by Kay Layne
To conclude my series on “greenish’’ vehicles, I shall actually profile a real “green” vehicle.
Canada is a great land with great exports. There is the big stuff like forestry and oil. Then there is bigger stuff like comedians, Mike Meyers, Jim Carrey and Russell Peters, to name a few.
Well move over Celine, there is something else that is placing the Great White North on the map. Canada is becoming known for its Canadian cars. I am not talking about the ones built in Windsor or Oshawa. I am talking about the ones made in the land of “poutine”. I am talking about a Canuck carmaker, Zenn Motor Company
Zenn stands for zero emissions, no noise and are the makers of luxury NEV-neighborhood electric vehicles.Zenn Motors is headquartered in Ontario, the cars are manufactured in Quebec. These zippy electric Canadian cars are made in Canada just cannot be driven in Canada.
Yes, you read that right. You see even though they have met all the requirements set forth by Transport Canada and have received the National Safety Mark, they still have to be approved by each province. Only British Columbia has low speed regulations in place. However, if you wish to purchase and/or drive one of these cars then all you have to do as a Canadian is head south. Zenn cars are legal in 45 of the 50 States.
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The Zenn will take you 60 kilometres per charge and plugs into a standard 120 volt outlet. That works out to just two cents per kilometer.
The car is cute and cheap however it is a low speed vehicle and tops out at around 60kph. It was made to zip around urban cores, not the open road. It produces no emissions and next to no noise. I have driven hybrids, and I must admit that the no noise feature is quite cool.
Unlike other NEVs that look like glorified golfcarts, the Zenn is boxy two seater compact car. It comes equipped with electric windows, a stereo in the dash, a huge sunroof, aluminum wheels and room for groceries in the back.
So there you have it a “green” car to end my “greenish” series. Have a wonderful “green” St. Patrick’s Day.
3 Comments
[...] Kay has something worth reading today (Helping you find your Zenn, Canadaâs electric car.)Here’s a brief bit, but follow the link for the rest.Unlike other NEVs that look like glorified golfcarts, the Zenn is boxy two seater compact car. It comes equipped with electric windows, a stereo in the dash, a huge sunroof, aluminum wheels and room for groceries in the back. … [...]
[...] Transport Canada. The ZENN has a range of 60km, and can be charged from a regular wall socket. This article features a compilation of pictures and figures about the car. The cost of this car should be [...]
Thanks for this post. I have put a connection on my own blog. Mine features a news piece done by a Canadian reporter on the car maker, though.
How will you Canadians resolve the situation and be able to buy the car within your own borders, though? I hope there’s something in the legislative works to fix that.