I have begun to believe my mind is full of tiny little topics that act like pimples.

No one can predict the order they start to fester in, or when they’ll get ripe and burst.

Saturday 2 March 2013

The Zenn Car- The Best Kept Secret in Canada



What The Hell Is a Zenn?

It’s Electric
It Costs $12000
Has
Zero Emissions No Noise




Today I discovered that Zenn is not an offshoot of Mahayana Buddhism.
It’s a Made in Canada automobile, or was?

It’s a cute little bugger!
 





I got an e-mail that gave the link to YouTube that you will find at the end.
It’s a link to a Rick Mercer introduction of what sounds to be one of the most revolutionary breakthroughs in environmental technology in the last decade. What really got me interested is that the Mercer segment was shot away back in 2007 and I’ve never heard of the Zenn. What happened to it? It has vanished after six years of what should have been product development and promotion and that is an interesting mystery.

I’m not going to say more. It seems like they knew what they were doing from the photos below. Look at them and then hit the link and enjoy Rick acting the fool!


Nice Specifications






They had a pretty nice factory




 Revolutionary Power Pack Batteries


They all Just Disappeared

Go Figure
Enjoy



Blaine

9 comments:

  1. In reading the specs, since it has a very limited range of 80kms on a full charge, and top speed is only 40km/hr, I can see why it was discontinued. Those are VERY limiting factors. If you drive on any road that is of a much higher speed limit than 40km/hr, you will be charged with a Highway Traffic Act offense. And with a limitation of only 80kms distance, you could well get stranded somewhere. Imagine this...you had to go somewhere, thought it was within range, but ended up having to stop and stay the night in a hotel/motel and ask them to 'plug in your car' or you can't leave. How would they react and how much extra would they want to charge for the hydro use?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for the info Annie. You got me curious with the specs so I dug some more. They had most of those problems licked with a later model that they had. I still don't understand why it disappeared? I found this that links it to financial stupidity:

    The cityZENN was a planned fully certified, highway capable vehicle with a top speed of 125 kilometres per hour (78 mph) and a range of 400 kilometres (250 mi). Powered by EEStor, the cityZENN would have been rechargeable in less than 5 minutes, feature operating costs 1/10 of a typical internal combustion engine vehicle and be 100% emission-free at the point of use. The cityZENN was designed to meet the transportation requirements of a large percentage of drivers worldwide.[4] Ian Clifford, CEO of ZENN Motor Company, also stated that a normal household outlet with 110 volt supply would fully charge the EEStor powered CityZENN in 4 hours, and a normal household outlet with 220 volt supply can fully charge the EEStor powered CityZENN in 2 hours. The 5 minute fast charge would only be possible at special charge stations. CityZENN target price was $25000 - $30000.[5]

    Plans for the CityZENN were canceled in 2009 and production of all LSVs was ceased in late 2009 and production employees were released. In fiscal years 2008 and 2009, ZENN Motors had company-wide losses of $65,000 for each of the $15,000 lead-acid LSV it sold (approximately 360).[6]

    ReplyDelete
  3. What is an LSV? I don't quite follow the last line of your comment. They lost $65,000 per car? Due to??? Failure to market and sell them? Sounds like the improved model would have been quite the marvel, even a bit more roomy than the Electric cars I see on the roads now. Maybe they were 'paid off' to stop production to reduce competition with those?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Rick says: "Bureaucracy that refuses to support this Made in Canada car". Was it political?
    CEO says: "Not legal on the road here", so he was selling them in the USA. He says he gained Federal approval to sell them in BC, but it is up to each province to regulate if he could sell them.
    Sounds to me like Harper, the CONS, were against it because it wouldn't fuel their Oil industry. I think that is what Rick was intimating. He fit 20 cases of EX Beer in the trunk. Hilarious, but Canadian for sure! That video from Rick would have served as an awesome commercial to sell tons of them!
    One comment said: "Car and Driver mag. was not very impressed with the car."

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Annie:
    Light Service Vehicle.
    Took me a while to figure it out too!
    Re the business failure I don’t think there was any evil mindedness involved just bad judgment particularly on the money end. It’s ridiculous to spend that amount of money for what they created. It was all a big dream that failed because they just spent way too much money to a market that wasn’t as pumped as it is now. I think the future would have been far brighter if that amount of money had resulted in 360,000 cars with an average loss of less than $100 each.

    I think its too bad somebody doesn’t resurrect the technology that was in that high speed quick charge version and apply some of today’s more advanced experience and knowledge. The plans have to be out there someplace particularly those for that power pack and battery combination. It sounds better than what we have going now. I thought the combination of the size of its storage capacity with the ability to recharge in 2 hours is the primary goals of all current research not something we forgot. Apparently our technologists have collective Alzheimer’s.

    On that note: Why don’t you send me an e-mail Annie? I like a combination of brains and curiosity combined with intelligent questions and criticism. Perspective is everything and I would like yours but not here in public. We can’t insult each other and your address will go no further. LOL
    Blaine

    ReplyDelete
  6. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous, either post 'on topic' or piss off, will ya? I would delete this, if I was you, Blaine.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Sorry Annie.
    Some peep just don't understand the import of following rules at all times and compliance. I call em Liberals!
    If I were Blaine I'd be looking at the Centerfold in this months 'Cuffs and Collars'.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9gKImI4f_Y

    ReplyDelete
  9. Compliance with rules without question is for sheep, not humans! Always question, verify and trust only with great care. By the way where is this Centerfold? I can't find it.

    ReplyDelete