Zenn Motor Company unveiled a multi-product roll out plan at its annual meeting that will begin with the introduction of the cityZENN in 2009. This vehicle is different from other electrical vehicles in its use of an ultracapacitor instead of a battery as an energy source. Interested parties may not be able to find out much about the EEStor ultracapacitor prior to 2009 due to the company’s tight-lipped approach to public relations.
The reason why Zenn Motor Company is excited about cityZENN is that it eliminates the issues of low speed and battery capacity. The cityZENN is reported to have a top speed of 80 miles per hour that sets it apart from the competition. The EEStor ultracapacitor allows this car to travel up to 250 miles on a single charge to give commuters a practical zero-emission vehicle. One of the aspects of the EEStor ultracapacitor that Zenn is touting heavily is the fact that a full charge takes less than five minutes. These specifications seem a bit lofty for an electric vehicle with a new ultracapacitor with downward revisions likely after the first batch of cityZENN’s are sold.
Other news out of Zenn’s annual meeting includes new low-speed vehicles and the promotion of the Zenn drive train for retrofitters as well as customizers. A utility vehicle and a four-passenger sedan that travel at lower speeds will hit the market following the roll out of the cityZENN. An interesting development in Zenn’s effort to promote vehicles that produce minimal emissions and noise is the commercialization of the ZENNergy drive train. This fundamental part of every Zenn vehicle will be available for consumers who want to switch from internal combustion to electric automobiles.
Zenn Motor Company’s stream of new products shows the progress of electric vehicles in the global automobile market. The low-speed vehicle is purported to accrue 10% of the fuel and maintenance costs of a gas-powered car while dampening 100% of the engine noise. The first generation of cityZENN cars may experience some problems but the switch to an EEStor ultracapacitor shows a commitment to new ideas. The most encouraging aspect of the latest ZENN news is that the company is beginning to resemble a traditional motor company in terms of diverse offerings.
Very interested in the CityZENN as a comuter vehicle in the Dallas, TX area
It would be nice if Zenn would add a few details to their claim that the cityZenn can be charged in 5 minutes.
For example: Can it be recharged at home from a 110 volt, 30 amp circuit? Is special charging equipment required? Are extra costs involved?
This reveals no Eestor secrets, but would add a little credibility to Zenn’s claim.
Responses to Jim Calvert
You will be able to charge the cityZENN by plugging it into “any household receptacle.” This is mentioned in ZMC’s annual meeting, which you can listen to on their website (zenncars.com under the “investor” section).
CityZenn is gone from the Zenn website. This is not so encouraging
Responses to sjh
I had a chat with them at Quebec City’s Car Show, and they are still talking about it. But I personally don’t expect it till 2010…
Has Eestor and Zenn Motors been testing a commercial prototype of this ultracapacitor at the Eestor labs in the last few years, to prove that this capacitors will be reliable and durable to be ready for commercial roll out in the fall of 2009? I think you need 3 to 5 years of testing of this new technology before selling to the general public. Hopefully, they have done all of this beforehand and have serious talks with the big auto manufacturers like GM. A real revolutionary game changing development for the auto industry.
The EEStore technology is interesting and they have been working on this through a proprietary agreement for awhile now. No special charging is required, it’s a capacitor, it stores energy. Interesting go Zenn!
Some recent newsmedia items indicate that the 5-minute charge for the cityZENN would not be done at home, but instead would be accomplished with special charging equipment that would be located at “refueling stations” scattered throughout the country. These refueling stations do not exist at this time. For at-home recharging, 110 volt or 220 volt household outlets would be used, and, as with the current Zenn NEVs, would require several hours.
I wonder if there is a way to use the same energy that the car generates while driving to keep powering it. Like the dynamo that powers the light on my bicycle. There should be a way to keep generating that kind of energy.
Responses to berlinlife06
damn you’re stupid
Yeah, charging at home definitely wouldn’t do it in 5 minutes. Still, if it charged fully overnight, 250 miles would last the entire day for most people.
I wish I could find out how many people + cargo it holds, and what the MSRP is.
I was checking out the mileage I drive in a week, and a charge for 250 miles would last me more than a week. I drive around 10 to 15 miles a day! This would be a very practical solution for me.
Yes you can, and it takes 8 hours. The 5 minute charge takes special equipment that costs thousands of dollars – not an at-home option.
Hopefully they will find a way where you could charge it at home and it wouldn’t cost thousands of dollars. I am sure that they will think of this in due time.
Don’t hold your breath. The ”coaster” car for the cityZENN has not even been selected yet, and the cityZenn is susposed to be at the Dealers by next Fall.
Granted that Zenn is a start-up company, but it is way past time for something to be announced regarding progress.
Not true!
Check their site again and at the bottom you will see CityZenn.
Full steam ahead my friend!
