http://www.themonkeystrunk.com/hostimage/edo01.jpg

The Zero/Sports Racing Development ZERO EV ELEXCEED RS

Words/Photography: Michael Motoda

Zero/Sports Racing Development, a Japanese developer and manufacturer of aftermarket parts for Subaru, sets new standards in the realm of environmentally-conscious and forward-thinking performance cars. Established in 1998, Zero/Sports' Electric Vehicle R&D Department quickly broke speed records in Japan with its electric formula car in 2000 (276.6 km/h). In 2003 it became Japan's 17th largest automaker.

With so much momentum, their Zero EV Elexceed RS, or "EV Car" for short, has been generating a great deal of buzz among Subaru enthusiasts. Street legal in Japan, this beautiful open-top roadster was recently made available to drive at EDO Performance in Huntington Beach, Calif.

On a single 8-hour battery charge from a standard household outlet, the EV Car has a range of nearly 45 miles (70 km) at speeds approaching 40 mph (60 km/h). It's made possible by a combination of intelligent engineering, efficient aerodynamics, and a curb weight even Colin Chapman would envy: 948 lbs. While the speed may be a little low and the trip a little short, excellent driving dynamics are promised by 4-wheel disc brakes with cross-drilled rotors, independent double-wishbone suspension, and rear-wheel drive power transferred to the ground via 145/70R12 performance tires wrapped around custom Zero/Sports lightweight wheels.

EDO Performance representatives mentioned that the latest version of the EV Car runs on smaller and more efficient lithium-ion batteries, instead of the lead-acid type in the vehicle we drove. This will not only shorten the amount of time required to fully charge the batteries, but will extend the car's driving range and increase its top speed as well.

For those lucky enough to have a chance to get behind the wheel of the EV Car, the feedback reflects the crux of automotive enthusiasm: it's a blast to drive and brings a smile to your face. Steering is quick and responsive, acceleration is swift, and torque flows from the electric motor without effort. The car's simple controls are universally instinctive to understand and are thoughtfully placed throughout its single-occupant cockpit. Road feel is present and direct. The tires stay firmly planted on the road, inspiring driver confidence through high speed cornering. The car's styling is equally beautiful: clean lines front to back, an aggressive and attractive front fascia, and nice details that look great from any angle.

The Zero/Sports EV car is a tangible example of alternative fuel sources put into real world vehicles -- in this case a vehicle that Subaru enthusiasts could get excited about. It's not just a vehicle that respects the world we inhabit, it's a vehicle made from the tried-and-true sports car formula: fun-to-drive and pretty to look at.

http://www.themonkeystrunk.com/hostimage/edo02.jpg

Yeah that thing was fun to drive handle pretty good ...but fun for sure.

damn, 948 lbs. It is kinda small though.

Nice! those are some huge headlights

thats amazing.. but i love my gasoline powered engines.. down to my 32cc weedwacker, and my 15hp 6speed snowblower.

thats amazing.. but i love my gasoline powered engines.. down to my 32cc weedwacker, and my 15hp 6speed snowblower.
I bet you could put a few cards on the spokes of the wheels to get that engine sound.

I doubt 40MPH will cut it for those Highway travelers.

45 min on a charge, what happens when you get into traffic? Pull over and wait till it clears I guess

i think the 45 mile limiter would be more of a problem than the speed.
personally i would love to get one because i could use it for school and back everday with no problems.

this thing should never be street legal

imaging a big, long nose, rig behind it in stop and go traffic. Truck driver would not see it and for sure forget about it one of these times and just pull in right behind the car that was in front of this thing, thus,... U get the drift

other than being hard to get into, it was actually pretty nice !!

These sort of vehicles aren't really anything new, though, are they? A buddy of mine, for his senior project ~ 5 years ago, converted his Fiero into a solely electric car and designed/built the motor controller for it. 8-10 yellow-top Optima batteries and 50 miles on a charge. This does, though, look nicer and I'm sure handles like a dream!

Cross drilled brake rotors? WTH for?

