Low speed vehicle maker ZENN Motor Company (ZMC) announced yesterday it will gradually put an end to its car-making and car distribution businesses. This announcement was made in Toronto.

In a press release, ZMC Chief Executive Officer Ian Clifford stated: “We have the opportunity to either challenge a small part of the market as an OEM, or to leverage the numerous established OEMs with their respective brands and infrastructure. With access to global platforms through multiple partners, we believe we can be much more successful as a strategic technology provider than an automaker.”

From now on, ZMC will concentrate on the distribution of an electric drivetrain called ZENNergy using EEStor components. The EEStor EESU units, for which ZMC owns worldwide exclusive rights, are high-power-density long-life ultracapacitors that should provide an autonomy of 400 kilometers, recharge in 5 minutes and allow a car to reach 125 km/h.

The small ZENN LSV is currently assembled at a St. Jerome plant in Quebec.

Pulling the plug on the ZENN microcar
As ZMC moves away from the car making business, the ZENN microcar will eventually become an orphan. “ZMC is in the Low Speed Vehicle business and is carrying forward the current ZENN as a 2010 model that will be introduced in mid-October and we will continue to provide service and parts support for all our customers”, stated Catherine Scrimgeourn, ZENN Motor Company Public Affairs Manager, in an exchange of emails. “The manufacturing facility in St Jerome will continue to operate to support the low-speed vehicle operations for the near term”, she added.

But the future of the small LSV is clear. “As has been previously stated, our company’s participation in the LSV business in the medium and long term is not planned to be through ZENN product but rather through other OEMs into the space – “Powered by ZENNergy”. As that direction unfolds it would ultimately remove us from the Retail play with the ZENN LSV brand and the need for the St. Jerome facility for the purpose of the LSV business would not be necessary.”

“A decision has not been made at this time regarding the St. Jerome facility and how it may support our future business operations”, concluded Mrs Scrimgeourn.