Well, yes, Zenn has NAMED the vehicle – but where is the ”coaster” car from which the cityZenn will be made? A ”coaster” car is a vehicle that does not have a gasoline engine, radiator, exhaust system, gas tank, or anything else related to an internal combustion engine. The 2007 and 2008 Zenns were purchased as ”coaster” cars by the Zenn Motor Company from a French car company – Microcar. Then Zenn installed the electric motor, controller, charger, and other equipment in order to convert them into electric vehicles.
So, the question remains. Where is the ”coaster” car that will become the cityZenn?
I think that this would work for me and charging it overnight would really not be a hardship or a problem for me.
From what I have read, it can be recharged in 5 min with a typical 220v plug, an issue in the US and Canada but not an issue in Europe. If that’s true, then cityZenn will theoretically be able to be recharged anywhere in Europe in 5 min. I have heard that it would take at least 4 hours with a 110v circuit like in the Americas.
I would imagine it’s not cheap to outfit your garage with 220v, but I remember that setting up a Italian esspresso machine in our coffee shop needed a 220v, and it did not cost much. That’s considering that the contractor was already doing some other things in the building at the time, which would make it cheaper, but it should never cost thousands of dollars, maybe a few hundred to get a 220 breaker installed and run the wires.
As far as I can tell from reading the few documents on the subject, a 5 minute charge would not normally be something that could be done at a cityZenn owner’s home. Instead, the vehicle owner would recharge his vehicle at home using a 110 volt outlet, requiring 8 hours for a full charge. The 5 minute charge would be available from ”refueling” stations installed at various commercial locations and operated like the gasoline stations of today.
Regarding an 8 hour charge, that doesn’t bother me at all. The range and speed of the cityZenn says it all – HIGHWAY CAPABLE.
See I agree, 8 hours would not be a problem for me at all. I mean it would be recharging while I am sleeping which would be perfect.
Yeah, but for 30 grand I can buy a lot
of gas or diesel …not cost effective
al
Responses to al
30 grand WILL buy you an internal combustion vehicle but it WON’T buy you the fuel. You already have a ”fuel station” at your house. It will cost penny’s to charge it overnight.
Sure that you can buy a lot of gases but you are contributing to the destruction of the ozone layer.
In my case, I rather spend a few more dollars than to contribute to Global Warming.
I’d be curious on not just the difference in cost between a battery for an electric vehicle and the ultracapacitor, but how would it be affected by use in cold weather.
Well, here it is a year later (March 4, 2009) and there is nothing much revealed yet in the way of details about the cityZenn. The Zenn Motor Company still says on their website that the cityZenn is scheduled to be introduced in the Fall of 2009. That’s just 7 months away, and there is nothing being said about the ”glider” car they may use, or what the vehicle will look like. If a rolling chassis has not already been selected, no way will this vehicle be introduced in 2009.
When you ask Zenn for details, all they will say is that the ”Target Launch of the cityZENN, powered by EEStor: (is in the) Fall (of) 2009” and that ”the cityZENN will be rechargeable in less than 5 minutes” – which is really only a half-truth in that yes, it could be recharged in 5 minutes IF, and only IF, there were existing and extremely expensive recharging stations available somewhere. There are none. So the recharging will STILL have to be done from an ordinary household 110 volt outlet and will take 8 hours.
If the cityZenn appears as early as 2012, I will be amazed. Introduction in 2009 will just not happen.
Given the state of the economy, particularly the big three auto makers who are asking for billions of taxpayer dollars in North America, the company that is going to not only survive but profit, will be the one who can produce a vehicle that is extremely affordable, say in the $15,000. Canadian range, runs solely on electricity, has a long range and highway speed, and can be charged in a an hour or so via any standard electrical outlet! THIS company, whoever that is going to be, will sit at the very top of the Fortune 500 for many years to come.
Americans, as much as we hate high gas prices and costly auto repairs, hate change even more. I agree with Pete (above). The company who can manufacture a vehicle that runs fast and forever– and is almost affordable for American consumers– will sit at the top of the Fortune 500 for quite some time.
I honestly hope that those of us who can benefit from a cityZENN will purchase one, and go through the necessary trials and tribulations to make it fit into their lifestyle. Let me know how that works out.
I’m not sure that the company’s tight-lipped policy is going to serve them well if they miss their ”introduction dates.”
As for the availability of recharging stations, there was a time when there wasn’t a gas station on every corner too.
EESTOR is a SCAM!!! EESTOR’s claims are nothing but BS. They have no prototype that meets their patent specs and never will. Zenn is a participant in EESCAM!!!
Wow! Sounds like a disgruntled former EEStor employee!
He might be ”disgruntled”, but at least he speaks the TRUTH.
Has anyone followed up on EEStor’s permittiviy testing results that were just delivered to Zenn?
That it can go 80 miles per hour is absolutely amazing, I think. That it can travel 250 miles without needing a re-charge is even more incredible.
Well, the recent announcement from Zenn regarding the progress at Eestor is certainly exciting news. As anxious and impatient as I am about the introduction of this new ultracapacitor technology, I have my fingers crossed. What a boon for EVs it could be!