The Great Hand Car Regatta and the ZAP Ale Car

If anyone was wondering what is the Great Hand Car Regatta, well, here is a video collection of some of the more fabulous entries. Hand cars are the human powered train cars from a bye-gone era and you’ll see some of the traditional kind, but mostly some new-fangled kinetic sculptures based on hand cars. In the words of the Public Address announcer, it’s not about winning or losing, it’s about showing up, and many of the hand cars that turned out were feats of imagination. In fact, the competition is almost a sideline of the main event, people watching. The costumes, sculptures, entertainment and music are a feast for the senses.

Also included is a first-hand account on team ZAP and the Alia… I mean Ale Car. No, it’s not an Ale-powered car, it’s a pedal powered car, the creation of ZAP machinist Ben Conrad and ZAP founder Gary Starr. Also thanks to other volunteers Justin, Brad, Craig, Ricky and Frederic for building the car in their spare time. Did we forget anyone? Well, the ZAP Ale Car was highly celebrated, but lost out in the semi-finals, apparently throwing a chain. Good job battling the heat, the junk parts and the wildly dressed crowds. “More grueling than the X PRIZE,” says team leader Gary Starr. Better luck, next year ZAP!

See more sights and sounds from the Great Hand Car Regatta at http://handcar-regatta.com/.

Musical credit to the great Scott Joplin and his “Maple Leaf Rag” http://ia341329.us.archive.org/2/item…

Samyang Optics Takes Delivery of First Alias Electric Car from ZAP Jonway

First Alias from ZAP Jonway Sold to Samyang Optics of Korea

SANTA ROSA, Calif. — The first Alias electric car from industry pioneer ZAP Jonway (OTCBB:ZAAP – News) has been sold to distribution partner Samyang Optics (Kospi: 008080.KSE) of Korea.

Samyang Optics has taken delivery of a red Alias that first appeared at National Automobile Dealers Association Expo in New Orleans. The same Alias debuted to the public earlier this year at the Korea EV Challenge, sponsored by Samyang Optics.

Samyang Optics and ZAP Jonway have formed a business venture to introduce electric vehicles (EVs) to Korea. The government’s goal is to commercialize EVs and capture 10 percent of the global market by 2015. Korea wants EVs to comprise 10 percent of domestic small car sales by 2020.

The Alias is a finalist in the Progressive Insurance Automotive XPRIZE, a global competition that will award $10 million in prizes to teams that win a rigorous stage competition for clean, production-capable vehicles and exceed 100 MPG energy equivalent (MPGe). It is among nine vehicles remaining from the original 136 that started the competition. The winners will be announced September 16, 2010 in Washington DC. Further details are available at http://progressiveautoxprize.org.

“Any car that has made it through the XPRIZE finals is a winner in our book,” said ZAP CEO Steve Schneider. “Now begins the real work of preparing the Alias for market. It’s the first XPRIZE vehicle in the Kelley Blue Book, so that’s a good start.”

About ZAP

ZAP is one of the oldest and most experienced EV providers, having delivered over 117,000 of a broad range of vehicles to more than 75 countries since 1994. ZAP supplies electric trucks and vans to military, government and corporate fleets and is an innovator of electric motorcycles, scooters and ATVs. The Santa Rosa, California based company offers some of the only electric city-speed cars and trucks in production today. Further news and information is available at http://zapglobal.wordpress.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, continued acceptance of ZAP’s products, increased levels of competition, new products and technological changes, ZAP’s dependence upon third-party suppliers, intellectual property rights and other risks detailed from time to time in the ZAP’s periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Contact:

ZAP
Alex Campbell
+1-707-525-8658 ext. 241
acampbell@zapworld.com

VIDEO: ZAP Founder on the Alias Electric Car and XPRIZE

The Zap Alias won the on-line poll for the most attractive car, but this car is far more than just a pretty face. An efficient and quick three-wheeled side-by-side, this electric vehicle carries a 32 kWh advanced lithium-ion phosphate battery made by one of the largest BEV manufacturers in the US, yet it still weighed in at a modest 2733 pounds. This car showed innovation in both its design and execution, yielding excellent performance and efficiency.

Class: Alternative Side by Side
No. of wheels: Three
Passengers: Two
Drive type: Battery electric, front-wheel-drive
Battery type: 32 kwh, lithium-ion
Charging: 110v or 220v

Thankz for the great video, XPRIZE! Watch more videos at the XPRIZE Foundation YouTube Channel.

What color will your ZAP Alias electric car be?

What's your favorite ZAP Alias electric car color?

We want to know what color you would want your ZAP Alias to be if you could have one right now.  Here are some images of the colors that have been shown.  Click on any of the images for the Flickr Slide Show gallery of ZAP Alias colors.  If you don’t like any of the colors, suggest one we haven’t used.

Behind the Scenes from Popular Mechanics X PRIZE Photo Shoot

Popular Mechanics Features ZAP Alias Electric Car in Automotive X PRIZE Finals Coverage

A Popular Mechanics cover-story gives the Alias electric car from ZAP 4-1 odds to win the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE as the remaining seven teams move onto dynamometer efficiency testing and validation this month at Argonne National Lab.

“A solid effort from a proven electric-car builder,” writes John Pearley Huffman in the September 2010 issue of Popular Mechanics, on news stands now. From the original 136 vehicles entered in the X PRIZE, ZAP is among the nine remaining vehicles moving onto laboratory efficiency validation to determine the final winner, which will be announced in September.

