Three-Wheeled Electric Zap Car – Solar Enhanced
December 27th, 2011
The Zap Xebra has an electric hum as it passes by. Riding on the inside is a lot louder, but a comfortable ride. Randy added 6 thirty watt solar panels which adds 180 watt charging capacity at full sun. He says the solar panels themselves won’t charge the car up if the batteries are very low, but they do help to maintain the charge during the day which extends the range by about 25%. On a full charge the car will go for about 20 miles – not much, but enough to get around Randy’s small town. They are planning on buying an all-electric Nissan Leaf for longer journeys. He bought the Zap Xebra new in California for $8500. Adding the solor panels brought the cost in just under $10000. With solar panels installed on their home, Randy and his wife have offset the cost of charging the Xebra. The car was built in China with the electronics asembled and installed in California. Randy points out that the car could easily be made in the United States, and he hopes his investment will help in a small way to spread that idea. Randy is certainly right in how people respond to the car. Everywhere we drove, people smiled and waved. Often we were stopped by inqusitive onlookers, and Randy was always happy to answer their questions. This seems like only the beginning of a green transportation evolution, but even this humble beginning left me with a good feeling as I rode around in a car that drew all its power from the sun and left no exhaust. Video Produced by Rasa at www.pelorian.com …
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Three-Wheeled Electric Zap Car – Solar Enhanced
