ZAP confirms Crossover Electric Car based on Lotus APX
Electric car manufacturer ZAP has announced plans to display Lotus Engineering's advanced APX concept car at the North American Dealers Association (NADA) annual meeting and exhibition, February 3 to 6, 2007, confirming that it will use Lotus' revolutionary platform and body structure design as the basis for the development of the high performance electric ZAP-X.
ZAP and Lotus Engineering will begin the first phase of an engineering project to use the British consultancy's APX ("Aluminum Performance Crossover") as a basis for designing a production-ready electric all-wheel drive crossover high performance vehicle for ZAP in the USA market.
A combination of the lightweight aluminum vehicle architecture, a new efficient drive and advanced battery management systems is intended to enable a range of up to 350 miles between charges, with a rapid 10-minute recharging time. An auxiliary power unit is planned to support longer distance journeys.
The development programme is proposed to be managed from a new centre of excellence for research and development of environmentally-friendly vehicle designs and technologies. Engineering input will come from Lotus Engineering Inc, and the British technology consultancy's other R&D centers in the UK, Malaysia and China.
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