History
ZAP Power Systems (for zero air pollution), was launched by Jim McGreen in 1992 with the goal of designing, building and selling innovative electric vehicles. The company was incorporated on September 23, 1994 as ZAP Power Systems of Sebastopol, California, by McGreen, Gary Starr and their wives. In 1993 Automotive News named Starr among the top ten authorities in the electric car industry. He had previous experience with electric cars, including his work at Solar Electric Engineering and U.S. Electricar, which is currently known as Enova Systems. Starr was involved in electric conversion projects, various production cars and kit cars.
1995 – Manufacture of electric bicycle systems, products included ZAP DX and SX, as well as the ElectriCruiser, PowerBike, S&W Patrol Bike, ZAPTRIKE.
1996 – Launched direct public offering stock, debuted an advanced Tricyclopod, the Zappy folding electric scooter (invented by co-founder McGreen).
1997 – Arrangement with Chinese bicycle companies for ZAP's drive system supply. In April, agrees to sell electric bikes to Brunswick Corp, by May signed a distribution agreement with Fondmetal Export AG export company.
1998 – First electric bike store opened in San Francisco.
1999 – Corporate name change, multiple international agreements signed, and announced the launch of the "Z-Boat".
2000 – Introduced a line of sea scooters with battery-powered propulsion, and the KICK-PUSH Scooter. Management additions, as a result of the acquisition in 1999 of EMB.
2001 – Solar powered scooter introduced. Name change to "ZAP".
Read more about this topic: ZAP (motor Company)
Famous quotes containing the word history:
“The history of any nation follows an undulatory course. In the trough of the wave we find more or less complete anarchy; but the crest is not more or less complete Utopia, but only, at best, a tolerably humane, partially free and fairly just society that invariably carries within itself the seeds of its own decadence.”
—Aldous Huxley (1894–1963)
“All history attests that man has subjected woman to his will, used her as a means to promote his selfish gratification, to minister to his sensual pleasures, to be instrumental in promoting his comfort; but never has he desired to elevate her to that rank she was created to fill. He has done all he could to debase and enslave her mind; and now he looks triumphantly on the ruin he has wrought, and say, the being he has thus deeply injured is his inferior.”
—Sarah M. Grimke (1792–1873)
“The one duty we owe to history is to rewrite it.”
—Oscar Wilde (1854–1900)