The ZAP Alias Roadster was a proposed plug-in electric three-wheeled

sports car A sports car is a type of automobile that is designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as Automobile handling, handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving, and Auto racing, racing capability. Sports cars originated in ...

, from the defunct American electric car maker ZAP in Santa Rosa, California.

History

The project was initiated in 2007 through a collaboration between ZAP and Lotus Engineering, the UK-based automotive engineering company, who assisted with the development of the vehicle. Plans for a Kentucky production facility fell through, and in 2010 ZAP subsequently announced that Zhejiang Jonway Automobile would be contracted to manufacture the car in China. With the collapse of ZAP on or before 2017, the vehicle never went into production and the fate of the prototype(s) is unknown.

Technical details

The vehicle has three wheels, two at the front, each containing an electric wheel-motor, and one at the rear. Its batteries are fitted underneath the vehicle in a reinforced composite battery box. The performance announced in 2008 was in 5.7 seconds, with a top speed of and a range of . Initially planned to go into production in 2009, the first Alias pre-production unit was unveiled at NADA 2009. During the 2010

North American International Auto Show The Detroit Auto Show, formerly known as the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), is an annual auto show held in Detroit, Michigan. Hosted at Huntington Place (formerly Cobo Center) since 1965, it is among the largest auto shows in ...

(NAIAS) in Detroit, Michigan from January 11–24, 2010, the company revealed the revised specifications for the 216-volt AC induction motor-powered Alias prototype as 0– in 7.8 seconds, with a top speed of and a range up to . The vehicle was to be homologated as a motorcycle.

Automotive X Prize

The Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize was a global competition of teams engaging in rigorous stage competition of clean, production-capable vehicles that exceed 100 mpg energy equivalent (MPGe). The Alias was one of 136 vehicles from a total of 111 teams registered to enter the competition. It progressed through preliminary stages at

Michigan International Speedway Michigan International Speedway (formerly named as the Michigan Speedway from 1997 to 2000) is a D-shaped oval superspeedway in Brooklyn, Michigan. It has hosted various major auto racing series throughout its existence, including NASCAR, Cham ...

, and survived the shakedown that was completed on May 13, 2010, after which 22 teams remained. Driven by Al Unser Jr., it qualified for the finals in July with eight other vehicles. All battery-electric vehicles went through an efficiency and performance run held on July 27, with the vehicles making 50 laps around the track without exceeding or dropping below in a

chicane A chicane () is a serpentine curve in a road, added by design rather than dictated by geography. Chicanes add extra turns and are used both in motor racing and on roads and streets to slow traffic for safety. For example, one form of chicane is ...

along the backstretch. The Alias, using a BorgWarner single-speed eGearDrive gearbox transmission, was eliminated in this last track event at out of due to a controller setting that activated the automatic safety system, causing it to come to a stop and placing the team at 4th place in the event.

References

External links

Official website
(archived)
The Alias on the ZAP website

More renderings of Zap's next vapor EV
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zap Alias Electric sports cars Electric three-wheel vehicles Electric concept cars Lotus vehicles