This thing looks like something out of a late 60s-early 70s saturday morning cartoon.

Dorky looking, yes. My big questions becomes how long does it take to charge up, and how often would you have to replace the batteries, even if they are rechargable? Weigh that vs. $3 a gallon, and I might consider the dorkly looking car.

Perhaps it's the little retro geek in me that remembers Saturday morning cartoons and wishing the world was more like those, but I love this thing. I'd drive it in a heartbeat. And 280 miles on a charge? Sign me up!

I just hope it comes with a sound effects generator of some type so it makes the Jetsons' car's noise as I drive down the street!

Looks like an egg cooked over easy. The seating looks terribly uncomfortable. So, it is a prototype, is there ant technical data on this egg wheeled wonder? I would like to see the specs. on the drive system and the weight of the vehicle.

If it had a Solar collector to recharge the batteries in daylight driving, that would be ideal. Electric cars are a fine idea, as long as they use part solar power. After all, if we must stop to recharge using 100% electricity created by a dirty, inefficient fossil fuel burning facility, then we are not really helping to keep the air clean.

It seems to me that the solution would be a simple one. It needs a backup system that can be used to a) recharge the batteries if you are somewhere that you are not able to recharge externally and b) something that could power the car temporarily in case you run into trouble. I mean, look at today's sailboats. Yes they run under sail power, but they also have small gasoline driven engines for auxillary needs, and maneuvering as needed. If the car came equipped with something of that nature, it would be perfect. So what if gas costs $3 a gallon? Give me 3 gallons that will last me a month or more.

Thats the ticket!!!

If it had a Solar collector to recharge the batteries they would have to be manufactured. And that is a really nasty and expensive business. What it really needs is a vacuum and filter attachment to remove the particulate from the air caused by volcanoes, blowing wind, digging animals, molting birds, etc... and coal burning power plants.

I can see George Jetson's ancestor driving to work in The Zooop in about 50 years. If they make a "Hum-Vee" version of this thing, I would get it!
Drew

I will probably be first in line when a production version comes along. Of course the need to make a few minor changes before going to prodction...
(1). Elongate the body by 3 more feet, to allow for a storage compartment.
(2). Integrate a roll bar in to the transpearant dome.
(3). Install bucket seats with a 4 point safetybelt.
(4). Redistribute the interior so that seats are lower giving additional head room w/o sacrificing external surface area. (possibly moving what is currently below the seat into a Raised center console).
(5). As far as solar cells are concerned, forget about it. Current solar cell technology does not provide high enough energy density to be practical, providing only 1 Watt/hr per square meter and a car's need are in the Kilowatts.

A recharging alternative may be to have a Zoop docking station that is attached to a larger solar array, wind turbine, or regular power grid, that would simply recharge 2 or 3 battery packs. Then when the zoops batteries run down it pulls into the nearest docking station and its battery pack is swapped out for a fully charged one.

Of course I think the diesel engine will provide greater Flexibility and range than a recharging/docking scheme would. I drive a Prius and reguarly get 50 - 55 mpg on ordianary gas.

I will probably be first in line when a production version comes along. Of course the need to make a few minor changes before going to prodction...
(1). Elongate the body by 3 more feet, to allow for a storage compartment.
(2). Integrate a roll bar in to the transpearant dome.
(3). Install bucket seats with a 4 point safetybelt.
(4). Redistribute the interior so that seats are lower giving additional head room w/o sacrificing external surface area. (possibly moving what is currently below the seat into a Raised center console).
(5). As far as solar cells are concerned, forget about it. Current solar cell technology does not provide high enough energy density to be practical, providing only 1 Watt/hr per square meter and a car's need are in the Kilowatts.

A recharging alternative may be to have a Zoop docking station that is attached to a larger solar array, wind turbine, or regular power grid, that would simply recharge 2 or 3 battery packs. Then when the zoops batteries run down it pulls into the nearest docking station and its battery pack is swapped out for a fully charged one.

Of course I think the diesel engine will provide greater Flexibility and range than a recharging/docking scheme would. I drive a Prius and reguarly get 50 - 55 mpg on ordianary gas.

your al forgeting still what someone brought up earlier. the batteries. in urrent hybrid cars you have to replace the batteries every 3-5 years and that costs depending on the car anywhree from 2500-5000$. So now one must ask what does it cost to replace the batteries in that thing and how often. Also by extending the swoop and adding more weight you lose the fuel economy of it. Cause now youve got more mass plus its prob gonna lose some aerodynamics. Those 2 factors alone could seeverly inpact the cars fuel economy.

Guess, its a little hot in there.
*Subaru Spoiler

this is geeky and has aids

I had back surgery a few years ago... just looking at these folks sitting in this psudo-boiled egg thingy makes my body hurt from my sciatic to my brain stem. Haven't these so-called inventors heard of ERGONOMICS?!