Dealer offers 'zero air pollution' electric vehicles

Plug-in electric vehicles have come to the north country.

Bruce H. Chamberlain, Sackets Harbor, and his son, Eric, Baldwinsville, and three other partners are selling electric vehicles through Evergreen Electric Vehicle Co. Inc.

The majority of their cars come from a company called ZAP, which stands for "zero air pollution" and claims to have 100,000 cars in operation, Bruce Chamberlain said. The Santa Rosa, Calif., company is about 12 years old and has manufacturing facilities in Canada and China and will soon have one in the United States.

Two of the ZAP vehicles — a Xebra electric truck and a Xebra electric sedan — can travel up to 40 miles at 40 mph.

"The battery limits the length of a trip the car can take and its speed," Mr. Chamberlain said. "The electric vehicles were designed for city use."

Those two models cost about $12,500 each, and the annual upkeep — registration, insurance and electricity — will cost about $350, he said.

"This is very affordable — it's less than an ATV," Mr. Chamberlain said. "Most families have a second car; that's exactly what we suggest."

A person would pay about $220 annually for electricity to run the vehicle — if it is driven 40 miles per day every day of the year, he said.

"There's no gas, oil or exhaust system," Mr. Chamberlain said. "You don't need to change the brakes or tires frequently."

And the fuel comes right from an electric outlet.

The models have three wheels, so they are registered as motorcycles in New York. The state has told Mr. Chamberlain drivers need a motorcycle endorsement on the driver's license, a restriction he is working to change.

The sedan, which can seat four, rumbles along to the sound of the gears, but there's no sound of a motor in motion. The car has heat, a radio and a CD player, but no air conditioning.

The batteries run between the two front seats to the rear, where they connect with the direct-current motor. To operate it, the driver must turn off the emergency brake, which cuts off the flow of electricity to the motor. Then, the driver keeps a foot on the brake while turning the key and then a knob to forward. Reversing just requires turning that same knob to reverse and switching on a beeping horn.

Mr. Chamberlain said a full recharge takes four to six hours, but an 80 percent charge can be done in 90 minutes.

He said interest in the vehicles hasn't been too strong in upstate New York since they started the business in August. As dealers, they are required to have a brick-and-mortar office; it's in Theresa. But they spend little time in the showroom.

"We're going to shows upon shows," Mr. Chamberlain said.

The Chamberlains also carry ZAP's four-wheel trucks, scooters, all-terrain vehicles and van-size shuttles. They don't go quite as fast, generally 25 to 30 mph, and are considered limited-use vehicles by the state. The Chamberlains have neighborhood electric vehicles, rated at 25 mph, from Zen, a Canadian company. They also carry electric bicycles and lawn mowers.

ZAP has been criticized in the media for its product quality and business practices. Mr. Chamberlain said the company now has a strong investor and government incentives to build a plant in Franklin, Ky., replacing manufacturing done in China.

"We're very comfortable with everything going on right now," he said.

Mr. Chamberlain is a retired manufacturing representative for industrial equipment. He said a big plus to buying electric vehicles is that they can be upgraded.

"Should new technology be developed, it can be put in the car easily," he said.

Those advances could help overcome some challenging factors to selling the vehicles here: weather and distance.

"The next step is for a battery that is better able to store the power — go 50 to 55 mph for a range of 70 miles."

ON THE NET

Evergreen Electric Vehicle Co.: www.evergreenelectric

vehicle.com

ZAP: www.zapworld.com