Electric Car Eliminates Gas Costs

(NewsUSA) – Electric cars have huge potential to change the auto industry, particularly with rising gas prices, but a new design out of California targets the niche of busy urban drivers.

The new Zap Xebra all-electric car is a 40-mph, three-wheeled automobile that was designed for people who do a lot of in-town driving. Unlike hybrids, the Zap car needs no gas at all – just plug into any conventional outlet. Publicly owned Zap (stock symbol: ZP) sees a market with multi-car families that are looking for the fuel-savings benefits electrics can offer for commuting, errands or government and corporate fleet use.

“Many people buy electric cars because they want to use them when they don’t need their gas cars,” said Alex Campbell, spokesman for Zap. “What they quickly realize is that most of their daily trips are perfect for electric cars, and realistically it becomes the first car.”

According to Zap, studies show most driving trips are within 20 miles of home, distances well within the city limit for the Xebra, which can travel up to 40 miles per charge.

According to a study by the Green Car Institute, 15 percent of all cars sold could be electric today. When consumers have a choice between driving an electric car and a gas car, they choose the electric car 90 percent of the time.

Zap says its Xebra project is the offspring of more than three decades of thought and evolution in electric transportation. This car was created from the ground up because the use and purpose of electric vehicles is different than gas cars.

At about 4 cents per mile compared to 15 cents or more for gas, there is no comparison for cost-conscious consumers. With rising gas prices, people might be much more open to this unique new cost-effective design.

For more information on the Zap Xebra, visit www.zapworld.com or call (800) 251-4555.

Written by steve on August 1st, 2006 with no comments.
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Sherpa Tips – Water Saving

There are many ways you can save water around your house and yard so I’m going to offer a variety of water saving tips today (and I’m sure more in future posts as well). Water conservation is very important, and will undoubtedly become even more so as time passes, climate changes, and world population continues to soar.

A lot of water-saving tips may seem “common sense”, but as ‘they’ say, “whats common sense is not always common practice”.

Water Saving Tips

Indoors

Don’t leave water running while brushing teeth (only turn on briefly to rinse)

Limit the amount of running water you use for doing dishes and in general when using the kitchen sink. If you know you’ll be needing to run the water for a bit (waiting for it to warm up, washing fruit/vegetables, rinsing glasses/plates etc) place a catch container (large pot or small bucket perhaps) in the sink. This water can then be used to water household or garden plants.

Use water from cooking for watering plants (once cooled off) as well.

Cut back on your shower time – its amazing what you can do in a few minutes. If you need to do any sort of shaving, do it with water off (then turn on to rinse).

Use the shower rather than drawing a bath – showering uses far less water. Using a water-conserving shower head is even better still.

Outdoors

Collect rain water (using rainbarrels)

Use a watering can rather than the hose – its much more targeted, uses far less water, and is good exercise as well.

Don’t water a peak heat times – you want to make sure the plant gets as much as possible, plus it reduces the chance of burning the leaves.

Use mulch and groundcover plants to help reduce evaporation from soil.

Stay tuned for more water-savings advice in future Sherpa Tips.

Written by Bentley on August 1st, 2006 with no comments.
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