Peapod From Peapod Mobility
Peapod Mobility will be taking orders for the Peapod starting on April 22nd, Earth Day. The electric powered, four passenger LSV with a top speed of 25 mph will retail for $12,500. A primary target market for the vehicle is college students. The first vehicles should be drivers hands in September. Learn more: wired.com
Peapod Interior With iPod Dock
Kubota RTV1140CPX - Two Rows of Seats
Kubota RTV1140CPX - One Row of Seats
Kubota’s RTV1140CPX utility vehicle allows the user to convert the vehicle from one row of seats to two row of seats in a three-step process. The four-wheel drive vehicle has a 24.8 hp diesel engine, disc brakes and a new VHT Plus transmission. The maximum cargo load is 1,102 lbs and towing capacity is 1,300 lbs.
Learn more: Kubota.com
As part of their Ambassador Program, ZENN is offering rebates of $4,750 off the sticker price of $15,995. Coupled with the $1,250 federal tax credit available in the U.S. the vehicle cost drops to $9,995. The ZENN rebate is available at the point of sale through June 30th of this year at the more than 40 dealers in the U.S. Purchasers will also receive a ZENN hat and t-shirt as the company tries to spread the word about their vehicle. Learn more: autobloggreen
In other ZENN news: Based on company press releases, ZENN sold 211 vehicles in 2008 compared to 184 in 2007 despite a sharp drop in sales in the last quarter of 2008 because of problems with a supplier of a drive train component and the economic downturn.
The company also commented on plans to develop a new four passenger LSV platform, the cityZENN, a highway-capable full electric vehicle, and ZENNergy drivetrains in anticipation of the commercialization of EEstor’s energy storage technology. Management reports that they are close to signing an agreement with an OEM as a partner in the development of these initiatives. Learn more: ZENNcars.com
Boshart Tersus
The Boshart Tersus is an electric powered general utility truck that can carry up to four people and is designed for closed campus and private property environments. What I find interesting about the Tersus is that it looks more like a typical gas powered truck.
The truck has a top speed of 25 mph and a payload capacity of 1,000 lbs. It uses a 72 volt system that powers a 28Kw AC motor and can be charged to 80% in one hour using a fast charger. A standard charger will recharge the AGM battery pack in six hours. I contacted the company and they told me that the vehicle is not available yet and didn’t provide a timetable or estimated price.
The company is also planning a heavy duty electric utility truck for 2010 that will have a payload of 3,000 lbs. Learn more: boshartev.com
Update: I received some more information from the company. the vehicle can be purchased directly from Boshart Engineering and costs from $20,000 to $26,000 depending on options. The vehicles has 220 ah capacity AGM battery pack and operates on a 72 volt system.
The UK’s best selling electric vehicle, Reva G-Wiz, will shortly be available with a Li-ion battery pack according to the vehicle’s retailer GoinGreen. The city car with a top speed of 51 mph will also have an off-board fast-charger. The new setup will be available in May of this year offer a number of advantages according to the company including:
The vehicle will be priced at £15,795 ($23,300)
Learn more: thegreencarwebsite.co.uk.com
Comment: Since this city car is only one step above an LSV and has a price point not that far above higher end LSVs can Li-ion battery packs be that far behind for LSVs? We reported earlier that Dynasty was looking into this possibility. This may become even more likely as states pass more MSV laws and allow for greater functionality in these vehicles. -Mcesare.
Evergreen Electromotive based in Bainbridge Island is raising funds to finish additional prototypes and establish production facilities for three-wheeled utility vehicles. Led by Bob Fraik, a former software engineer from Sun Microsystems and NeXT, the company has already produced the ECH, a four wheeled MSV prototype with a carbon composite body and lithium iron phosphate battery pack giving it a range of 80 miles.
Evergreen Electromotive's Prototype ECH - Four-Wheel MSV
The company is finishing work on two prototype three-wheel vehicles and is looking to establish production facilities in the Port of Bremerton, WA industrial center. The production vehicles are expected to have a top speed of over 50 mph but can be calibrated for lower speeds, and will be targeted for government and corporate fleets. Learn more: Kitsapsun.com
BG Automotive C100 Prototype Photos: Clifford Atiyeh/Boston Globe
BG Automotive recently showed a prototype of their C100 NEV to Massachusetts officials in hopes of generating financial support for production facilities in the state. They are also looking to obtain funding from the US Department of Energy.
The C100 features a 48 volt, 18 hp electric motor powered by eight lead acid batteries and has a range of 60-80 miles according to the company. Except for the controller, motor and batteries which are produced in the US, the rest of the vehicle’s parts are produced in China. Price range will be $16,000 to $18,000.
A Boston Globe reporter took the vehicle for a parking lot test drive and had a mixed review.
Pros:
Cons:
The company still expects to make a May/June 2009 launch date despite not having any facilities in place. Learn more: Boston Globe Article
Update 3/23: The article is updated to note that the vehicle is actually the Chang’an Ben Ben or Chana Benni produced in China.
Electric Kandi COCO a new LSV for the US market
Solus International, the exclusive importer for electric Kandi COCO vehicles, reports that 100 vehicles have been imported for the US market. The marketing drive was kicked off at the 2009 NADA show in New Orleans in early January. The LSVs have a range of 50-60 miles and operates on a DC motor with a 72 volt system using lead acid batteries. The MSRP for the vehicle is $12,995.
The vehicles are manufactured in China by the Kandi Group which also produces ATVs/Quads, go-karts, UTVs, electric scooters and other vehicles. Most of these other vehicles are gas powered including a gas powered version of the COCO. Franklin Motorsports is a regional distributor for the LSV and powersports vehicles. Learn more
Comment: While in previous years we have seen LSVs manufacturers looking overseas to source parts or an entire vehicle minus the electric drive system, the latest trend has more overseas manufacturers trying to export their own complete vehicles to the US market. They are also adding to the list of LSVs that are available on the US market which, while still dominated by GEM, is becoming more competitive and seeing more marketing dollars being put into the category as a whole. It will be interesting to see how well these imports are received in the market. mcesare
Second Chance Finance Auto Sales, soon to be called Wildfire Motors of Knoxville is selling a Chinese manufactured LSV supplied by Wildfire Motors of Steubenville, OH. The models, WF120-2C and WF120-4C, look similar to the Baoya electric vehicles produced by Shandong Baoya Vehicle Company of China. See earlier post
The vehicle has a 8.5 kilowatt, 120 volt, AC motor which runs on 10 105Amp maintenance free sealed lead acid batteries. The top speed is set for 25 mph but can be programmed for speeds up to 50 mph. At a speed of 30mph the vehicle has a range of 70 miles and can be charged using a typical home outlet. The vehicle comes in two and four passenger versions as well as a utility truck version with MSRPs ranging from $14,618 and $15,325. There is also a 72 volt power system option available. Learn more about the dealer and Wildfire Motors
The Phillipine Land Transportation Office agreed to issue plate numbers for e-jeepneys, making them available for commercial use. The vehicles were developed by Green Renewable Independent Power Producer Inc. (GRIPP), and the Dutch group Stichting Doen as part of their “Climate-Friendly Cities” project. They vehicles will be assembled locally with the cooperation of Philippine Utility Vehicles Inc. (PhUV), a local group of vehicle parts manufacturers. Powered by 12 six volt lead acid batteries, the e-jeeps can carry 14 passengers at speeds of 40km to 60km per hour. Each vehicle costs about $13,000 (US) which is slightly less than the diesel powered versions currently in use. Learn more