The ZAP Alias Roadster is a plug-in electric three-wheeled

sports car A sports car is a car designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving and racing capability. Sports cars originated in Europe in the early 1900s and are currently produced by ...

, from the American electric car maker ZAP in Santa Rosa – California, project initiated in 2007 through a collaboration between ZAP and Lotus Engineering, the UK-based automotive engineering company, who is assisting with the development of the vehicle.

Technical details

The vehicle has three wheels, two at the front, each containing an electric wheel-motor, and one at the rear, batteries are fitted underneath the vehicle in a reinforced composite battery box. The performance announced in 2008, was 0- mph in 5.7 seconds, with a top speed of mph and a range of . Supposed to go into production in 2009, the first Alias pre-production was unveiled at

NADA Nada may refer to: Culture * Nāda, a concept in ancient Indian metaphysics Places *Nada, Hainan, China *Nada, Kentucky, an unincorporated community in the United States *Nada, Nepal, village in Achham District, Seti Zone * Nada, Texas, United S ...

2009. During the 2010

North American International Auto Show The North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), also known as the Detroit Auto Show as of 2022 and prior to NAIAS, is an annual auto show held in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., at Huntington Place. The show was held in January from 1989 to 2019. ...

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

Automotive X Prize

The

Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize The Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE (PIAXP or AXP) was a set of competitions, programs and events, from the X Prize Foundation, to "inspire a new generation of super-efficient vehicles that help break America's addiction to oil and ste ...

is a global competition to teams that win rigorous stage competition for clean, production-capable vehicles that exceed 100MPG energy equivalent(MPGe). The Alias was one of the 136 vehicles from a total of 111 teams registered to enter the competition. It progressed preliminary stages at Michigan International Speedway, survived the shakedown that was completed on 13 May 2010, after which 22 teams remained. Driven by

Al Unser Jr. Alfred Unser Jr. (born April 19, 1962), nicknamed "Little Al", "Al Junior", or simply "Junior", is a retired American race car driver and two-time Indianapolis 500 winner. History Unser was born into a racing family in Albuquerque, New Mexic ...

, qualified for the finals in July with other eight vehicles. All battery-electric vehicles went through an efficiency and performance run held on 27 July, with the vehicles making 50 laps around the two-mile Michigan track without exceeding 70 miles per hour or dropping below 45 miles per hour in a chicane along the backstretch. The Alias, driving with a BorgWarner single-speed eGearDrive gearbox transmission, was eliminated in this last track event at the 97 miles out of 100 miles due to controller setting which activated the automatic safety system as a result slowed the vehicle and came to a stop, positioning the team at a final 4th place in the event.

References

External links

Official website

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