one of those things. Except the pickup trucks.

In my opinion, though, the coolest thing they have are the California Roadster line of EVs. These are some killer rides. I mean, who wouldn’t want one of these rigs with flames going down the sides and awesome, Dick Tracy styling?

Now the problem here is the price tag. None of these things are really all that cheap. With the exception of the stuff that’s cheap because no one wants it, of course.

What matters, though, is that the ideas are there. How long before these go national? Some of these brands and models are already available throughout North America, so it’s probably just a matter of time. Those cars are cool enough that I’m tempted to hitch the trailer up and drive the 2,000 miles out to Long Beach just to get one. Probably my mid-life crisis coming on.

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CarAndDriver.com announced yesterday that it believes that Mini, maker of the much-loved Mini Cooper, might be planning to release an electric version of the Cooper as early as 2009.

The source of the rumor comes from a set of photos captured of the latest Mini Cooper test vehicle. As can be seen from the CarAndDriver.com photos, several details point to the fact that this vehicle might be an all-electric car: first, there’s no tailpipe on the vehicle- this alone is a huge giveaway. Secondly, the ‘HYBRID Erprobungsfahrzeug’ (literally ‘hybrid vehicle testing’) stickers on the car were probably placed there for safety reasons during testing (high-voltage batteries require heightened caution from emergency responders) as well as to throw auto journalists off the scent.

For a full report, see the CarAndDriver.com post.

While other industries are languishing, the electric vehicle industry is growing at a never-before-seen pace. Electric vehicle maker ZAP, headquartered in Santa Rosa, CA. has expanded it’s workforce by more than 30% this year as a result of increased demand for it’s electric vehicles.

“While most U.S. automakers are laying off workers and facing declining sales, ZAP is experiencing record growth,” said CEO Steve Schneider. “We are proud that ZAP is one of the few companies selling cost-effective, plug-in transportation today.” He added that ZAP is launching new electric vehicles this quarter.

ZAP announced that it had set an unaudited sales record of $737,000 in August - that’s an increase of 88% over the same period last year. ZAP indicated that the increase was due mostly to increased demand for its Xebra electric Sedans and trucks.

About ZAP

ZAP has been a leader in electric transportation since 1994, delivering over 100,000 vehicles to consumers in more than 75 countries. Currently, ZAP manufactures a line of electric vehicles, including electric city-cars and trucks, electric motorcycles, electric scooters, electric bicycles, and electric ATVs. ZAP sells one of the only electric city-cars and trucks in production today and is developing a high-performance electric vehicle called the ZAP Alias. The Company recently announced a strategic partnership with Dubai-based Al Yousuf Group to expand its international vehicle distribution. For product, dealer and investor information, visit http://www.zapworld.com.

This Post via MarketWatch

And here’s another company announcing plans for an electric car. Range Rover, maker of luxury off-road vehicles, has announced it’s own electric car, and it’s not going to be cheap - $200,000 - but you will of course get all the primo luxury features of a Range Rover in this vehicle.

The car will have also have solar panels on the roof to charge the batteries when they get low and will also power many of the electrical systems.

Range Rover hasn’t released any details about how fast their electric Range Rover will go, but they are claiming a 200 mile range.

Via GlobalMotors.net

Not to be outdone by General Motors and it’s announcement of the Volt electric car, Chrysler has announced today that it has several “production-intent electric vehicles” in the works.

The ENVI Range Extended Electric Vehicle line includes a Lotus-bodied Dodge electric-powered two-seat sports car that Chrysler intends to put on North American roads in late 2010 and European roads shortly thereafter.

There’s also a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited extended-range electric vehicle capable of off-roading and a Chrysler Town & Country minivan extended-range electric.

Like GM, Chrysler is dealing with a technology that isn’t quite ready for prime-time. Chrysler is currently working with “four or five” out of the dozen lithium-ion battery companies to have something ready by 2010. Chrysler is also working with Lotus on a pure electric sports car, but doesn’t yet have an agreement to co-produce the car.

All three models are roughly at the same point in development, Chrysler says, so any one of them could be the first to go on sale in 2010.

Via HybridCars and MotorTrend

Yet another American car company is jumping onto the Electric Car bandwagon.

Chrysler announced today that it would be unveiling it’s own electric car, according to the Wall Street Journal. This electric car, similar to the Volt unveiled last week, is rumored to have a 40 mile travel range on battery power alone. Like the Volt, it will use a small gasoline engine to recharge the batteries and provide power to the vehicle when the charge runs out.

This kind of car, also called a range-extended electric vehicle, has advantages over fully electric cars, say advocates. First, the battery pack is smaller. Because batteries are one of the most expensive parts of electric cars, this should bring down the price. General Motors plans to sell its Volt for around $40,000. Yes, that’s more than a Chevy Malibu, but less than a Tesla Roadster.

Wall Street Journal via GreenTechMedia

After his workday at Denver Wastewater, John McLinden rides his electric bike 6 miles to his home in northwest Denver. Watch »

At the beginning of the summer, John McLinden had a problem. Actually, make that two or three problems.

The 59-year-old Denver resident wanted to get some exercise.

He was annoyed at high gas prices.

He was also committed to finding a greener way to commute six miles to work as a plumbing-inspection supervisor at Denver Wastewater.

However, the obvious solution - riding a bicycle - was out of the question.

“I’ve got problems in both knees. Pedaling a regular bike was too painful,” McLinden said.

He discovered the answer online: a power-assisted bicycle, or “e-bike.”

An e-bike is not a motorcycle, a moped, a scooter or a Vespa. It’s a hybrid electric vehicle that looks very much like a standard bicycle.

Read more at Rocky Mountain News

General Motors looks for a jolt from electric Volt from PhysOrg.com
General Motors Corp. honored its past and put the spotlight on its future Tuesday rolling out the production version of the new electric Volt as celebrated its centennial.
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Nissan Motor unveils new prototype electric car from PhysOrg.com
Nissan Motor Co. unveiled a new prototype electric vehicle Wednesday with batteries twice as powerful as conventional technology, aiming to take a lead in zero-emission cars.
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