ZAP Expands Auto Dealership In Davis, California

Anthony Fontanelle
April 17, 2007

ZAP, the pioneer electric car dealership, have expanded to cover the City of Davis. The company will be the first dealership in the territory to wade through the waters for the said purpose. Davis is famed for being one of the most bicycle-friendly towns around the world.

Additionally, the University of California at Davis is also popular for advanced transportation technologies, with its equally-famous Institute for Transportation Studies. Theo Drushell and Tom Kelly are Davis' first electric car dealers, with Davis Electric Cars. "I think the size of [Davis] allows you to live on the outskirts and drive to town and back several times on the same charge," said Theo Drushell, the co- owner of Davis Electric Cars, to the UC Davis Newspaper, The California Aggie. "Davis is also flat, so driving around will take less energy."

The new dealership in Davis carries ZAP's XEBRA truck and sedan. The XEBRA, also called the ‘city-car,’ is especially designed for short distance driving up to 40 mph. The car also was designed to easily and conveniently fill the need of all-electric cars and trucks. This is because auto owners are anxious about the inflation of gas prices. And the tendency is for them to search for more viable alternatives so as not to drill a hole in their pocket.

The efficiency of the truck and sedan is delivered without compromising affordability. According to the company, the XEBRA can be a great value for corporate and business fleets looking to save money on fuel, but also could be just what environmentalists are looking for as an alternative. In addition, purchasers can even order zebra-stripes.

The XEBRA, manufactured in partnership with a Chinese automaker, will be priced at about $10,000. It is also expected to cost about $0.02 cents per mile to charge on electricity versus $0.12 cents or more for gasoline. "[The cars] plug into regular 110-watt plugs," said Drushell. "You can plug it in at home, at work, at certain businesses and hotels."

The vehicles will be showcased at the dealership and previous events like the UC Davis Picnic Day Parade, the Green Car Gala and Celebrate Davis! On April 21st from noon to four o’clock in the afternoon, Davis Electric Cars will sponsor a Grand Opening Celebration at its Olive Drive location.

One of the best benefits of electric cars is maintenance. They have less than ten percent moving parts compared to a gasoline-powered auto. They do not have pistons, transmission, clutch, engine oil, grinding starters, rotors, spark plugs, valves, distributor, oil filters, fuel pumps, fuel filters, air filters, radiators, anti-freeze, water pumps, timing belts, fan belts, catalytic converters, or mufflers. But other efficient parts similar to the EBC brake pads are not compromised. Moreover, with electric cars, there will be no fumes, smog tests, exhaust, oil changes, loud engine, radiator flushes, warm-ups, and gas lines. Another plus point is that the batteries are recyclable.

Theo Drushell and Tom Kelly, owners of Davis Electric Cars, are advocates of bicycle transportation first and EV transportation as an alternative. Drushell, an alumnus of Humboldt State University, and his wife, a graduate of UC Davis, are committed to bring the goal to life. Kelly, an alumnus UC Berkeley, is also a long-time advocate of employing technology to support refinement in an environmentally friendly way.

Source:  Amazines.com