SANTA ROSA, Calif.,
March 6, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- ZAP
(ZAAP) an automotive company incorporated in California and headquartered in Santa Rosa, California announced that Jonway
Auto, its subsidiary in Zhejiang,
China is launching a small EV sedan, SPARKEE for city
commuters in China.
Focusing on the growing demands for electric vehicles (EVs) in
China driven by Chinese government
policies, ZAP and Jonway Auto has developed a small EV sedan
designed for city driving. Due to the high levels of air
pollution in the large Chinese cities, the Chinese government has
changed its subsidy policy to scale based on the range a EV can
achieve, instead of the former policy which was based on the amount
of lithium batteries used. EVs with less than 100 km range
receive a subsidy of 30,000 RMB
(~USD$5000) and this scales up to
60,000 RMB (~$10,000) for EVs with range over 200
km.
SPARKEE comes in two models, the lead acid version which has a
lower range of 120km and the lithium version which has
a longer range of more than 180km between charges. Sales of
SPARKEE in China is intended
primarily for the densely populated urban areas where many of
the city governments have to pay penalties for exceeding pollution
indices and government vehicles that have emissions are forced to
stay off the roads on "red alert" days. Jonway Auto is
gearing up production to deliver several thousand of these vehicles
for the Chinese market by June 2014
and will be working with local dealers who see a
huge market. SPARKEE is attractively priced between
US$7000 to US$12,000 depending on the
motor size and battery type as well as capacity.
Jonway Auto is also working with an Eastern European market
partner who is doing type approval of this vehicle for the Eastern
European market and is projecting sales of several thousand per
year once approval is completed. ZAP plans to deliver
other versions of this model that is targeted at city fleets
and small delivery vans intended for city service
vehicles.
ZAP plans to bring SPARKEE to selected markets in South America and is considering US partners
for distribution into the US market upon proper type approval
and certification.
About ZAP and Jonway Auto
ZAP and Jonway Auto designs and manufactures quality, affordable
gasoline and new energy electric vehicles (EVs). Jonway
Automobile has ISO 9000 manufacturing facilities, engineering,
sales and customer services facilities in China, ZAP Jonway has production capacity of
up to 50,000 vehicles per year, and has sales distribution network
in China. ZAP, an early pioneer of
EVs, brings to both companies a broad range of EV design experience
that is applied to the new product lines. ZAP Jonway is
headquartered in Santa Rosa,
California and Jonway Auto is located in Zhejiang Province of the People's Republic of China. Additional
information about ZAP Jonway is available at
http://www.zapworld.com.
This press release contains certain forward-looking
statements is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform
Act of 1995. The words "anticipate," "believe," "estimate,"
"expect," "intend," "plan," and similar expressions that may tend
to suggest a future event or outcome are not guarantees of
performance, which cannot be predicted or anticipated. These
forward-looking statements are based largely on expectations and
are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which
are beyond the control of the Company. Actual results could
differ materially from these forward-looking statements.
Contact:
Michael Ringstad
Mringstad@zapworld.com
707-525-8658x104
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140306/SF78604
SOURCE ZAP and Jonway Auto