Seeking to invest in environmental technologies, a trust fund based in Atlanta, Georgia has placed an initial order for 40 electric cars and trucks from ZAP (ZAAP.OB). The trust fund is setting up a dealership with ZAP to distribute the XEBRA (pronounced “zebra”) electric car and truck in the Atlanta area.
James Tucker, Executive Trustee, says ” We have interest from all over the Atlanta area — from city fleets, planned communities, law enforcement, major corporations, colleges — we expect orders for 2000 ZAP vehicles in the initial phase of our marketing.”
XEBRA is a “city-car” – an electric car priced around $10,000 that comes in a 4-door sedan or pickup truck with a convertible dump/flat bed. It plugs into a standard 110-volt outlet for a full charge in up to six hours and a 50 percent charge in 1.5 hours, and also has an optional solar charging panel. Fueling is estimated to cost 1-3 cents per mile, or about one-fifth that of gas vehicles.
The American Lung Association in 2005 listed Atlanta as having the ninth worst air pollution in the country. Studies show that electric cars can reduce automotive emissions by more than 90 percent, even including the emissions from power plants to recharge the vehicles.
ZAP is recruiting auto dealers across the country to form a distribution network to market electric cars and other forms of advanced transportation technologies. ZAP has 22 dealers listed on its website.