Some thoughts on ZAP quality. If you are contemplating owning a ZAP then the following may be helpful:
Here is the user group for ZAP Xebras. It is a good source of info for the types of problems people have, and how much effort is required to fix them.
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/Xebra_EV/
My personal thoughts:
I bought my ZAP with very low expectations and wants. I got the ZAP mostly as a hobby to get a somewhat cheap entry point into the world of EVs, not as a critical transportation asset. I have a second, gas car for that. I wanted an EV but did not want to do all the work of converting a regular ICE vehicle as I don't have the time I did back in the days of rebuilding MGs. I grew up owning MG's in high school and as such became very competent on working on my own vehicle. I learned how to rebuild all the mechanical systems, even the engine and SU carbs, and eventually a Weber carb upgrade. The MG's Lucas fuel would sometimes fail but I learned that if I carried a hammer with me, I could give the rear bulkhead behind the passenger seat a whack, and the electric fuel pump, mounted behind the bulkhead behind the wheelwell would come back to life again for another month (it's pitted and arced electrical contacts would work again after vibrations from the hammer shock) . I also completely redid the electrical system and greatly improved it. I learned and now have a very high mechanical aptitude as well as a solid understanding of electronics, electrical systems, and wiring.
Given this skill set, I had no fear of getting a ZAP and still have no fear. Even though it supposedly comes with a 6 month warranty, I have no plans to use the dealer when things go wrong, unless it's a very serious failure that would cost a lot of money. For me, it's quicker to do it myself. This is the hobby part of playing with, and tweaking the vehicle.
Various issues with my ZAP:
1) No-name radio failed. It would sometimes switch to the CD mode even though no CD was inserted. I went to Fry's and got a $100 Kenwood and replaced it myself.
2) The key started to feel like it was galling and getting stuck in the door lock. I sprayed lithium grease into the lock and now it's ok.
3) The headlight pointed up at an angle, but I was able to fix it by adding spacer washers under its mounting bracket stud bolt.
4) The windows rattle if they are in a partially open position, and you slam the door.
5) The heater is rated at 500 watts and is not strong enough to warm the cabin to levels we expect from modern cars. I use a 12V heated car seat pad from Wallgreens. This pad also has 6 little vibrating motors inside, so I can turn it on if I miss the vibrations of an ICE.... only a partial joke here: The sensation of driving an EV for the first week causes a certain panic. When you come to a light, there is zero vibration or sound, and it makes you feel your car engine just stalled and you need to get it started again before the light turns green and people behind you honk. Strange.
6) The window cranks and door handles feel flimsy and will probably break someday. The rest seems ok though and in some ways is pretty good, like little mini leather seats. It feels like sitting in a Cessna small airplane.
7) The accelerator and brake pedals are way to the left to make room for the front wheel well. It takes a while to get used to that.
8 ) You need to steer clear of potholes. With only one small 12" front wheel and limited suspension travel, bumps must be avoided as it feels like the whole front axle will break off. Luckily, I have not seen this event on the Yahoo users group.
9) Performance will not match even the most basic ICE vehicle like a Geo Metro. Mine matches regular non hurried acceleration up to 30 MPH, but then will take 30 seconds to a minute to reach a top speed of 40. If low batteries or strong headwind, top speed can drop to 35 using the high strength battery option. There are reports of lower top speeds with the regular batteries, but mine has never been slower than 35MPH. Some people apply a common fix by adding a 7th battery at a cost of about $500 for the kit, and this allows up to 45 MPH.
10) There is a lot of heavy steel in the ZAP Truck to propel up to speed (it used to be a gas car). Stop and go traffic will reduce battery range by a lot. The battery range is typically only 20 miles max in real world city traffic. It would be nice if the bed were Aluminum. I read a blog where a guy completely removed his truck bed in order to gain a performance increase.
11) The brakes are way weaker than what we are used to. They are all 3 disc brakes but you need to push the pedal hard. I try to leave a good distance to the car in front. It reminds me of my MG.
