Saint-Jérôme, Quebec - The atmosphere was electric at the ZENN factory in Saint-Jérôme On Saturday, October 4. Several hundred people had been invited to the inauguration of the manufacturer's commercial operations in Canada, and they got to try out the little electric car assembled there.

Ian Clifford (l), president of the ZENN Motor Company and Gilles Allard, vice-president of Operations.

"Our goal today isn't to sell cars," said Gilles Allard, vice-president of Operations at ZENN Motor Company (ZMC). "We want consumers to become acquainted with our product and understand its virtues."

Low-speed vehicles (LSV) like the ZENN do in fact have limitations that one should be aware of before committing to the buy. In Quebec, the first province to authorize its use on public roads, the ZENN can only travel on roads with a 50 km/h speed limit. What's more, because the lead batteries are sensitive to low temperatures, officials at ZMC recommend the purchase of a ZENN only if you have a heated parking area.

Curious consumers from all over
On June 17, the Quebec Minister of Transport, Julie Boulet, announced the launch of a three-year pilot project authorizing the use of LSVs in Quebec. The only approved LSVs are the ZENN and the small Nemo pickup truck, built in Sainte-Thérèse.

"Since the announcement, we've received a lot of information requests from Canadian consumers, over 500 in all," said Allard. These consumers, mostly from Quebec but also from Ontario, were invited to the event. Several hundred turned up in Saint-Jérôme, some of them coming from as far as Berthier-sur-Mer and Sept-Îles as well as Ontario. "Ontarians are naturally interested in the project, as we'll undoubtedly soon be seeing the launch of a similar one in Ontario," added Allard.

Canadian consumers visited the ZENN plant to tested an elelctric microcar.

Already, wheels have been set in motion in British Columbia. On September 30, Vancouver's municipal council approved a bylaw authorizing the use of LSVs on arteries with a 50 km/h speed limit or less.

Sébastien Plante (l) and Stéphane Dussault (r) of the group « Les Respectables » attented the ceremony.

Furthermore, over a year ago the prime minister of Ontario, Dalton McGuinty, stated that his administration was considering modifying provincial legislation to allow the use of LSVs. This led to the creation of a study group on the topic in July. For now, the use of these vehicles is limited to Ontario's provincial parks and their employees.

Quebec today, Canada tomorrow!
ZMC has assembled over 500 ZENNs over the past year; they've all been sold in the United States by a group of 40 dealers spanning 20 States. Florida and California, where half of the brand's American dealers are currently located, were responsible for nearly 65% of sales.

ZENN management is currently studying the possibility of broadening its American network to include superstores. "This measure could prove more efficient in certain States," explained Allard.

Meanwhile, in Canada, Quebec is the first province to see the commercialization of the ZENN. ZMC obtained its retailers license, authorizing the sale of its vehicles to consumers directly from its plant in Saint-Jérôme. Gilles Allard confirmed that a showroom will be built on the premises over the next few months.

With the opening of the Canadian market, ZMC management is considering increasing production. "For now, we have about 20 solid orders," says Allard. A Montreal borough has reportedly purchased a unit, and the city of Saint-Jérôme, two. Other Montreal boroughs are negotiating with ZMC, as are the Montreal and Trois-Rivières police services.

Several hundred curious consumers visited the ZENN plant.

Longer than a smart!
"If buyers understand how to use the ZENN, then we're ready to sell them one right now," says Allard with a smile. It's comparable to a smart fortwo size-wise. Like the German gas-powered microcar, the ZENN is a two-seater, but its body is 37 cm longer, which gives it 67% more cargo space than a smart.

ZENN actually stands for "Zero Emission, No Noise."

The front-wheel-drive sedan is powered by an electric engine. It hits a maximum speed of 40 km/h in 9.2 seconds. This speed was established by a federal regulation.

The ZENN has an operating range of 50 to 80 km. ZMC says that the lead batteries require an 8-hour charging period when empty. After 4 hours, however, they are at 80% charge.

The suggested retail price in Quebec has been set at $16,900. It's available from $15,995 in the U.S.

The future of the ZENN
According to Allard, the line of ZENN products will expand quickly. "At the request of our American dealers, we'll soon be adding a small pickup truck to our catalogue, followed by a four-seat version of the ZENN."

ZMC management also has high hopes for the supercapacitor that its Texan partner, EEStor, is developing. ZMC bought 3.8% of EEStor's assets in April 2007 and acquired the exclusive rights to use this new technology on 1,400-kg vehicles or less.

With it, ZMC hopes to market an electric vehicle known as the cityZENN by 2010, which will have a top speed of 125 km/h and an operating range of 400 km.

ZMC is also negotiating with certain OEMs to develop drive trains called ZENNergy that will use the EEStor supercapacitor. Designed for a large number of electric vehicles, the ZENNergy drive trains would also be used as conversion kits to transform heat-engine vehicles into electric ones.