Zero Production Motors, Zero Air Pollution (ZAP) Vehicles

Two Companies Show that 'Oil Addiction' Alternatives Are Happening Already

While the politicians talk about renewable energy and alternatives to oil, people in the real world are doing something about it. Some reports in today's news cycle feature Zero Pollution Motors, which produces a vehicle that runs on compressed air. Other stories spotlight electric ZAP trucks, short for Zero Air Pollution. Names are similar, but these ventures are independent of one another.

Gasoline prices have skyrocketed, despite this temporary break that seems timed to go with Tuesday's election. It's been nearly four decades since the first Middle East oil shock of the early 1970s. Even long before that, smog had started to smother major cities. Yet a nation that developed the atom bomb by 1945 and sent men to the moon in 1969 still cannot push average automotive efficiency past 30 miles per gallon, much less get rid of the need for gas in the first place.

Conspiracy theories have abounded in some circles. The premise is that the powers that be could mass produce alternative vehicles at any moment of their choosing, but that the oilmen have had too much of a financial stake to allow such progress. Well, this may not be a conspiracy, but there certainly hasn't been a whole lot of incentive for change.

Enter Zero Pollution Motors. The Air Car runs entirely on compressed air as long as you stay below 35 miles per hour, which anyone should be able to do if they stay off the highways for their local commutes. Beyond 35 mpg, the need for gasoline kicks in. Faster driving compresses more air for slower in-city travels. This doesn't amount to "zero pollution," but you get the picture. It sounds pretty good.

Then we have the Zero Air Pollution "ZAP" vehicle, which truly lives up to its name. The ZAP car is an electric enclosed three-wheeler that's officially classified as a motorcycle. It's less versatile because it only can reach 40 mph and it contains only one passenger seat, but it accelerates quickly enough that the motorist behind you won't be honking his horn. The ZAP vehicle will get you to work and back, or to the grocery. Where to put those groceries? There's a small truck bed in back.