Unveiled at the Bologna Motor Show Saturday, the Tazzari Zero electric vehicle is a tiny little thing, weighing just 1,195 pounds (882 lbs without the Li-Ion battery!) and top-speed limited to 56 mph. The sporty two-seater is capable of accelerating to 31mph in less than five seconds, and 88 miles on a single charge thanks to light weight components like an aluminum chassis, and active features such as regenerative braking.
The Zero boasts an 150Nm rear-wheel drive three-phase asynchronous motor delivering 120 ft/lbs of torque , and its electronics include a special "race" mode, making this a zippy little package aimed more at the Scion crowd than the golf-course set.
Perhaps even more exciting than these numbers is the fact that this is not a concept vehicle, but an actual production car which the company says will become available next month through an already established dealer network across the United States and Europe, at a target price of $30,000.00! The U.S. importer will be VERDEK-EV of Georgia, and the vehicle is in homologation for the U.S. market now, to arrive no later than spring of 2010. The build number for the first year is estimated to be 3000 units, but if demand is high the Tazzari group, which is a consortium of large and well-established Italian manufacturers, should be quite capable of ramping up production quickly.
The car will have four electronically determined drive modes: the already covered race mode, economy mode, which makes the most of the electric charge to yield maximum range; standard, which offers a balance between performance and range; and rain, for adverse conditions.
It will come with a standard 220V charger that recharges the pack in nine hours. There will also be an optional 220V Multi-fast charger with three charging speeds that can replenish the pack in five, nine or 14 hours, or an even faster optional 380V Superfast charger that can recharge the pack to 80 per cent in just 50 minutes.
[SOURCE: TheGreenCarWebsiteUK, Gizmag, ]
