Zenn prettiest among eco set

http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpost/news/story.html?id=8c2e09d4-7ded-47fd-9bbc-537879f10b51
Julie Beun-Chown, For Canwest News Service
Published: Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Every spring, Ian Clifford dusts off his pride and joy -- a cherry red 1959 Henney Kilowatt electric car -- to zip around Toronto's streets for the summer.

One of just 47 made by Henney/Renault-Dauphine, it's also the only electric car Clifford, CEO of the Zero Emissions, No Noise, or ZENN, Motor Company, is allowed to drive on Canadian roads.

Now two years into protracted discussions with the federal government to have his electric low-speed vehicles, or LSVs, allowed on city streets, Clifford can nevertheless drive his Henney because it's an antique. Unlike the ZENN, it's exempt from Canadian safety standards.


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Font:****"I drive it because I can't drive one of my own cars," he says, chuckling in disbelief. "It's beyond ironic."

It's also an unfortunate misstep for the environment, he says. Already sold in 20 American states where it retails for $15,995 US, the ZENN is the prettiest girl at the eco-party: each vehicle on the road effectively eliminates the approximately six tonnes of carbon dioxide emitted annually by a gas-powered car. It also runs silently, can be quickly recharged and reduces city smog, two-thirds of which is caused by idling, he says. While its top speed of 40 km/h wouldn't win it an Indy qualifying berth, "the average speed in downtown cities is 20 km/h," he says, "so it's very practical."

Yet it may be years before Canadians can get behind the wheel -- if they're allowed to drive it at all. Although the ZENN has Transport Canada's National Safety Mark, meaning it meets noise and emission standards for LSVs, the government recently revised its definition of the vehicle class to accommodate LSV truck manufacturers. The new guideline recommends limiting LSV speeds to 40 km/h roads, virtually eliminating city use. "Transport Canada and the Minister said such vehicles would be appropriate for university campuses, parks, gated communities and military bases," says Transport Canada spokesperson Maryse Durette.

It's a recommendation that has LSV manufacturers howling. Chrysler-owned Global Electric Motorcars criticized the new definitions as "inconsistent" and "unacceptably vague" in a letter to the government dated last February. "It appears that Transport Canada's proposal to limit the LSV classification ... is based on its belief that that they cannot be operated safely on streets and other roads," the company wrote, noting there have been no LSV-related deaths and just 10 minor injuries to date in the United States.

But the new restrictions themselves have caused one fatality. Unable to raise investment capital from a market made jittery by the definitions, B.C.-based Dynasty Electric Car Corporation recently sold its assets to a Pakistani company. "With the implication that (electric vehicles) would not be allowed on public roads, it has a huge impact on Canadian markets," says Dynasty general manager, Danny Epp. "It gives you a very strong signal of where the government is in terms of supporting this kind of technology."

According to Transport Canada, such arguments are moot without crash tests, which will take place on ZENN vehicles this summer, although it's not clear if the department will design a LSV-specific test program or use the standards for highway-capable vehicles. "(ZENN) have been going around saying we wouldn't let them on the roads," says Durette. "So we said produce the evidence that they meet the safety standards like crash tests, seat belts, side door reinforcements and airbags. There is a series of rules that need to be applied for cars to go into mixed traffic and Transport Canada will determine if that vehicle -- it's not a car -- is meeting the requirements."
Dynasty vehicles failed the crash test in 2003, although Epp says he doesn't know why. "They tested them, they claim they didn't pass, but won't provide any details of the test," he says. "We have no idea what improvements would be required."

Until such tests are completed on ZENN vehicles, most provinces, with the exception of B.C., will hold off passing legislation permitting their use. "We're really eagerly awaiting the results of the government crash tests," says Prince Edward Island's Transportation and Public Works spokesman, John MacDonald. "That will play into the decision we take."

Such roadblocks haven't slowed manufacturers like Mitsubishi, Renault, Volvo and GM from announcing the pending arrival in 2009 and 2010 of next-generation parallel hybrids, which run on either gas or electricity, and series hybrids, which use a motor-fed generator to power the electric drive train. In 2009, ZENN will also launch a highway-certified vehicle capable of speeds up to 125 km/h. Still largely under wraps, the city ZENN will be powered by an innovative glass and aluminum-coated ceramic battery designed by Texas-based company, Eestor.


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Font:****Capable of travelling 804 km on stored power, it will take just five minutes to charge, but only at purpose-built recharging stations, not unlike gas stations.

According to Curran Crawford, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Victoria, "it's a disruptive technology that will change the game," although he predicts diesel or gas hybrids will dominate eco-car technology for at least a decade.

In the meantime, Clifford concedes that his dream of replacing his Henney with a ZENN two-seater is remote.

"We have thousands and thousands of Canadians interested in electric vehicles. Canadians really want some options," says Clifford. "For us, it's been a long, and at times, very frustrating struggle."

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