ZAP Makes Ford an Offer for Th!nk Electric Car

EarthVision Environmental News 8nov02

SEBASTOPOL, CA - The electric vehicle maker ZAP has announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Voltage Vehicles, has made an offer to acquire Ford's Th!nk electric vehicle assets. The $10 million offer was made following reports of Ford's shutdown of its Th!nk electric vehicle project. According to ZAP, which stands for Zero Air Pollution, Ford spend about $123 million on its Th!nk program but decided to stop the effort due to poor customer demand and lack of government support for the cars.

Based in Sebastopol, California, ZAP has been a leader in marketing electric vehicles since 1994, delivering thousands of its electric scooters, bicycles and other vehicles to customers around the world.

"Ford has said that it's disappointed in sales and yet the car has never been offered for sale in the USA," says Dr. Nick Carter, President of the San Francisco local chapter of the Electric Auto Association, who has been a Th!nk City driver for almost a year. "They have also said that there is a lack of government support and yet an EV for sale in California this year is eligible for up to $9,000 in state rebates. We have over 7,000 oil-free, clean, quiet miles on our rental Th!nk City and it's a great car which we'd be happy to buy."

According to published reports, the original design and research was completed by Norwegian engineers and includes several innovations. The car meets all necessary safety regulations and contains only 370 parts to build.

For more information, visit the ZAP website or call 1-800-251-4555.