Transcript: Little Radio EV

This transcript is from a PodTech.net podcast at:
http://www.podtech.net/home/technology/1686/little-radio-ev

Guest: Dan Goshin - Little Radio EV
Host: Matt Kelly - NextGear

Matt Kelly - NextGear
Welcome back to the NextGear; I'm Matt Kelly on PodTech.net and I'm joined today by Dan Goshin. He's a partner in Little Radio Environmental Vehicles; they are the Los Angeles distributors of the ZAP car and Dan, welcome to the Podcast!

Dan Goshin - Little Radio EV
Thank you. How are you doing?

Matt Kelly - NextGear
I'm very good. Tell me about the ZAP cars.

Dan Goshin - Little Radio EV
So, these are all 100% electric vehicles, they run -- we've a truck and we also have a Sedan. They run 40 miles an hour, 30 miles with a charge, and they can be charged at any 110 Volt charge your car; any outlet would do.

Matt Kelly - NextGear
They're really cool cars, I got to tell you.

Dan Goshin - Little Radio EV
Yeah they're fantastic and they drive really well. They are classified as motorcycles, and they're great.

Matt Kelly - NextGear
And are they in full production right now?

Dan Goshin - Little Radio EV
They are in full production, they're fully available for purchase and I --we're the sole distributor in Los Angeles, and we have two locations, one in Venice Beach and one in Downtown Los Angeles.

Matt Kelly - NextGear
So, before too long we're going to be seeing these on the LA freeways and roadways?

Dan Goshin - Little Radio EV
Not on the freeways, they are a city vehicle, so they are not regulated for the highways but they are regulated for the streets and any place that has a 45 mile per hour speed limit.

Matt Kelly - NextGear
Okay, and talk to me about the electric engine, if I can call it that.

Dan Goshin - Little Radio EV
Well, actually there is no specific engine, but it does run off of six 12 volt batteries and then one 12 volt battery is the auxiliary. It takes two to three hours to charge, and you get 30 miles for the charge and zip around in them.

Matt Kelly - NextGear
So, here at the LA Auto Show, I mean they're talking about plug-in hybrids as something that's three, five, maybe even ten years down the road, but in actuality, you've got one here that's literally on the roadways right now.

Dan Goshin - Little Radio EV
Absolutely, they are available and if you want to do something about the environment and horn oil and all the promise that we see, it's a perfect choice for you.

Matt Kelly - NextGear
Now, on the little Sedan back here behind me, it's like a three passenger vehicle?

Dan Goshin - Little Radio EV
It's a four passenger vehicle and they carry upto 500 pound loads, so it can generate...

Matt Kelly - NextGear
How fast do they go?

Dan Goshin - Little Radio EV
I've taken it upto 52 miles per hour, but we say 40.

Matt Kelly - NextGear
So, it's literally just for doing a round town tours and things like that; not literally for maybe long distance or speed traveling or anything like that?

Dan Goshin - Little Radio EV
Well, not specifically long distance, but the average American doesn't travel that far on the average day. So, this is the perfect vehicle to go to and from work, to run errands on the weekend, and it's a perfect second car for anyone and a first car for someone who really cares.

Matt Kelly - NextGear
All right, talk to me and give me your final thoughts about the state of alternative fuels and electric vehicles.

Dan Goshin - Little Radio EV
Well, hopefully we're doing our part and the larger automobile manufacturers can do their part as well. Right now, there's a lot of options on the market with the Electric Car; there is the ethanol cars which I really like, unfortunately there's no ethanol stations. There's three ethanol stations in California at the moment, and the Hybrid options. So there's three options and I think that the future is a combination of all those three.

Matt Kelly - NextGear
Okay, and for our final -- how much can we get into one of these for?

Dan Goshin - Little Radio EV
$10,000 for the Sedan, $10,300 for the truck.

Matt Kelly - NextGear
That fits my pocketbook. For the NextGear, I'm Matt Kelly right here at the LA Auto Show on PodTech.net.

Dan Goshin - Little Radio EV
I'll start talking.

Matt Kelly - NextGear
Yeah, give me some facts about the car and the company.

Dan Goshin - Little Radio EV
Okay, we are on?

Matt Kelly - NextGear
Yeah.

Dan Goshin - Little Radio EV
Alright, so we're leaving the LA Auto Show for a little test drive with Little Radio Environmental Vehicles and as you can see, we are in the sedan which is a four-door car. This goes 40 miles an hour and you can take this -- it's a great city vehicle for anyone that needs to go to and from work and doesn't need to travel on the highways because it's not meant to travel on the highways.

As you can see from the inside it's very simple; there is not too much complexity to the controls, anyone can operate it. We will make a right here onto Cherry street outside the Convention Center. As you can see there is no sound in this car I mean there is very little sound, it's a really quiet automobile and it drives great, the acceleration is great because there is no combustion which means there is no time for the engine to kick and it start running, it's just running, it runs right directly from the battery.

So, when you hit the gas, the car goes and here we go. And you are in a electric car, this is a fully electric car, runs out from six 12 Volt batteries, it charges in two to three hours. It has a range of 30 miles. If you like anything you can get more or less depending on how you drive the car and I'm running with traffic right now in an electric car; nobody killed the electric car, they're still around and you can see the reactions from people, people love it. As we drive by, we'll see people just stare at the car, take a look at it. They always think they are the best little things. Right here is the LA Auto Show; we're driving around the Convention Center where there is plenty of gas guzzlers and no electric cars, we are the only electric car exhibiting at the Auto Show. It's a fully electric car that's available in the United States and is certified for sale. These aren't classified as motorcycles, they have three wheels and because so, you do need a motorcycle license to drive it but you do not need a motorcycle driver's license and even the police like it.

So, turning back down the Convention Center drive, back into the Auto Show, the South Hall and I can really get this thing going as you can see. Right now we are going close to 40 miles an hour and we are going 40 right now.