I could use it to get back and forth to work! 20 miles RT. :)

Subaru has an electric version of the R1 that they are letting a Japanese electrical company use as a test. Too bad that they don't sell the R1 here.

this thing looks sweet... I'd buy one for sure (assuming I had the cash to blow lol)

Cross drilled brake rotors? WTH for?

Weight reduction?

any chance we'll see it at EDO in Austin?

i don't think this was intended for hwy use...i'd definately get this on side streets. i would also assume that this might even be street legal in the near future if it's not already with more regulations than regular EV cars. When that happens...I'd probably get one too!

45 min on a charge, what happens when you get into traffic? Pull over and wait till it clears I guess

It's actually an 8 hour charge.

That thing would be a blast to drive on a track. Wonder what one of those things cost??

COOOL! I want one! =P

so to those who saw it, is it only 2 ft high by 3 ft wide??

basically a super high tech electric go-cart, ah, no thanks. :alien:

45 min on a charge, what happens when you get into traffic? Pull over and wait till it clears I guess

45 mile range, not 45 minutes. You can shut the motor off in traffic automatically and have it start the instant you hit the gas like hybrids. Thus extending the runtime.

Too bad this car is so small. I can see it being used in smaller countries but not in the U.S.

Thanks for the comments so far, everyone. This is my first piece to be featured on NASIOC's homepage, so any feedback (good or bad) is appreciated.

I would like to say thank you to the entire staff at EDO Performance for working with me on this article, and for letting me take it for a spin during their grand opening event to get some hand's-on impressions.

-Mike

well you did a great job Mike!

the front of that RS reminds me of the Mazda cars they used to race at Lemans the 787B, or even the Mclaren F1

On a single 8-hour battery charge from a standard household outlet, the EV Car has a range of nearly 45 miles (70 km) at speeds approaching 40 mph (60 km/h).

Meh, not really impressive to me. I have a Piaggio BV200 scooter (http://www.piaggiousa.com/pScooters/BV200.cfm), and 2 gallons of gas will take me 130+ miles, it has a top speed of 70+ MPH, and it is also fun to ride (oh, and also has cross-drilled disc brakes front and rear). I see no practicle use for a car like that, really, unless everywhere you would take it is within 15-20 miles of your home. And that range isn't really even enough to take it out to fun roads, have fun, and drive it home. I'll keep my scooter, thanks, and I could probably beat this thing in any kind of race, as I would own it on any straightaway, and I can corner just fine on the scoot. This "car" just isn't very impressive to me.

Here is the link to the Subaru R1e,

http://www.electrifyingtimes.com/subaru_concepts.html

Interesting concept...but if you want a real performance car that uses electricity instead of gasoline, and you want it now, check out the Tesla Roadster built in California.

http://www.teslamotors.com/

0 - 60mph: 4 seconds
Top Speed: 130mph+
Range: 200 miles on a single charge
Time to charge: 3.5 hours (full charge, household A/C)

It's 50 state legal and ready for you to buy now...starting at about $95,000.00

If they were about half that price I'd get one...but $100k is a little out of my price range for a 2 seater...

http://www.teslamotors.com/images/content/wallpaper_front3-4_view.jpg

http://www.teslamotors.com/images/content/wallpaper_rear3-4_view.jpg

Interesting concept...but if you want a real performance car that uses electricity instead of gasoline, and you want it now, check out the Tesla Roadster built in California.

http://www.teslamotors.com/

0 - 60mph: 4 seconds
Top Speed: 130mph+
Range: 200 miles on a single charge
Time to charge: 3.5 hours (full charge, household A/C)

It's 50 state legal and ready for you to buy now...starting at about $95,000.00
Well, the Zero/Sports EV car costs about $25k, so scaled, those "greater cost for greater performance" stats make sense.

In hindsight, I think a better approach to my article would have been to take the "We all know Zero/Sports makes parts for our Subarus, but did you know they manufacture cars, too?" angle.

Live and learn!

-Mike

Man that thing was fun to drive, gets up and goes !!!! :-)

thank god it's got those brakes!!

great article mike!!

It's a glorified powerwheels! Watch out Fisher Price!

