# The Zenn Car - A Canadian Electric Car **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 8, 2008, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-zenn-car-a-canadian-electric-car/432732 "2008-01-08T14:27:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2008, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-zenn-car-a-canadian-electric-car/432732/1 "2008-01-08T14:27:32Z")
[Zenn cars -](http://www.zenncars.com/) electric neighbourhood cars built in Canada. Zero emissions, no noise (ZENN) vehicles. That plug into your wall. They cost $12,000 Canadian (that’s about $13,000 USD - I never get tired of doing that 😃 ). I want one. (Make sure you watch the video on the front page - Rick Mercer is a very funny guy.) ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2008, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-zenn-car-a-canadian-electric-car/432732/2 "2008-01-08T14:35:06Z")
Dang it, I meant to put this in MPSIMS. If a mod could be so kind, could you drive it over there for me? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Lissla\_Lissar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lissla\_Lissar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissla_Lissar)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2008, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-zenn-car-a-canadian-electric-car/432732/3 "2008-01-08T14:39:36Z")
That is so, so cool. I want one. ---
**Author:** ![ebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c57346/32.png) [@ebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ebb)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2008, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-zenn-car-a-canadian-electric-car/432732/4 "2008-01-08T15:43:08Z")
It looks very cool, but the maximum speed of 25 mph means that they’re going to have a hard time selling this to suburbanites. I can see it for city driving, but between me and the grocery store four miles away there’s a single lane road with a speed limit of 45. Driving 25 along there would be painful, and pretty irritating to other drivers, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2008, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-zenn-car-a-canadian-electric-car/432732/5 "2008-01-08T15:44:54Z")
Nice, but the 35 mile range isn’t very inspiring. They might be good fleet cars for an in-town delivery service. Lead-acid batteries; it’s basically a golf cart. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2008, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-zenn-car-a-canadian-electric-car/432732/6 "2008-01-08T15:52:15Z")
Well you can argue that it still takes energy to create electricity so the zero emissions thing isn’t completely accurate. But still cool! ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2008, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-zenn-car-a-canadian-electric-car/432732/7 "2008-01-08T15:52:25Z")
I’ve been looking into the ZENN since I first heard about it, and unfortunately it’s not as practical as I first thought. It’s a suburban skedaddler at best, or something to grab if you live downtown and need to do a big grocery shop, but that’s it. The short range and low top speed pretty much kill it for North America. It would make sense as part of a car co-operative, and maybe, maybe as a second car if you go to the park and ride and back, but that’s about it. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2008, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-zenn-car-a-canadian-electric-car/432732/8 "2008-01-08T16:05:21Z")
They’re not allowed to be registered in Ontario because they can’t go fast enough for major highways, and there’s no separate category for ‘low-speed’ cars. (‘Low-speed motorcycles’ (scooters and mopeds), yes, but not cars.) Some people are trying to change this. ---
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2008, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-zenn-car-a-canadian-electric-car/432732/9 "2008-01-08T17:20:08Z")
Somebody around here actually has one of these. I see it the grocery store parking lot fairly regularly. It is a teeny-weeny thing. I think the owner is doing well to be able to get all his groceries in the car. ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2008, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-zenn-car-a-canadian-electric-car/432732/10 "2008-01-08T18:58:13Z")
I live in Portland, and I couldn’t even hope to use this if it only has a top speed of 25 mph. The side streets here are faster than that. Too bad. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2008, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-zenn-car-a-canadian-electric-car/432732/11 "2008-01-08T20:04:43Z")
I’m holding out for the [Phoenix SUT](http://www.phoenixmotorcars.com/), which should be available in 2009. It’s more expensive than the ZENN, but it looks awesome. Of course, I really want a [Tesla](http://www.teslamotors.com/), but that’s waaaay outside my price range. ---
**Author:** ![buttonjockey308](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@buttonjockey308](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buttonjockey308)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2008, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-zenn-car-a-canadian-electric-car/432732/12 "2008-01-08T21:33:57Z")
The Zenn is cute, but I’m not sure what I’d strap on my other foot. Electric cars are _almost_ there. A longer charge and cheaper prices are going to be what does it. The Zenn wouldn’t cut it basically anywhere in North America, the Tesla is stupid expensive and hardly worth the price, and the phoenix needs more guts to survive the rigors of the market. Once those things are overcome, THEN the EV will be viable. ---
**Author:** ![ASAKMOTSD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/919ad9/32.png) [@ASAKMOTSD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASAKMOTSD)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2008, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-zenn-car-a-canadian-electric-car/432732/13 "2008-01-08T23:37:07Z")
I bet this thing goes through snow really well… ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2008, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-zenn-car-a-canadian-electric-car/432732/14 "2008-01-08T23:50:05Z")
Hmm, definitely some downsides. I think I might be able to get away with the limited speed because I do basically drive to work and to Safeway and that’s it, but it has to be able to run about in serious winter conditions. The only reason I don’t have a scooter right now is that it would be useless for so long in Calgary winters. I figure being made in Canada, it will have all that covered, right? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2008, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-zenn-car-a-canadian-electric-car/432732/15 "2008-01-09T08:48:17Z")
[QUOTE=ASAKMOTSD] I bet this thing goes through snow really well… [/QUOTE] Actually I am not sure thats a drawback. My car (sunfire) right now has a clearance between the ground and the floor of about 5 inches, so unless my street has been graded by the snow plows , I cant get out if we have accumulations more than 3 inchs. Now those little scooter things take off like wildfire , that means a shit load of drivers that would normally annoy you by driving real slow on winter driving days , wont be on the road at all. Declan ---
**Author:** ![ASAKMOTSD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/919ad9/32.png) [@ASAKMOTSD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASAKMOTSD)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2008, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-zenn-car-a-canadian-electric-car/432732/16 "2008-01-09T12:37:20Z")
Yeah, my biggest complaint about telecommuting is the inability to claim I am snowed in…