Microcar Zenn – electric cars

Zero Emissions, No Noise, or ZENN for short, is the perfect summary of what every electric car aspires to be. With such a suitable acronym as the company’s benchmark, the Canadian based manufacturer set its sights on producing small, purely electric vehicles for the neighbourhood market.

The result is the Microcar ZENN from Feel Good Cars of Canada.

Quick links:

• History of the Microcar ZENN
• Environmental credentials of the Microcar ZENN
• Microcar ZENN statistics
• Future of the Microcar ZENN

History of the Microcar ZENN

The ZENN Car Company was formed by Ian Clifford, a professional photographer who found it difficult to buy an electric car in Canada and so decided to form a small company with the aim of combating climate change. Its first prototype was designed in 2000 and to avoid creating cars from scratch, they decided to use the infrastructure developed by Microcar of Europe.

Microcar manufactures small, lightweight vehicles suitable for inner-city driving. In 2001, EEStor was founded to develop a viable alternative to the petrol engine, which attracted interest from a number of investors including ZENN. By 2008, EEStor was committed to creating a battery that offers electric cars 497 miles per charge, with just a three-five minute charge time.

In November, 2007, ZENN finally received clearance to sell its electric low-speed vehicles in Canada and soon the ZENN made its way to the UK.

The vehicle is 100 per cent electrically powered and is sold through existing Microcar dealerships, which already offered the ZENN petrol variant.

Environmental credentials of the Microcar ZENN

With absolutely no emissions, the Microcar ZENN will hold instant appeal to green car enthusiasts although the validity of the zero emissions claim has been called into question by some electric car critics. While the vehicles do not produce emissions directly, carbon dioxide (CO2) is emitted as part of the electricity generation process unless the electricity is produced from renewable sources.

Nevertheless, the Microcar ZENN and other electric cars are unquestionably cleaner than petroleum and diesel alternatives and as more renewable sources are used in electricity production, they will become greener still. This is reflected in financial incentives as the Microcar ZENN is exempt from the London Congestion Charge and drivers of the car do not have to pay vehicle excise duty.

The ZENN however is limited to a range of just 35 miles and a top speed of 25mph. Therefore, it is best suited to inner-city drivers who just make short trips each day at low speeds and who want to do their bit for the environment and save cash.

Microcar ZENN statistics

Here are some crucial statistics about the Microcar ZENN:

• Charge time: Unknown.
• CO2 emissions: None.
• Range: 40 miles.
• Top speed: 25mph.

Future of the Microcar ZENN

The Microcar ZENN is expected to retail at around £8,000. There has been talk about the creation of a CityZENN which would have a top speed of 80mph and a range of 250 miles. Stay tuned to TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk for the latest information.