12) The support for this vehicle is unknown. Will our crappy economy mean the ZAP business fails? Who is buying extra cars these days? You may be on you own in the future and rely on the Yahoo user group and your own good fix-it skill. Can you or a common mechanic fix it? The parts, at least, seem standard, and can probably be serviced like a home built conversion even if ZAP goes away. One user reports the disc brake parts are interchangeable with a 1982 Honda, for example.
13) The motor is a brushed DC (and the brushes will need to be changed when they wear out). There is a youtube video on how to do this.
14) My speedometer and odometer was inaccurate. It read too fast and racked up miles too fast by about 15%. The speedometer magnetic pickup was designed for larger diameter wheels. I fixed mine by removing one of six magnets in the wheel sensor and it now agrees closely with my GPS. A simple task with a youtube video.
Overall, my impression is the ZAP vehicle is rugged in frame and drive train construction (the truck, anyway), but with substandard fit and finish compared to modern cars we all know. The vehicle IMO is basically 3rd world in its build when it was a gas vehicle in China. I don't know who did the electrical conversion design: ZAP, or a resource in China, but it seems adequate for a low grade entry point EV. Basically, the EV part of it is at the straight forward level of golf cart tech. Maybe a souped-up golf cart as it has 72V of 12V batteries whereas carts are usually 48V of 6 V batteries. The controller is a Curtis (on late model ZAPs) common on golf carts.
Not too far off from my 1963 MG Midget I had. Fun to drive but needed TLC at times. Not a turn-off for my personal tastes.
Overall, You'd best be good working on cars to be comfortable with a ZAP. Software programmer types: NO. Ham radio guys who can fix lawnmowers and motorcycles: MAYBE.
If you can tolerate quirks that you can review on the yahoo Xebra user site, then a ZAP might be a possible option if your driving speed and distance needs are not very demanding. An entry level way of divorcing the marriage to gas stations at an affordable price and with a more reasonable speed compared to 25 MPH NEV's. Getting a ZAP is like getting an ICE conversion vehicle where someone else did all the work for you, but now you have to keep it going. In my case, all the little issues with the ZAP don't bother me enough to not want to own it.
Holy cow. I think I need a life. I just spent more than an hour writing this. Hope it helps.
Here is the user group for ZAP Xebras. It is a good source of info for the types of problems people have, and how much effort is required to fix them.
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/Xebra_EV/
My personal thoughts:
I bought my ZAP with very low expectations and wants. I got the ZAP mostly as a hobby to get a somewhat cheap entry point into the world of EVs, not as a critical transportation asset. I have a second, gas car for that. I wanted an EV but did not want to do all the work of converting a regular ICE vehicle as I don't have the time I did back in the days of rebuilding MGs. I grew up owning MG's in high school and as such became very competent on working on my own vehicle. I learned how to rebuild all the mechanical systems, even the engine and SU carbs, and eventually a Weber carb upgrade. The MG's Lucas fuel would sometimes fail but I learned that if I carried a hammer with me, I could give the rear bulkhead behind the passenger seat a whack, and the electric fuel pump, mounted behind the bulkhead behind the wheelwell would come back to life again for another month (it's pitted and arced electrical contacts would work again after vibrations from the hammer shock) . I also completely redid the electrical system and greatly improved it. I learned and now have a very high mechanical aptitude as well as a solid understanding of electronics, electrical systems, and wiring.
Given this skill set, I had no fear of getting a ZAP and still have no fear. Even though it supposedly comes with a 6 month warranty, I have no plans to use the dealer when things go wrong, unless it's a very serious failure that would cost a lot of money. For me, it's quicker to do it myself. This is the hobby part of playing with, and tweaking the vehicle.
Various issues with my ZAP:
1) No-name radio failed. It would sometimes switch to the CD mode even though no CD was inserted. I went to Fry's and got a $100 Kenwood and replaced it myself.
2) The key started to feel like it was galling and getting stuck in the door lock. I sprayed lithium grease into the lock and now it's ok.
3) The headlight pointed up at an angle, but I was able to fix it by adding spacer washers under its mounting bracket stud bolt.
4) The windows rattle if they are in a partially open position, and you slam the door.