The Popular Mechanics article features photos and coverage of several competitors from the XPRIZE, including FVT’s Evaro, Li-Ion Motors’ Wave II, Edison2, Western Washington University’s Viking 45, RaceAbout, X-Tracer, Illuminati Motor Works Seven and Aptera’s 2e.

The photo shoot was done in May immediately following the Shakedown.  The ZAP Team said it was a high point of the three-year competition. In the months and weeks building up to the XPRIZE Shakedown event team ZAP was often working 16 hour days and this was the first time the team was able to relax and reflect on its accomplishments. While many teams struggled and were eliminated from continuing in the competition, the Alias performed beautifully, earning fans while proving three-wheelers can easily match the performance of four-wheelers. Popular Mechanics photographer Joe Pugliese turned a garage at Michigan International Speedway into a photo studio.

Thank you to Popular Mechanics for opening a window to the X PRIZE for the outside world, highlighting these new breakthroughs in MPG efficiency.

Go Alias, Go ZAP Alias! Grease Tribute to ZAP Electric Car

The ZAP Alias is attracting fans from all over the world, but nowhere more than Asia. From the Korea EV Challenge to the Beijing Motor Show, to automaker Jonway in Hangzhou, to Japanese tourists — the fan-base for the Alias continues to grow. Thank you to Samyang Optics for putting on this fantastic show for the Alias. John Travolta, you might want to go on a Grease Rivival tour to Asia with the ZAP Alias!

Don’t miss the ZAP Alias in the upcoming finals of the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE, July 19 – 29 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan.

Al Unser Jr. and Son Talk about PIAXP and ZAP Alias Electric Car

The Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE is winning more fans as it moves on. We were surprised and delighted to meet Al Unser Jr.’s son, Al Unser III, a rising star in auto racing in his own right. He is finished up with school and is pursuing sponsors so that he too can compete in Indy racing. Thank you to Al Unser Jr., Al3 and the rest of the Unser family for supporting ZAP. Al, your driving definitely helped, but even more you have inspired and re-energized ZAP to meet the competition in the rapidly growing electric car industry and we look forward to working with you in the future. Great driving and thank you so much for what you have given back to the sport.

ZAP Alias Range Test from #PIAXP Knockout Stage, MIS

Range testing for the ZAP Alias and the alternative class is two-thirds of the overall goal of 100 miles on a charge. So, the Alias needed to drive 68 miles on a single charge, which is 34 laps at Michigan International Speedway on the two-mile track. Cars need to establish a 55 mph average and make a stop every 5 laps, so the goal is the stay hit 60 MPH. To save the battery pack for the event, we towed the car out to the track from the charging stations with our ZAP XL electric truck. The Alias sure looks great going around the speedway. It shared the heat with Amp’d Sky, Aptera, Edison2, Liion Wave2 and Tata Motors. Thankz for watching.

Take a Tour of ZAP Electric Vehicles with CEO Steve Schneider

A delegation of Japanese business people came to ZAP in early June from Usami Co., a chain of gas stations throughout Japan. This is a brief 2 min overview of the tour with special clips of the ZAP Alias combined with shots of our CEO showing other vehicles and vehicles that have inspired us to build the Alias… the Volkswagen Bug, the Smart Car, the Sam Cree, the Xebra, the XL Truck, ZAP Shuttle, ZAP Taxi, Zappy3, Zapino, Detroit Electric, Charging Stations, USPS Project, and ZAP Dude. The tour includes our dealer showroom, our production and R&D workshop, and our main warehouse. For the full 30 minute tour, tune into our zapevfilms channel, in a 3-part series that we will be publishing over the next 2 weeks detailing our current development. Thankz for watching!

AP: Little Al loving a green-car competition

Al Unser Jr. and the ZAP Alias Electric Car

Thankz, Al! – from Everyone at ZAP

From Associated Press Article in USA Today:

Little Al loving a green-car competition

By John Marshall, AP Sports Writer

Al Unser Jr. has lived a pedal-to-the-floor life, toddling around the pits as his famous father raced around the track, winning his sport’s biggest prize twice himself, becoming a teacher to the next generation of open-wheel stars.

So when he was asked to gear back during the Automotive X-Prize, a competition that’s supposed to be more innovation than acceleration, well, you know what happened.

“I just wanted to see what it could do,” Unser said.

Curiosity is what got Unser behind the wheel in the first place, pairing a man used to high-decibel, low-miles-per-gallon speed machines with a Star-Wars-pod-looking prototype electric car not much louder than a dishwasher.

Turned out to be a perfect match.

It started two years ago, when a friend told Unser about the Zap Alias, a prototype electric car that could hit freeway speeds and had a range of 100 miles.

The two-time Indianapolis 500 winner was intrigued by a drawing of the car and contacted Zap, forming a relationship between one of the fastest drivers in the world and a company at the forefront of alternative-fuel transportation.

So when Zap needed someone to drive the Alias in the Automotive X-Prize, a $10 million competition to develop super fuel-efficient cars, Unser didn’t hesitate.

“I told them I’d love to be a part of it,” he said.

There is a certain irony to Unser’s pairing with an alternative-fuel vehicle.

Read More on Associated Press Article in USA Today:

Al Unser Jr. does a warm-up in the parking lot of Michigan International Speedway at the PIAXP Shakedown.  This is the first time he drives the ZAP Alias.