Bikes & Cars...

A couple of weeks ago, Treehugger and AutoblogGreen both posted announcements about pioneering electric vehicle company Detroit Electric being brought back from the dead. US EV maker Zap and China’s Youngman Automotive Group have teamed up to manufacture and deliver affordable EVs under the century-old banner.

Here’s what you need to know to sound smart at the next potluck dinner. The Detroit Electric brand was around the first time from 1907 to 1939, under the umbrella of the Anderson Electric Car Company. The car came standard with a lead-acid rechargeable battery, just like most EVs today. They went about 80 miles on one charge, with a top speed of about 20 mph. Sadly, this is a lot like most EVs today, too. You’d think 100 years of technology would have improved on that a bit more.

Detroit Electric’s marketing plan targeted women and doctors, as EVs were more reliable and less stinky than internal-combustion engines. Clara Ford, wife of Henry, bought a car for herself from Detroit Electric because Ford cars were too noisy. Detroit Electric’s later models, while still running on electricity, were designed with long hoods like the more-powerful gas cars, which had radiators under those coffin noses, as they were called.

Enough history. What’s up with the new Detroit Electric? According to Alex Campbell of Zap, Youngman is one of the largest manufacturers in China, with a 4 million square-foot facility. The idea of the new partnership is to source parts from where they are made, all over the world, then assemble them in China to keep the resulting vehicles affordable.

The first project to come from the partnership will be electric buses sold by Zap by 2009. The new Detroit Electric’s flagship will be the Zap Alias, which they consider to be their flagship three-wheeled sports car, will begin production in the second quarter of 2009. If you’re interested in buying your place in line for that Zap Alias, the company announced today that they are taking reservations at $5,000 a pop. The car is expected to sell for $32,500 when it becomes available late next year.

The company will even be building a replica of the 1907 Detroit Electric car as a low-power neighborhood electric vehicle. In the future, it hopes to add more traditional, practical, affordable passenger models to the lineup. “The age of inexpensive oil is over,” explains Campbell. “Everyone else is playing catch-up.”