I think I'll wait for the 2010 Toyota Prius

It reminds me of a go cart.

i would take the tesla over this one too i think... 250 miles per charge > 45 miles. Plus the tesla is a better size and more normal looking. How about they make a variant in between... $40-$50k for a 4 seater that doesn't go insanely fast but can drive like 150-200 miles/charge.

That car does look fun though.

When I have about 50 miles worth of gas left I start getting worried and go fill up. I couldn't handle driving around on empty all the time. Of course, in other countries with more dense populations it is probably more practical.

This is a toy.

Walmart sells electric go-carts for about $150

Dammit! I was patiently reading through this thread, all the while thinking that I'd be the first to post the Tesla car! Oh well, either way, electric cars are not realistic at this point. Maybe for city folk, but not for anyone (hardly) outside of city limits. The Tesla is by far the best option that we have available to us now, but then there's the price tag.

Nice piece Mike, my comments are directed more toward that idea of electric cars. They're just fun experiments for the moment... petri dishes for ideas that one day will be more realistic and usable.

Gasoline will stick around for quite some time, but I believe that diesel will begin to become much more popular. Especially with the ability to make it from of organic materials. Diesel alone will not be the answer though. It will just be one of the fuel options that we will need available to continue living in the ways that we've become accustomed to. Ethanol is a horrible idea. Biobutanol is better, but again, just a small piece of the pie. Electric cars will have their place in cities, but the question is... where will their power come from? Hydrogen is the answer in my opinion, and it has been my grandfather's also since I can remember. Once the hydrogen puzzle is solved, that's when electric cars will rule!

Congrats on your first piece Mike!

Carlos

Well, the Zero/Sports EV car costs about $25k, so scaled, those "greater cost for greater performance" stats make sense.

In hindsight, I think a better approach to my article would have been to take the "We all know Zero/Sports makes parts for our Subarus, but did you know they manufacture cars, too?" angle.

Live and learn!

-Mike

Article was great, I was just comparing electric vehicle options! :)

Yeah I sure felt like hydrogen once too, but when I heard about the tesla last year and how much it cost electricity wise a at 15,000 miles I'm beginning to think electric cars ftw. Btw hydrogen could be used for a longer charge as a fuel cell so 200ish mile range can become many times higher and would make a great fix on those long trips. Plus who knows how much these oil companies will charge us for hydrogen if it last longer then gasoline. Electric cars will become more popular and it's nice that Subaru is looking into it.

Thanks again for the feedback so far, everyone. You never know how an audience is going to react to an article until it's up and out there for general consumption. I've learned a lot, just from this being up for a day.

-Mike

I'd hook mine up to a radio controller and take it off some jumps.

holly crap that thing is awesome !

wonder if we will get one over here...

and how much it will cost...

this thing should never be street legal

imaging a big, long nose, rig behind it in stop and go traffic. Truck driver would not see it and for sure forget about it one of these times and just pull in right behind the car that was in front of this thing, thus,... U get the drift


Should 50cc scooter not be legal, either?

Should 50cc scooter not be legal, either?
That's a good point. And a well writen article.
The Tesla car is proof that electric cars are viable now. With minor changes and the cost savings of mass production the Tesla car or one with similar features could be made for a reasonable price. But there is just not enough pressure/demand on companys to do that. Electric cars are not the only option and IMO not the best.

thanks Mike. Good job!

The one shot is for sale or best offer!
http://shop.edoperformance.com/zerosports-zero-elexceed-electric-vehicle-p-9350.html

Zerosports EDO EV Car (http://shop.edoperformance.com/zerosports-zero-elexceed-electric-vehicle-p-9350.html)

It's a great start; but the top speed and charge def. won't make this car practical. When this car begins to adopt specs similar to those of a TESLA but with a 50% off price tag maybe we'll actually see a few of them on the streets. Anyhow i'd hate to take a little car like this on the california highways and have civics and focuses towering over me. Let alone struggle to keep my distance from all those semis in the slow lane.

