ZENN Motor Company

ZENN Motor Company, (the operating name of Feel Good Cars), features the ZENN, which stands for "Zero Emissions No Noise," all-electric car. Designed for around-town driving, it has a maximum speed of 25 mph with range of 30-40 miles. Becomes fully charged after eight hours plugged into a standard 110-volt outlet. Four hours gives it a 80% charge. The 2007 ZENN 2.2 and ZENN 2.2 LX models are now available at retailers in the U.S.

As a leading developer, manufacturer and supplier of electric vehicles, we thrive on providing drivers with choices they can feel good about. Working with our internationally respected partners, we’re bringing the world’s finest zero-emission vehicles to you—setting a new standard for what electric vehicles can be. The culmination of this passion for quality, the ZENN™, the only luxury NEV (Neighborhood Electric Vehicle) on the market. We continually explore new avenues of technology to outfit our vehicles with outstanding features that drivers will love. Drawing on our real-world experience in EV technology, electric vehicle manufacturing, finance and marketing, we’re here for our dealers and drivers today—and we’ll be here tomorrow.

EEStor and Zenn Motors

 What's the real story?

Ian Clifford, founder and CEO of Zenn Motor Company, shown with full production model 2.22 electric car in Toronto, Thursday, Aug. 30, 2007.

Ian Clifford, C.E.O., with Chelsea Sexton, Executive Director, Plug-in America and former General Motors EV1 Specialist and Chris Paine, the writer and director of the film, "Who Killed the Electric Car? at the ZENN factory. They were invited by the company to attend the premiere of the film in Montreal.

As reported in the Energy Blog and Clean Break, EEStor, a perenially stealthy Kleiner Perkins backed energy storage startup (KP invested $3 mm in EEStor according to the Zenn filings), is reportedly slated to deliver product to Canadian electric car maker Zenn ("Zero Emission No Noise") formerly Feel Good Cars Inc, in 2007. Zenn's business model is to buy diesel neighborhood vehicles (low speed vehicles) from Microcar, and integrate into them their all electric power system based on EEStor storage technology.

Previous reporting from Clean Break about delays at EEStor last year here. More detailed on EEStor technology claims on the Energy Blog as well. This story has been well covered, but always worth a little reading.

From a recent Zenn annual report (available at Sedar.com if you search for Feel Good Cars), EEStor's ceramic ultracapacitor is supposed to deliver for a 52.2 kwh device of 300 lbs 4541 cubic inches, and 3-6 minute charge time (a comment from the Energy Blog link above, that it's really the cost, not performance, that is the unique claim here. I haven't dug through the old Zenn reports to see if I can find their supply agreement and any pricing information). Zenn has licensed the technology from EEStor for certain markets for $2.5 mm ($.75 mm already paid, the rest subject to milestones).

The Zenn site claims it sent its first production vehicles to dealers in November (unclear if this includes EEStor technology or not - but it does not appear so). And no mention of the number - so we shall have to wait for the next filing.

The bad news for KP and EEStor afficianados, though, is that Zenn is not exactly highly capitalized for a vehicle startup. At Jun 06 it had a US$2.8 mm/year burn, $2.2 mm in bank, which along with a subsequently raised $1.5 mm, would give them about 9 months of cash on hand today. Barring of course, the ramp needed to actually put a vehicle in production, or needing to pay almost all that cash to EEStor to make the license payments.

Not exactly the kind of stellar first customer you expect from a KP backed startup, but EEStor has apparently always been about the big bet, and likely there is some story with Zenn history here that I don't know. As usual, it's the EEStor mystery keeping the blog tongues wagging.

Zen Motor Factors
Address: Trice Co Castle Road
Richborough
Sandwich
Kent
CT13 9JE
Telephone: 01304-613198

http://www.zenncars.com/

EEStor has serious backing and real results on the ground by year's end in the form of one of ZENN Motor's cars.