Created by a team of students and professors from San Jose State University, the ZEM (for Zero EMissions) was on display Saturday at Redwood City's first green car show along with the smart car, electric vehicles from ZAP Inc. and hybrids made by such large auto manufacturers as Ford, Toyota and Honda.
Tai-Ran Hsu, a mechanical engineering professor, led the effort to make the ZEM, which involved 72 students and took three years. Hsu isn't concentrating on just creating electric-powered cars but, he's concerned about the electricity needed to power those cars.
"If today we converted all gasoline-powered to electric cars, it would consume more electricity than the utilities can produce," Hsu said, as he demonstrated the car to the curious who had come to the car show or just wandered over from the nearby farmer's market.
"The whole idea of this vehicle is trying to mitigate the use of electricity by supplementing the electricity with a renewable source like solar power or human power," he said.
Major automakers, many of which are struggling to survive, are scrambling to produce more fuel-efficient vehicles. But most come in the form of a hybrid, which run on a combination of battery- and gasoline-powered engines. Few run entirely on electricity.
The ZEM goes a few steps beyond the all-electric car, which is typically plugged in at home during the night and is ready to go all day by morning. It has four solar panels, which provide a total of 800 watts of energy. The solar panels, donated by SunPower Corp. of San Jose, can recharge the car during an average workday, as long as it's left in an open-air parking lot.
The motor can also be powered by silicone batteries, which can be charged by standard 110-volt household outlets. Silicone batteries are considered more environmentally friendly than alkaline batteries because they don't have sulfuric acid and use less energy to charge.
Then, of course, the car also comes equipped with human power - a set of bicycle pedals for both the driver and a passenger.
Hsu said the pedals were not simply intended to provide an alternate form of exercise. "Even if you run out of battery, as a last resort you can pedal back home," he said.
The ZEM won first place in the 2007 national idea-to-product competition held at Princeton University, a prize of $15,000. The vehicle cost about $80,000 to make.
Hsu said the prototype is awaiting a provisional patent and he hopes some company is willing to manufacture it. He believes the car could be sold for less than $10,000.
Redwood City resident Ron Moreno, who was admiring the vehicle for its clean technology, admitted the ZEM could use a few more bells and whistles. "I know what else it needs," he said. "How about a rearview mirror and turn signals?"
E-mail Victoria Colliver at vcolliver@sfchronicle.com.
This article appeared on page B - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle
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