Microcar-Zenn Introduced In The UK

LONDON - July 16, 2006: The British motorist seems to take the ever increasing cost of motoring on the chin. It doesn’t seem to matter what the price of a good old gallon of petrol (or diesel) is. We seem happy to hand our cash across the counter to oil companies and the government without so much as a whimper. We even swallow Ken’s Congestion Charge.

There is however, a solution for urban motorist. Microcar-ZENN, an electric microcar manufactured in France and developed in partnership with Canada’s Feel Good Cars is about to become a viable alternative for the UK. The market leader in microcars, and the company that gave its name to the genre, Microcar, is now to introduce the award winning* ZENN to the UK – which is to be the lead European country for the company’s EV thrust - in both two and four seater form.

The average urban speed in the UK is now somewhere around 20mph (or considerably lower in London), the average trip for an urban driver is rarely more than 10 – 15 miles. Daily urban motoring is not much more than 40 miles per day. So issues of range and speed don’t really enter the user equation when the need for a car is considered logically. The Microcar-ZENN electric can easily exceed those parameters on a regular basis. Now, here’s the rub. Whilst a conventional internal combustion-engined car sees its fuel consumption soar in city driving, it makes little difference to the Microcar-ZENN electric. All the driver needs to do to top up is to plug into a power supply. Essentially, no costs, no pollution at the point of use, no road tax, no parking problems, no congestion charges.

With a targeted 60 mile range on a full charge under typical urban driving conditions and a top speed in excess of the average urban level, the Microcar-ZENN electric packs many of the features that have hitherto been missing from the sub £8,000 EV market, including regenerative braking and optional lithium ion battery power.

Microcar compact low-emission urban vehicles are manufactured in France and distributed in the UK through over 60 dealerships by Microcar UK. The range includes EFi petrol models in both two and four seat versions that offer fuel efficiencies of 60 plus MPG, starting at on the road prices of £6,495 ($11,925 USD).

With over 60 dealerships throughout Britain, Microcar UK is the market leader in the microcar sector, with a claimed 80 per cent of the market share for this class of vehicle.

New for 2006 is the Microcar-ZENN electric model, which comes with its own on-board charger and a 3-pin plug all ready to connect to the mains supply. A prototype employing the identical Lithium-ion battery technology and regenerative braking systems used in the production cars has already undergone a gruelling 80,000 Km programme of testing. The ZENN recently also won the Gold Medal in the urban vehicle category at Challenge Bibendum, internationally recognized as the premier event in the promotion of sustainable road mobility.

Designed around a lightweight but structurally strong aluminium safety cell which is then clad in polycarbonate panels, all Microcars combine safety with fuel-efficiency and responsible use of finite raw material resources.

Over the last 18 months, Microcar UK has seen growing interest in its vehicles from individuals seeking a compact, real-world fuel-efficient solution to urban motoring challenges posed by spiralling insurance premiums, congesting charging, tightening speed controls and parking restrictions. And even before its official launch, the ZENN electric has already attracted attention from corporate and public sector users looking to establish zero-emission pool car fleets for staff to use on company business.

Microcar compact low- and zero-emission urban vehicles are manufactured at an ultra-modern plant located 30 minutes drive from the city of Nantes in western France, by Microcar SA, a member of the Bénéteau group. Apart from vehicles, the group’s interests encompass ocean-going racing yacht construction and leisure products.