ZAP Alias: An Affordable Electric Sports Car?

ZAP is a California company that has been making very small electric vehicles for a few years and selling them through a handful of dealers nationally. It’s a small operation, which means we’ll reign in our enthusiasm for the just-announced Alias electric sports car.

ZAP is planning to produce the Alias with help from Lotus Engineering — which also worked with Tesla Motors — and promises an affordable electric sports car that can hit 60 mph in under six seconds with the equivalent of 321 hp.

Because the Alias has three wheels, ZAP might be able to skirt safety requirements for cars and classify the Alias as a motorcycle. ZAP is hoping to keep the MSRP at $30,000, and folks can make a down payment on one — for $5,000 — via the company’s website. While you’re there, you can also buy a ZAP charger for your iPod.

The Alias will be on display at the National Automotive Dealers Association convention in San Francisco next weekend. Last year ZAP showed off an electric sedan, the ZAP-X, that was also developed with Lotus. We have yet to see that on sale or available for testing.