Feb 13, 2008, 7:56 GMT
Santa Rosa, California - The US electric car manufacturer ZAP has announced that it is planning to produce by 2009 an electric sports car for under 30,000 dollars.
The two-seater Zap Alias is said to have a top speed of over 250 km/h with two in-wheel engines producing an output of 320 hp. The range is listed at over 160 kilometres.
Acceleration from zero to 100 km/h is in six seconds. Two wheels are positioned in the front with one at the rear.
The British sports car maker Lotus Engineering is working with ZAP on the Alias. It is also helping Tesla to build an electric Roadster, which is set to begin production in March this year at the Lotus factory in England with a price tag of under 100,000 dollars.
According to ZAP, the idea of the Alias is to bring an affordable, highway-capable electric vehicle onto the market to capitalise on the growing interest in clean energy cars.
ZAP plans to present its progress on the Alias electric vehicle at North America's largest dealer conference, NADA, on February 9-12 in San Francisco.
Those motorists wanting to place an order can log in directly to ZAP's Internet site at: www.zapworld.com
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