Go Ev!!!

how nice deal

Interesting concept...but if you want a real performance car that uses electricity instead of gasoline, and you want it now, check out the Tesla Roadster built in California.

http://www.teslamotors.com/

0 - 60mph: 4 seconds
Top Speed: 130mph+
Range: 200 miles on a single charge
Time to charge: 3.5 hours (full charge, household A/C)

It's 50 state legal and ready for you to buy now...starting at about $95,000.00

If they were about half that price I'd get one...but $100k is a little out of my price range for a 2 seater...

http://www.teslamotors.com/images/content/wallpaper_front3-4_view.jpg

http://www.teslamotors.com/images/content/wallpaper_rear3-4_view.jpg



thats what i was gonna say! but that tesla looks sick. i really like it.

oh man... downhill canyon runs would be way too fun.. . . . . ..

Awesome! Looks cool too.

I'd pull the eletrics out and drop a turbocharged GSXR 1300 motor into it. Then we'd have a party. 275-300 hp 13k rpm

45 mile range, not 45 minutes. You can shut the motor off in traffic automatically and have it start the instant you hit the gas like hybrids. Thus extending the runtime.

Too bad this car is so small. I can see it being used in smaller countries but not in the U.S.
you've almost got it right, but not quite... hehe... you're still thinking like a guy that's driving a car with an internal combustion engine (ICE)-- there's nothing to turn off... when there's a traffic jam, or you're at a red light, stop sign, or in the drive-through at McDonald's, the only electricity you'd be using is your radio, or maybe some lights. Unlike ICEs, EVs use virtually no energy when the traffic is moving really slow, which is the exact time that an ICE is least efficient.

Another reason that EVs are so efficient is that they use regenerative braking, which means that whenever you are stopping or slowing down, the drive motor becomes a generator that pumps energy back into the battery-- a process that is about 98% efficient. Modern, well-designed EVs only use about 10% to 15% as much energy as a comparable ICE car. Wow.

Oh, and one more thing... you don't hit the GAS... you hit the ACCELERATOR PEDAL... lol...

With so much momentum, their Zero EV Elexceed RS, or "EV Car" for short, has been generating a great deal of buzz among Subaru enthusiasts. Street legal in Japan, this beautiful open-top roadster was recently made available to drive at EDO Performance in Huntington Beach, Calif.

We owe Subaru an acknowledgement for doing what GM, Ford, and Chrysler are not doing-- giving us EVs without being forced to.

Most of the comments on this thread have been really positive, just a few have been mildly negative... none of the guys that are making those comments have ever ridden in or driven an EV, and the experience is profound.

Imagine sitting behind the wheel of the car. You turn the key-- but it's not an ignition key, cuz there's no igniiton... it simply allows the computer to boot up... there is no sound. You push your foot down on the accelerator (no, it's no longer a "gas pedal"... hehe...)... you do not hear the engine spool up to give you torque-- there is no engine spooling, no engine roar, no vibration-- but instantaneously, something kicks you in the butt like a MULE. EVs have instantaneous torque, with zero lag time.

You have an open road ahead of you... there is no engine roar, only the sound of rapidly accelerating wind whipping past your ears like a hang-glider in a power dive... you feel it, you see it, and you hear it but barely. For a second it's as if you're going deaf-- like seeing a black-and-white photo of a colorful bird for the first time, there's something missing, but it's cool, and fun-- a new way to experience motion.

You expect to have to shift gears, but no... the car simply continues to accelerate until you're really at a clip. Acceleration, without roar, vibration, or the momentary bump of a shift every few seconds. And the whole time, you're just using tiny amounts of very efficient POWER.

An EV is an exhilarating thing to wrap yourself into.

I bet you could put a few cards on the spokes of the wheels to get that engine sound.
Hehe... funny you would say that... the Lightning, a new British EV super-car, which is three times the price of a Tesla, uses something similar. Super-car drivers are so used to all that burbling sound that they actually have a speaker mounted in the front, simulating the sound of an engine, to make those guys feel at home! LOL!!!

