The Zenn automobile is an electric car made in Canada with sales of 200 cars in the USA for 2007.

The Zenn gets the equivalent of 245mpg and costs $12750-17600 if you are lucky enough to live where it’s approved for purchase.

Currently it cost approximately 80% less to fuel up your Zenn than a traditional car. This leads to less green house gas production and if your power is nuclear even less green house gases are produced. Along with the environmental benefits this car reduces dependency on middle eastern oil.

This car is made in Canada yet only British Columbia has made it legal to sell in Canada. Which is an almost unthinkable reality for Quebec where it is actually produced, as the CEO Ian Clifford laments.

The irony of being made in Canada and not being available for sale there is making for politcally embarrassing times. Politicians are being embarrassed into backing this vehicle but it is taking time as this typically occurs during periods of re-election. I’m sure Mr Clifford is thinking of moving to another country to set up production every time he is forced to fill up his gas powered car in Canada rather than plug in his own home made electric car. George Bush’s and local US state legislature’s policies on the environment appear to be putting Canada’s and Quebec’s to shame believe it or not.

Currently this car is classified as a NEV, ‘Neighborhood Electric Vehicle’ so it has speed limitations imposed on it of 25-35mph by law and is meant for slower speed neighborhoods or inner city areas with lots of traffic. There is a kit available online to reprogram the limit if you want a little extra and are willing to chance it. They hope to have a highway capable version out in 2009 and hopefully law makers will get behind them and raise their limits of 25-35mph to something a little more practical for city driving, 40-45mph would be plenty for the city where we often average 20mph or less in traffic. Why they aren’t allowed to drive as fast as a scooter boggles my mind, it’s infinitely more safe.

In April 2007, Zenn Motor bought a portion of EEstor, a company that claims to be developing a new battery offering much longer battery driving ranges between ‘fill ups’. Mainstream success rides on battery development for these electric vehicles. Currently only serious environmentalist’s are buying it in it’s current incarnation.

A typical ‘fill up’ involves plugging your car in, no special electrical outlet required. It can take 4hrs for an 80% charge and 8hrs for a full charge.

With most people using their cars for short trips of less than 30 miles this is looking like a practical alternative, or perhaps used as a second car for each household for shorter commutes. With the price of gas increasing every month I look forward to plugging my car in for a fill up using local coal or nuclear power, saving the environment, saving money and bringing the troops home, and then hopefully achieving some Zen.

Comments: + Add Rating and Comment

At 80% savings to fill up I'll be shopping for one when they bump the legal speed limit up to 40-45 mph in the city.

I reside in Wpg. Manitoba where our electricity is Hydro. For economical and non polluting reasons plus made in Canada this is a GO. Our premier has tabled a bill to allow Zenn cars to be on this provinces streets. Americans, enjoy electr

looking forward to the next model with higher speed limits, too bad our provincial Tory government here in Nova Scotia has not given it the green light yet