Tazzari releases more details on Zero electric city car by Noah Joseph on Feb 4th 2009 at 10:59AM Click above for a gallery of Zero images Back in the '50s, the Fiat 500 and the Piagio Vespa revolutionized motorized transport in Italy. The Tazzari Zero could be the next step, putting electric power in a stylish and affordable package available to the masses. We've been following the development of the Zero for a while now, but the Italian manufacturing concern, based near the Imola race circuit, has now released preliminary specifications on the compact city car. The zippy little two-door measures less than three meters (113.5") long and weighs less than 1,200 lbs; the Li-Ion Fe batteries account for 312 of those lbs. The vehicles, designed for urban transportation, can go 88 miles on a full charge that takes 9 hours to complete, but a fifty-minute lunch break will yield an 80 percent charge. Performance enthusiasts looking for a 0-60 time will be disappointed: the Zero doesn't have one. Top speed is only 56 mph, and the Zero will take a hair under five seconds to reach 31. That's significantly slower than a Vespa, so highway driving will be out of the question (For long-distance travel, Italy is developing a new high-speed train network). Tazzari hopes the Zero, which goes on sale in Europe and the Caribbean later this year with a 20,000-Euro price tag, will prove a popular mode of eco-friendly and affordable transportation around the world.
