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Roger Imes calls it totally guiltless driving and he loves it. About two years ago he set out looking for an electric car – a NEV, neighborhood electric vehicle – and he found one in Ohio.
It cost him a little more than $13,000, including shipping to Spokane, and he has never regretted buying it.
“It is a minimal car. It will get you from A to B with a minimal impact on the environment,” said Imes, one of the owners of Lorien Herbs South Perry. “There is no oil, no water, no gasoline - you can drive it and you wont feel responsible for Middle Eastern wars or anything like that.”
The ZENN (Zero Emission, No Noise) vehicle, is registered like any ordinary car and it looks much like a mix between a covered golf car and a tiny ordinary car. It can’t go on the freeway, but it can be driven anywhere else. Charging the batteries takes a little more than four hours and it will take the car 25 miles.
“The batteries will last four or five years,” said Imes. “We hardly drive our other cars anymore.”
The ZENN has a top speed of 25 mph and it’s a roomy little thing: it has plenty of room for groceries or a nice-sized dog in the back.
Imes said it is crash tested and all that, but he’s not too worried about getting in a wreck.
“Frankly, I think it’s so light it would just bounce off the other vehicle,” Imes said.
And no, his power bill hasn’t gone up since he started charging the car at home.
“It is not the car for everyone, but I love it,” said Imes. “And it’s perfect for just getting around the neighborhood.”
Welcome to the South Perry neighborhood blog. My name is Pia Hallenberg and I’ve worked as a journalist in Spokane since the fall of 1998; for the last four years I’ve lived on South Perry Street.
I love the neighborhood so when time came to pick an area for The Spokesman-Review’s first neighborhood blog, the choice was simple: South Perry is where it’s at.
Pia Hallenberg reports on neighborhood and local news for North and South Spokane.
Recent work by Pia
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alisonb on May 10 at 12:46 p.m.
Good job so far with the blog, Pia.
Cindy_H on May 10 at 1:02 p.m.
He and his wife have a great love story, too!
piah on May 10 at 1:33 p.m.
Hey thanks - I’m learning as I go.
And Cindy, I remember that story well.
Here’s the link:
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2009/jul/30/remembered-kiss-brings-pair-together-decades-later/
shanusmaximus on May 10 at 2:47 p.m.
ZENN is no longer in production….
http://earth2tech.com/2010/03/19/zenn-ends-vehicle-production-lays-off-staff-in-eestor-bet/
piah on May 10 at 8:18 p.m.
You’re right - it’s not, but other electric cars are.
zenner on June 07 at 2:20 p.m.
Hey lets help make South Perry the centre of the universe for electric neighborhood cars used examples are easy to find and not that expensive to buy.
Waiting for things to change is not an option, we must become the instruments of change if we wish to live in a better world than this is.
I invite anyone interested in electric cars to contact me, once you drive an EV you will park your other car!
rwrich21 on July 04 at 7:59 a.m.
I have owned a ZENN 2009 since March of 2009. I upgraded my speed controller so that I would be able to go 35 MPH. in Austin, Texas. I found out later that in doing this, instead of my Discover EV31A-A batteries lasting two years and maintaining their charging capacity so that I can go 50 miles on a charge, I can only go 20 miles on an 8 hour charge and the battery will only last 6 months. I was driving to and from work which is 25 miles so I can no longer drive my electric car to work.
My question to anybody is do you know of anyone who has upgraded their speed controller and if they have found a different type of battery to handle going at 35 MPH in a ZENN.