Top 10 Costa Rica

Electric Cars in Costa Rica

March 16th, 2009 | by admin |

The Korean manufactured e-Zone EV is now available in Costa Rica for delivery.

One company, Electric Cars of Costa Rica has launched the first 100% electric car for use in Costa Rica, which completely eliminates gas emissions and a trip to the gasoline station.

The vehicle known as the e-Zone EV is completely pollution free, running up to 50 kilometres on a single charge. The electric vehicle is great for commuting, taking children to and from school and best of all, just plugs into any houseld electrical socket to charge its batteries.

James Milldebrooks, president of Electric Cars of Costa Rica, says the two door vehicle costs us$17.500, but has a us$15.500 special ExpoMovil (car show) price.

The maker of e-Zone EV, CT&T, the leading electric vehicle manufacturer in Korea, says the vehicle is built with advanced safety technology that makes it comfortable to drive on regular roads. The interior has lots of leg and headroom, comfortable sports seats and comes complete with an MP3 CD player.

The two-seat e-Zone EV features a fiberglass body over a rigid aluminum frame that’s designed to protect driver and passenger in case of a collision. The NEV has been successfully crash tested to 30 mph and meets U.S. FMVSS301 as well as European safety standards.

The e-Zone EV has a four-wheel independent McPherson suspension system using four-wheel hydraulic disc brakes and electromagnetic regenerative braking. Power comes from a 72-volt AC motor. The lead-acid batteries provide a range of 50 kilometres, while new versions of lithium-polymer batteries are also available that provide a driving range of up to 100 kilometres.

To promote the use of electric vehicles and other pollution free vehicles, the government had planned to sign a Decreto Ejecutivo (Executive Order) to promote clean energy and remove import duties on hybrid, electric and energy efficient vehicles.

The Decreto was scheduled to be signed at the INBIOParque Friday morning. However, due to the changes in the Ambiente (Environment) ministry portfolio, the signing ceremony was postponed.

Jorge Rodríguez, the current vice-minister of the Ministerio de Ambiente, Energía y Telecomunicaciones (Minaet) is in temporary charge of the portfolio, after Roberto Dobles was forced to resign the post following accusations of handing out mining concessions to relatives.

You can see the e-Zone EV for yourself and take it for a test drive at the Electric Cars ExpoMovil booth west of Plaza Real Cariari. For more information on the EV, visit www.electriccarsCR.com.

James Middlebrooks, president of Electric Cars of Costa Rica, proudly shows off the EV at the ExpoMovil car show.