UPS Goes Green

UPS rolled out an electric car and truck fleet this week to help with small parcel deliveries in in Northern California using 42 electric cars and trucks from ZAP (OTCBB: ZAAP). The move was made to reduce fuel consumption, reduce CO2 emissions and to provide a more maneuverable vehicle in congested urban areas.

The UPS branch in Petaluma, California (just north of San Francisco) has leased an initial fleet of 42 ZAP Xebra® electric city cars and trucks for their small parcel deliveries. This is the first time that UPS has used electric city-speed vehicles for this purpose.

Small parcel deliveries are becoming more challenging for the trademark big, brown UPS delivery vans, which is why UPS is using the electric city cars and trucks to handle small parcel deliveries. The ZAP vehicles lessen fuel consumption and reduce automotive emissions produced by current delivery vehicles. Drivers will be monitoring their electrical usage to carefully analyze cost-savings and emissions reductions.

UPS is setting up strategic distribution nodes where vans can transfer packages to the ZAP Xebras for final delivery in smaller communities, neighborhoods and downtown areas where larger delivery vans are less efficient and have a more difficult time navigating or parking.

The ZAP Xebra was designed as an economical electric city car that can handle city-speed driving up to 40 MPH for daily urban driving, commuting as well as light duty government and corporate fleet applications. ZAP cars and trucks are believed to be the only 40 MPH street-legal electric vehicles available in production today and sell for a little over $10,000 with a cost of about three cents per mile for electricity. Studies show that electric vehicles reduce automotive emissions by more than 90 percent compared to gasoline vehicles, including the emissions from power plants.

Features:

Speed:Up to 40 mph (65 kmph)

Range: Up to 25 miles per charge (40km) *Up to 40 miles per day with opportunity charging; Energy to charge 4.75 kwh

Charger: Onboard 110 Volt AC

Motor: DC

Seating: Up to 4 (303 lbs.)

Battery: Lead Acid

Classification: 3 wheel motorcycle (Zero Emission Vehicle)

Dimensions: 10 ft Length (290 cm) x 4.66 ft Width (142 cm) x 5.05 ft Height (154 cm)

Weight:approx. 1,800 pounds

Options: Upgraded Radio/CD, Color, Leather Seats, Car Cover, Upgraded Batteries

Colors: Ocean Blue, Zebra Flash, Kiwi Green, and Lipstick Red

MSRP:$11,200

* Patent Pending

ZAP is also developing a new generation of vehicles using advanced nanotech batteries with Advanced Battery Technologies (AMEX: GBT). Advanced Battery announced on November 15 that it has successfully developed a polymer lithium-ion (PLI) battery cell using lithium iron phosphate. The company currently develops, manufactures, and distributes rechargeable PLI battery cells using lithium cobalt oxide anodes which are claied to be fully functional at temperatures as low as -20 C. Initial testing shows that ZAP's three and four-wheel vehicles equipped with ABAT's battery would be able to increase the run time by three times or more over Lead-Acid batteries.

Comments

[Rick]

Seating - up to 4 - 300 lbs
thats a appointment - the average couple weigh over 300 pounds combined .... but I guess this would work for a 130 pound guy and his 95 pound wife but thats about it. When your buddy want to get driven somewhere - you don't want to turn him down because of his weight.

[abcd]

130 lb + 95 lb = 225 lb

But yes, 300 lb is not enough for 4 people. Maybe two small adults and 2 children.

[Danzig]

It's surprising to me that ZAP is still using lead acid batteries in these vehicles. The Prius has been rolling along with nickel metal-hydride batteries for a full decade already. And everyone, including Toyota, is on the brink of the lithium-ion rollout.

Any clues to the continued use of lead acid at ZAP?

[lory]

Ups is one of best shipment in the world.

[pinkHammer]

Forgive my ignorance, but why isn't the use of electric cars made widespread? I mean it could be good for the environment and we get to save a lot of fuel,,

[Kit P]

Electric cars still need energy. The benefit for the environment would depend on how that energy is produced. My Industrial Ecology text book calls BEVs elsewhere emission vehicles (EEV). So if Petaluma, California has clean air and the electricity is produced by burning more natural gas in thr central valley that has poor air quality; BEVs would be a poor environmental choice.

The environmental benefit of the ZAP is that it is smaller and lighter. Hauling around a bunch of batteries is really a stupid idea unless you happen to be in France where nuclear power plants are designed to load follow.

[bigTom]

KitP has missed a few important benefits. The economy of scale that applies to utility scale electric generation means that overall thermodynamic efficiency, as well as the ability to more cost effectively filter out pollutants means that transfering generation from many small ICE engines to few large central power stations is a significant net plus. The real issue for BEVs is the still immature battery technology.

[Noclegi Ustka]

Elecric cars it is a"sing of future"