Picked up Zenn

Picked up my Zenn yesterday. So not much to report yet as haven't had much of a chance to drive it much. Did do one trip to work and back. will report more later as i learn about its reliability and what not. here is a few pics.

 

will be posting as much details as possible. to keep from getting the information buried in a very long post, will actually create new threads titled by either miles driven or days owned.

as far as new details goes. i got it for $14.500 which includes a discount for being in the ambassador program. deluxe pack

battery upgrade
remote door lock
heater/defrost
stereo
35 mph motor

initial impressions so far (have driven it less than 20 miles so far so not a lot to say yet)

although its a 35 mph motor, its obvious that its really geared to about 32 mph because even the slightest hill will cause it to slow down to 32. however on flat ground it does do 36 mph and up to 37 mph on downhills.

even on relatively steep uphill climbs speed only drops to 28 mph (thought for sure it would be much lower)

as for quiet. the car is not sound insulated at all, the motor makes a high pitched whine similiar to the car in "Back to the Future"

as far as standing out. i have taken it to work and back once and a trip to the store and now i know what a celebrity feels like when they are being chased by the paparazzi... had this girl in an SUV pacing me staring at the display on her cellphone in an attempt to get a pic of me... scary because she was DRIVING too.

got several thumbs up on my cruise thru the Safeway parking lot and trip to chinese restaurant to meet family for dinner last night as well.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TonyPSchaefer @ Nov 10 2007, 03:18 PM) [snapback]537796[/snapback]</div>

that is me and Bob, father in law.
expected range is 35 miles after break in. currently, its about 25
paid $14,500
i did get 35 mph motor upgrade, radio, power door locks, heater...basic stuff. i can still play ipod on car speakers so im happy.

 

i would like it to top out at 40 because mine tops out at 36 now but even small inclines i drop to 33 mph. but even on steep hills i dont go below 26 mph... so i figure if it tops out at 40, i can maintain 35 on small grades that is all i want.

to be honest with ya, i would not like to do 50 mph in that car. i got the tires inflated to 45 psi (max is 51 and thinking about going up) the brakes are manual.

besides the driving i will be doing in the car, i will only see a need to go over 35 mph for short stretches if at all. most of it will be in the 20-30 mph stop and go. this should help boost my Prius mileage because up till now, those short jaunts were hurting me a lot.

as far as checking out the yahoo group, tracy, that is a good idea and will definitely do that

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ Nov 16 2007, 09:50 PM) [snapback]540835[/snapback]</div>

well trivia question...

what does ZENN mean?

i will post answer in about an hour or so.

i am also in process of figuring cost, savings, thoughts for first week, etc. will start another thread for that

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(hyo silver @ Nov 17 2007, 07:59 AM) [snapback]540919[/snapback]</div>

VERY GOOD!!

yes a Zenn is a french car by way of Canada. its european styling is obvious due to the ashtray that is provided. although with cup holders, that does go against europen styling a bit... but they are small cup holders. more for cappacino then anything

as far as no emmisions, it would be very little. my electricity used is 58% hydro, 21% coal, the rest is solar, wind and 6% natural gas... so very little emmisions...

NOTE.... the coal is ONLY used for peak demand from 2PM to 7 PM. i charge very little at that time.

*edit*

as far as the no noise... well.... at 35 mph, the motor is turning at about 17,000 RPM... it is not very quiet... but the stereo still prevails so not bad and i can still carry on a cellphone conversation on a BT headset...although people can hear the car

 

my whine is pretty loud i think. where is the motor on the Zebra? dont know what it sounds like outside. will have to check on that.

*edit*

had Lindsey do a few runs past me. you can hear the motor but its pretty quiet from the outside. definitely sounds like a quieter version of the car in "Back To The Future"