Automaker gets okay to sell low-speed electric cars in Wisconsin

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

From an article by in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

It looks something like a regular car, but the Zenn micro automobile is powered from a household electric outlet rather than a tank of gasoline.

On Friday, the Canadian car manufacturer was licensed by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to sell vehicles here.

As early as next Tuesday, an ordinance could be introduced in Milwaukee that would allow the use of Zenns and other neighborhood electric vehicles on city streets.

Only about 35 Wisconsin municipalities have such ordinances. Even in Janesville, where Wisconsin's first Zenn dealership is located, the little cars can't be legally operated on city streets.

"Right now, we can't drive our cars off of the dealership lot," said Tim Thompson, owner of Green Autos, in Janesville.

The big carmakers have experimented with highway-speed electric cars for years but have yet to deliver a mass-market product.

Companies such as Zenn have gone down a different road with low-speed electric cars that can be driven where the speed limit is 35 mph.

The $12,700 Zenn can go about 35 miles on a single charge of its lead-acid batteries. Smaller than a BMW Mini Cooper, it has a top speed of just 25 mph and can carry two passengers and a load of groceries in 13 cubic feet of storage space.