ZAP News

ZAP Xebra Electric Sedan
CNN did a round up of 5 electric cars that are available right now in the US. The five vehicles are an interesting selection, because if you look on the Internet it seems every car company has an electric car that they are already selling or that will come out over the next few years. So which is it? Are these the only five electric cars available right now? Or did CNN leave out a host of other vehicles?

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The New York Times in a March 9, 2008 article reported that the ZAP (OTCBB:ZAAP - News) Xebra electric car is the best-selling model at the nation's top electric car dealer.

The New York Times reported that electric car dealer Ecomotion of Portland, Oregon is the top dealer in the nation with about 125 vehicles sold. The article says the dealer sold about 50 of the ZAP Xebra, called the "surprise success" by the Portland Oregonian.

The New York Times article "Alternative Dealers Selling Alternative Power" by Oregon freelance writer Kristen Hall-Geisler covers the growing dealer market for electric cars. The article is available online by searching at http://www.nytimes.com under the keyword 'electric car dealers' or at the Internet address below.

SANTA ROSA, CA -- Jul 17, 2008 -- Dubai's Al Yousuf Group has sent two key executives to electric vehicle pioneer ZAP (OTC BB:ZAAP.OB) this summer to explore synergies across their portfolio of transportation companies in which the Al Yousuf Group has invested.

Mr. Ashraf Saeed, the Chief Operating Officer for the Al Yousuf Group, is spending approximately a month at ZAP to explore more ways that Al Yousuf can support ZAP's ambitions in alternative transportation. Mr. Saeed has been cultivating the relationship with ZAP since contact was first made with the Al Yousuf Group.

June Gas Prices in the SF Bay Area
This is a real camera phone picture sent to us yesterday by a friend of ZAP here in the San Francisco Bay Area. People are really hurting from rising gasoline prices. But if you are in the USA, consider yourself lucky. A gentleman from Ireland called last month inquiring about ZAP vehicles and reminded me that people in Europe are paying much more for gasoline relative to the United States. After we finished converting pounds to dollars and liters to gallons, I started understanding what he means.

Below is a recent summary of the highest gas prices in the world and the USA is no where near the top:

Highest Gas Prices Ranked by Country

Needed: A Plug-In HummerWho's getting rich off $4-a-gallon gas--and who's feeling the pain? This is a question that Forbes Magazine asked in their Special Investment Guide Issue that hit newstands this June. The article "Needed: A Plug-In Hummer" is an entertaining, yet serious look at the repurcussions of high gas prices. You know times are changing when Forbes gives a nod to the smaller, indpendent car companies like ZAP. The article shows a computer model of the ZAP Alias, an electric sports car being developed by ZAP, and taps ZAP as one of the WINNERS, saying the vehicles "...are looking sexier with every uptick in gas prices." Other winners? Plug-in hybrid kit makers. Losers?