Folding Electric Scooter on Best New Products of 1998 List
23 September 1998
ZAP's New Folding Electric Scooter Makes Best New Products of 1998 List
SEBASTOPOL, Calif.--Sept. 22, 1998--The ZAPPY(TM), an electric scooter from ZAP Power Systems of Sebastopol, California (OTC BB:ZAPP), has been included in The Gadget Guru's new Guide to the Best Stuff as one of the best new products of 1998.
Jim McGreen, president of ZAP Power Systems and inventor of the ZAPPY, calls it the world's first truly portable electric vehicle. It has a collapsing handlebar for storage in spaces as small as a school locker. Unfolding the ZAPPY is as easy as opening an umbrella. To ride one, just stand up, push off and go. With the flip of a switch, the ZAPPY's quiet, electric drive system will power it up to 13 MPH. You can recharge the maintenance-free battery in any standard 110-volt electrical outlet with ZAP's on-board, automatic battery charger.
The ZAPPY is designed for use in congested areas and in conjunction with mass transit and, according to McGreen, uses 100 times less energy and space than a car. "It's also 100 times more fun!" he says. Since it folds and unfolds for easy storage or carrying, you can take one in the trunk of your car, take it on the bus, subway, taxi, RV or airplane. David McCall of Cotati, California rides one to his job at a nearby university, about five miles round trip.
"It's the only transportation I'll own," said McCall. "It's fun to ride, easy to maintain, keeps the air clean, and, being state of the art, keeps me way past the Joneses."
ZAP managing director Gary Starr says the response for the ZAPPY has been remarkable. The company has already received advanced orders for over 1,000 units and the scooter was recently featured in The Wall Street Journal, Popular Mechanics, Outside Magazine, and on The Today Show.
For further information about ZAP's electric bikes and scooters, access their Web site, http://www.zapbikes.com, or call toll-free at 800-251-4555.
Forward-looking statements in this release are made pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Investors are cautioned that such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, continued acceptance of the Company's products, increased levels of competition for the Company, new products and technological changes, the Company's dependence upon third-party suppliers, intellectual property rights, and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Editors Note: Free test rides of the ZAPPY will be available to the public on Saturday, Sept. 26, 1998 at the Electric Auto Association's annual rally and exhibition at Stanford University in front of Encina Hall and Burnham Pavilion from 10 AM to 4 PM.
