ZENN Motor Company, the Toronto-based electric car manufacturer, has recently been granted use of Transport Canada's National Safety Mark. Its vehicle now meets and/or exceeds all noise and emission standards for Canada's low-speed vehicle class. ZENN needed this safety approval in order to sell its vehicles in Canada. Of the ten provinces and three territories, only British Columbia currently has low-speed vehicle regulations in place. Consumers across the country now have more options when shopping for a small, environmentally-friendly vehicle. Zero-emission cars such as the one developed by ZENN might help us meet our national greenhouse gas reduction targets. Driving a ZENN vehicle results in a 77-percent net reduction in CO2 emissions when recharging the batteries through traditional energy sources. And when renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power are used, the ZENN is 100-percent pollution-free. The company will be working with several provinces, including Quebec and Ontario, to develop on-road regulations for low-speed vehicles with a range of up to 60 kilometers. Source: Auto123.com
This isn't much: http://www.qc.ec.gc.ca/dpe/travelalternati...lletin_3_dec_01 Here's a Q&A: http://carp.ca/display.cfm?cabinetID=263&a...documentID=2737 The thing is, it's a 2 seater just like the Insight and the smart fortwo although it seems longer than either of them. 56km range is a bit shorter but again it is a NEV. There is an upgrade battery pack though. I have no idea how it compares to the Xebra.
I would seriously consider one as a second car if the laws were amended to allow them to go 40 MPH. As it is now, the top speed is just too restrictive for most city driving. If I were king, I would decree a new standard . . . a City Electric Vehicle (CEV). 1) Must meet the same equipment requirements as NEVs. (lights, brakes, crash worthiness, weight, etc.) 2) Governed to a top speed of 40 MPH, thereby allowing it on any city street with a posted speed limit of 50 MPH or less. 3) For added safety, the addition of full front and side airbags. Build one of those, I'd be the first in line at the dealer.
A CEV sounds like a better concept than a NEV. 25mph is quite slow. Heck, I wouldn't even be able to take it to school cause there's a short 4km 80km/h "highway" that leads to the campus. I certainly would not like to drive on the shoulder (since that's where the cyclists ride). A 30km range won't do either since it's almost exactly 30km to school and back. I wonder how it'll do on SF's hills.
I sat in/rolled around a parking lot in a ZENN, nice and comfortable and appears to work perfectly for what its marketed to do. Are they limited in speed due to safety requirements or not enough range/power? Didn't realize it was possibly due to laws and not just capability.
i have one. just got it. i did get the 35 mph upgrade (fastest allowed by WA State law for NEV's). it is very roomy for front passengers. the first one sold in WA state was bought by City of Tumwater and i saw it driven by a guy who had to be at least 6'5". he was a big guy. his job is checking water meters, so he is either VERY tired of the Zenn or it provides him enough room to be comfortable. there is also a guy in CA who cracked the software code and got his Zenn to do 41 mph... my dealer is checking out the reliability of the crack and hopefully, i will be able to get that installed as well.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DaveinOlyWA @ Nov 10 2007, 09:16 AM) [snapback]537697[/snapback]</div> Congrats on the Zenn . Unfortunately, for my needs, the 25 MPH just doesn't cut it. I would be too restricted where I could go in Sacramento. 40/41 would be much better for my needs, even if it reduced the range by half. But still, driving a hacked Zenn on a road posted over 35 MPH would still be illegal, and without all around airbags, probably a deathtrap. King Patrick demands a CEV specification!
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DaveinOlyWA @ Nov 10 2007, 11:13 AM) [snapback]537735[/snapback]</div> It's not whether or not the vehicle can do the speed, it is whether the vehicle can do the speed in a manner which is safe for both the occupants and the general public. 1) Is the vehicle crash worthy for that increased speed? 2) Are the brakes, which were designed for 25 MPH, capable of stopping the vehicle doing 40+ in the distance mandated by law? 3) Are the headlights adequate for the job? 4) Are the windshield wipers adequate? Etc. Etc. Etc. But to answer your question . . . NO. It is not legal to drive a NEV on a Washington State road posted above 35 MPH . . . even if it can do the speed. http://apps.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=46.61.725 And except for Kansas, where 40 MPH road access is allowed, the 36 other states which allow NEVs on their roadways limit access to roads posted 35 MPH or less. http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/library/resea...elecvehicle.pdf Sorry to be the barer of bad news. :mellow: I like NEVs . . . I just wish they would up the standards to 'CEVs' with a higher speed and safety requirements satisfied with the addition of front and side air bags.
the laws governing NEV's in other states do need to be refined as WA's was just a few months ago. before that, we also had the 25 mph limit... as far as safety goes, the Zenn is nowhere near crashworthy as the Prius...but the brakes friction and regen are adequate, plus my driving style of having plenty of following distance will not change so i dont feel threatened despite weighing less than half that of others i share the road with.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DaveinOlyWA @ Nov 10 2007, 12:44 PM) [snapback]537757[/snapback]</div> The Medium-speed provision allows the vehicle to go 35 MPH, but it doesn't expand access to roads with posted speed limits above 35 MPH. RCW 46.61.723 Medium-speed electric vehicles. (1) Except as provided in subsection (3) of this section, a person may operate a medium-speed electric vehicle upon a highway of this state having a speed limit of thirty-five miles per hour or less if: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=46.04.295 So, as far as I can see, unless you have a link proving otherwise, it is still illegal for you to drive on a road posted at 40 MPH . . . too restrictive for my needs. Give me access to 40 MPH posted roads, then I'd be a happy, unrestricted boy in a 'CEV.'
