SAN JOSE, Calif. -- During a casual drive in San Jose, Calif. on Saturday, my wife and I stumbled upon the first electric car dealership in Silicon Valley.
This weekend, the dealership, Ethical Approach--Electric Vehicle Center, held its grand opening celebration. On display were the company's first products: an assortment of electric plug-in vehicles from Zap Inc., a fledging, publicly-held startup based in Santa Rosa, Calif.
The dealership showcased various models of Zap's new three-wheel electric car, a four-wheel small truck, an electric scooter and even an electric bicycle. Daniel Reuter, president and chief executive of Ethical Approach (San Jose), offered me the opportunity to take a test drive in the new and lime green Xebra Sedan, which claims to be the world's only ''city-class'' electric car in production.
The Xebra is a small, three-wheel car that runs on a lead-acid battery and boasts speeds up to 40 miles per hour. The car has a range of 25 miles before it needs a recharge. It has an onboard 110-volt AC charger.
The car itself has been redesigned. The 2009 version, which I test drove, is a 5-door hatchback with folding rear seats, more than doubling the size of the rear cargo area with 34 cubic feet of space. The steel body is more durable than the original 2006 fiberglass model.
The vehicle, which seats up to 4 people, is 290- x 142- x 154-cm and weighs about 2,805 pounds. The sticker price is $11,700, but Ethical Approach was offering a $1,500 discount on the vehicle.
Zap manufactures its electric vehicles primarily in the Shandong Province of China. Zap handles the final assembly in Santa Rosa as a means to ''control the quality,'' according to a spokesman for the company.
At present, Reuter said Zap has already sold some 1,000 Xebra vehicles. Zap and the dealership are not only going after consumers, but the entities are also forging fleet-car deals with major corporations. Zap has delivered vehicles to Coca-Cola and Domino's Pizza. The Xebra is ideal for corporate campuses, said Reuter, who took leave as a mechanical engineering student at San Jose State University to open the dealership.
