ZAP Alias and SUV Answer Korea Electric Vehicle Challenge

[Beowulfsonur]

Sweet looking ride.

[albupsiholog]

Bring it to Europe if the americans do not want the Alias.It is a cool car.Why is so hard to produce this car?

[pheenix42]

Thing is, we really need some kind of fast-charge power cell...the range of the Alias would make it a practical vehicle for longer trips if you could 'fill up' the electric storage in roughly the same time you refuel a gas powered vehicle.

But, that kind of energy density is still a few years away...I feel we could have been to that point had we started the research some 30 or so years ago.

[freestylewalka]

1:04 :)

[FormerlyFlightsuit]

Interesting. The Alias in this video appears to be using a much narrower rear tire than the steamroller-like rubber seen in other videos of the Alias. I'm guessing this is to reduce rolling resistance?

Regarding the A380, my biggest concern would be crash-worthiness: Every crash-test video I've seen that involved Chinese cars has been quite horrifying.

[FormerlyFlightsuit]

Moreover, I think conventional cars or SUVs converted to electric may meet a certain demand, but the future of electric cars lies with vehicles like the Alias that are designed from the very beginning to be electric cars.

[zapevfilms]

@FormerlyFlightsuit the old way of making cars is dead, electric eco cars are safer, more fun to drive, stylish beyond belief, not amorphous blobs of roaring metal. The new Alias is spec'd with a larger low rolling resistant rear tire, a combination of form and function.

[FormerlyFlightsuit]

Large AND low rolling resistance? That's interesting, 'cause in the past, what we've seen from highly efficient cars like the Honda CRX HF and certain hybrids is that they've gone with ultra-skinny tires to reduce rolling resistance and squeeze every last bit of mpg out of the car.

[FormerlyFlightsuit]

The challenge, of course, is that you can have low rolling resistance or you can have sticky, but you can't really have both. I do think the Alias looks better with the wider rubber, but that's a purely aesthetic judgment on my part.

It'll be really interesting to see what the Alias's performance numbers look like once a production model is ready for sale. The Tesla roadster has certainly proven that electric cars are capable of startling acceleration....

[zapevfilms]

I doubt they will be using the mondo tire for the fuel efficiency portion of the #piaxp.

[FormerlyFlightsuit]

@zapevfilms Well I hope the big, steamroller tire is at least an option when the Alias goes on sale, 'cause that thing looks so wicked!