SALISBURY — ZAP vehicles — Zero Air Pollution — are the latest type of environmentally friendly vehicle to make their way to Greater Newburyport.
ZAP vehicles are electric/solar-powered vehicles made in China that can average 40 miles per an hour and cost only 3 cents per a mile to operate.
Louise Hart, president of Solar Edison, a renewable energy company in Salisbury and the area's only provider of ZAP vehicles, said the market for ZAP vehicles in the area is good, with families and people who have short commutes to work purchasing the fuel-efficient, alternative energy vehicle. Hart also said local DPWs have come in to check out the ZAP line of vehicles, which includes sedans and trucks as well as scooters, bikes and ATVs.
Solar Edison offers the Xebra Xero PK ZAP truck, which costs about $11,000 and is 100 inches long, 5 feet wide and 5 feet, 1 inch tall. It has a 3,000 watt electric motor that produces 5 horsepower of pulling power and also has a small flatbed.
They also offer the Xebra Xero, a four-door sedan that comes in a variety of colors and is similar in size to the truck. Both of the vehicles offer a deluxe option package, which includes leather seats, a fast charger, a solar charger and extended-range battery. The ZAP vehicles can get up to 25 miles per charge, according to the Web site.
"For people doing short trips like to the grocery store or work or other personal trips, the ZAP vehicle becomes attractive," Hart said. "It's far more economical than a gas-powered vehicle and easier to maintain."
Hart said the interest in ZAP vehicles has grown since their business opened.
"There is a lot of interest in them as people try to literally adjust their lifestyle," Hart said. "They are looking at what they can do to change how they are addressing their lifestyles."
Hart said it is especially important to think about renewable energy in the Merrimack Valley and all of Massachusetts because of high energy costs. According to Hart, energy costs in Massachusetts are higher per person than any of the contiguous states. Hart said the ZAP vehicles could also stave off a growing asthma problem that she said is occurring in the Merrimac Valley region.
"We literally have an environmental crisis," Hart said. "Renewable energy gives you relief economically and environmentally."