45 min on a charge, what happens when you get into traffic? Pull over and wait till it clears I guess
It's not like driving a regular car, where heavy traffic drives your mileage down. Cars with internal combustion engines have "cruising speeds" at which they run most efficiently, but that's not how it is with EVs, which run more efficiently the slower you drive them. And because of regenerative braking, where every time you slow or stop the drive motor becomes a generator that puts almost all of that inertia back into the battery, you don't lose efficiency there, either... and don't burn up your brakes.

this thing should never be street legal

imaging a big, long nose, rig behind it in stop and go traffic. Truck driver would not see it and for sure forget about it one of these times and just pull in right behind the car that was in front of this thing, thus,... U get the drift
Motorcycles are even more dangerous... they have no body protection. People should be able to drive whatever they want, so long as they've got helmets, seat belts, or other appropriate protection.

These sort of vehicles aren't really anything new, though, are they? A buddy of mine, for his senior project ~ 5 years ago, converted his Fiero into a solely electric car and designed/built the motor controller for it. 8-10 yellow-top Optima batteries and 50 miles on a charge. This does, though, look nicer and I'm sure handles like a dream!
If you look, there's tons of co-ops of guys that are not willing to wait until someone else.. .whether it's GM, Ford, Tesla, Phoenix or whoever... to make a car they can buy. There are kits for converting specific models of gas guzzlers to electric drive, and you can also buy the stuff piece-meal and put your own car together like your buddy did.

There are EV forums online where guys share what they've learned, to help other guys build up their machines without making costly mistakes... for instance, I talked with Bill Dube', the guy that built the KillaCycle drag bike, and he told me that if you're gonna build an EV conversion, start out with cheap lead-acid batteries cuz they're more forgiving of mistakes, and if you screw up it doesn't cost you a fortune. After you straighten out any issues with charging, cooling, etc., you can dump lots of cash into A123 nanophosphate batteries, or whatever else comes along that's light and powerful, without worry.

I found a BMW 318i with a blown engine... I'm considering yanking the engine, and building it up as an EV... if I do, I'll do it that way-- with lead acid first, get as much help from the guys that have already done it, and when I feel confident, I'll switch to lighter, more powerful, longer-range, quick-charging (and expensive) nanophosphates.

$100k for a daily commuter to work? I'll wait until the price drops. That thing does look sick and i've seen video footage of this. It mooooves like someone above described. Quiet and torquey. Power delivery was like that of a golf cart, expect a lot more power, if that makes sense.

This Zerosports EV car is for sale. Limited Edition. Please let us know if you are interested. Zerosports has decided to test out the market. We are providing first year of fre service if you purchase this EV car.

Please call us for details at 714-602-5741

$29k seems like a bit much for this car. I was thinking it was around $10k before I saw the real price.

car prices got lowered to around $20k

I see. Well I do not doubt that the car is a fun little piece to drive, but I simply don't see any great demand emerging for them until they are street legal, faster,has longer range, and cheaper..

But I wish EDO Performance good luck in selling them.

Sure its fast, but .... with no sound of exhaust .... whats the fun?

an annoying electric engine tang ... no good

Sure its fast, but .... with no sound of exhaust .... whats the fun?

an annoying electric engine tang ... no good

I'm sure you can get a nice loudspeaker setup comin out underneath the rear bumper or some crap :D

I dream of one day having an electric car that gives me speed and power but some alright mileage (at least 150 mi. per charge?), and a decent recharge time (3.5 hours seems alright), at a fair market price (Not the $100k for the tesla, as awesome as it is.)

I mean, this car seems GREAT, and I love the go-kart appeal to it, but $29k for something that tops out at 40mph and can only get you 45 miles? I'm ok with the 40mph, but for that it needs to be able to give me at least 100 miles to the charge, especially with an 8 hour charge. I also assume that if you have the radio on (if it has one), the run distance is cut down as well?

thanks guys for the support!! wish me luck!

"4-wheel disc brakes with cross-drilled rotors, independent double-wishbone suspension"

Seems like overkill for something that goes 40mph

Its excellent for those 13 mile trips (40mph * 0.33hr (20 minutes...you need the other 20 minutes to get back home)) you want to make by yourself. And you cant pick anything up IE grocery store since the trunk is probably full of 900 lbs of batteries....

Might as well by a bicycle for $100 and have $24,899 to spend on beer and hookers

And if you actually parked it somewhere you'd have to hope a couple guys wouldnt pick it up and throw it in the back of their truck and take off with it.