ZAP Alias Debuts, Enters the X Prize Race

The Zap Alias three-wheeled EV, which made its debut at the North American Auto Dealers show in New Orleans last month, has been accepted as an X Prize competitor, along with nearly 40 other teams of alternative-fuel vehicle builders.

The winner of the Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize will meet several criteria:

• Achieve 100 MPGe — the energy equivalent of 100 miles per gallon of gasoline
• Be affordable (no six-figure pricetags here)
• Meet market standards for safety and performance
• Be production-ready

In a nutshell, these high-efficiency cars have to work and real people have to be able to buy them.

The Zap Alias, a two-seater electric vehicle, is competing in the “alternative” class. It requires two seats (check) and a 100-mile range, which Zap says the Alias will be able to do. The alternative class encourages new designs, which Zap took to heart when coming up with the three-wheeled Alias. It’s more than a motorcycle, but not quite a full-fledged car, with an other-worldly, sci-fi flair. Which may be just the ticket for the $1 million prize purse.

If you’re into the Alias and want one regardless of its chances at the X Prize, Zap is taking deposits of $1000 for the car. There will be a limited number of Signature Series examples sold in 2009.

Check out the 30-second video to get a glimpse of the Alias.