5) The heater is rated at 500 watts and is not strong enough to warm the cabin to levels we expect from modern cars. I use a 12V heated car seat pad from Wallgreens. This pad also has 6 little vibrating motors inside, so I can turn it on if I miss the vibrations of an ICE.... only a partial joke here: The sensation of driving an EV for the first week causes a certain panic. When you come to a light, there is zero vibration or sound, and it makes you feel your car engine just stalled and you need to get it started again before the light turns green and people behind you honk. Strange.
6) The window cranks and door handles feel flimsy and will probably break someday. The rest seems ok though and in some ways is pretty good, like little mini leather seats. It feels like sitting in a Cessna small airplane.
7) The accelerator and brake pedals are way to the left to make room for the front wheel well. It takes a while to get used to that.
8 ) You need to steer clear of potholes. With only one small 12" front wheel and limited suspension travel, bumps must be avoided as it feels like the whole front axle will break off. Luckily, I have not seen this event on the Yahoo users group.
9) Performance will not match even the most basic ICE vehicle like a Geo Metro. Mine matches regular non hurried acceleration up to 30 MPH, but then will take 30 seconds to a minute to reach a top speed of 40. If low batteries or strong headwind, top speed can drop to 35 using the high strength battery option. There are reports of lower top speeds with the regular batteries, but mine has never been slower than 35MPH. Some people apply a common fix by adding a 7th battery at a cost of about $500 for the kit, and this allows up to 45 MPH.
10) There is a lot of heavy steel in the ZAP Truck to propel up to speed (it used to be a gas car). Stop and go traffic will reduce battery range by a lot. The battery range is typically only 20 miles max in real world city traffic. It would be nice if the bed were Aluminum. I read a blog where a guy completely removed his truck bed in order to gain a performance increase.
11) The brakes are way weaker than what we are used to. They are all 3 disc brakes but you need to push the pedal hard. I try to leave a good distance to the car in front. It reminds me of my MG.
12) The support for this vehicle is unknown. Will our crappy economy mean the ZAP business fails? Who is buying extra cars these days? You may be on you own in the future and rely on the Yahoo user group and your own good fix-it skill. Can you or a common mechanic fix it? The parts, at least, seem standard, and can probably be serviced like a home built conversion even if ZAP goes away. One user reports the disc brake parts are interchangeable with a 1982 Honda, for example.
13) The motor is a brushed DC (and the brushes will need to be changed when they wear out). There is a youtube video on how to do this.
14) My speedometer and odometer was inaccurate. It read too fast and racked up miles too fast by about 15%. The speedometer magnetic pickup was designed for larger diameter wheels. I fixed mine by removing one of six magnets in the wheel sensor and it now agrees closely with my GPS. A simple task with a youtube video.
Overall, my impression is the ZAP vehicle is rugged in frame and drive train construction (the truck, anyway), but with substandard fit and finish compared to modern cars we all know. The vehicle IMO is basically 3rd world in its build when it was a gas vehicle in China. I don't know who did the electrical conversion design: ZAP, or a resource in China, but it seems adequate for a low grade entry point EV. Basically, the EV part of it is at the straight forward level of golf cart tech. Maybe a souped-up golf cart as it has 72V of 12V batteries whereas carts are usually 48V of 6 V batteries. The controller is a Curtis (on late model ZAPs) common on golf carts.
Not too far off from my 1963 MG Midget I had. Fun to drive but needed TLC at times. Not a turn-off for my personal tastes.
Overall, You'd best be good working on cars to be comfortable with a ZAP. Software programmer types: NO. Ham radio guys who can fix lawnmowers and motorcycles: MAYBE.
If you can tolerate quirks that you can review on the yahoo Xebra user site, then a ZAP might be a possible option if your driving speed and distance needs are not very demanding. An entry level way of divorcing the marriage to gas stations at an affordable price and with a more reasonable speed compared to 25 MPH NEV's. Getting a ZAP is like getting an ICE conversion vehicle where someone else did all the work for you, but now you have to keep it going. In my case, all the little issues with the ZAP don't bother me enough to not want to own it.
Holy cow. I think I need a life. I just spent more than an hour writing this. Hope it helps.
