We covered ZENN Motor’s announcement in March 2008 of a 2009 release date for the CityZENN, a highway-capable EV that is the next step in the automaker’s evolution. The Toronto-based automaker held a shareholder’s meeting on March 25th that pushed back this release date to 2010. While ZENN Motor officials spoke plenty about stock options and financial figures, few details were offered on why the CityZENN’s arrival was pushed back another year.
The story behind this recent delay in CityZENN production is due in large part because of delays from its partner EEStor. The Texas-based innovator has failed to meet production goals for its Electrical Energy Storage Units (EESUs) which would propel the CityZENN farther and faster than existing EVs. ZENN Motor invested in $2.5 million in EEStor back in 2007 and the hope was that its minority stake in the company would yield quicker results.
For those who do not remember, the CityZENN’s specifications have been deemed too good to be true by auto industry experts. The CityZENN is projected to reach 78 miles per hour maximum and travel 250 miles per charge in standard models. ZENN Motors and EEStor officials state that the CityZENN could be recharged fully in five minutes, a claim that has drawn rolled eyes from insiders. Once the CityZENN hits the market, both companies are thinking ahead to future models with ranges beyond 300 miles to facilitate long-range driving.
While projected dates are often adapted based on market conditions and pre-orders, the ZENN Motors/EEStor story is troubling for the prominent power system developer. EEStor’s revolutionary ultra capacitor will be used in the General Motors Volt as well as Lockheed Martin vehicles in the future. If EEStor demonstrates its inability to complete these projects in a timely manner, automakers and developers may not come knocking when they need advanced power systems.
After a look at the original post linked here, it is clear that the fate of the CityZENN is of great interest to HybridMile readers. The economic outlook has changed drastically since March 2008 and the production delay may portend bigger problems than the ZENN Motors people would have us believe. We can only hope that the CityZENN does not go the way of pop culture punch lines like Guns N Roses Chinese Democracy, languishing in limbo for years while the auto industry moves forward.
