CT&T, a South Korean manufacturer that specializes in producing electric vehicles, showed off the e-Zone at the NAIAS today. We had the opportunity to drive several vehicles at the Eco-Xperience section of the auto show, including the current e-Zone.

 

Using lead-acid batteries on the base model, the small EV has a range of 35 miles. Throw a few more bucks at the dealer and you can get a lithium-ion battery pack with a range of about 55 miles.

 

The e-Zone had some real get-up-and-go thanks to the 72V, 5kW electric motor driving the front wheels. We almost took this thing off of the road when we gunned it through a turn (someone already did that today with the Commuter Tango). The brakes weren't as strong as we hoped, but they kept us from rear-ending the Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-CELL.

 

The e-Zone probably won't get you a speeding ticket though. It has a top speed of 40 mph, which is barely over most small city speed limits.

 

CT&T currently sells their vehicles in California, where there is an infrastructure to charge electric vehicles. They said they can ship them to anyone though, and an electrician could come to your home and install a 220V charger.

 

The only options are air conditioning, airbags, and a sunroof.

 

The United model starts at $13,000 and can be reduced to $7,000 thanks to $6,000 in federal and state rebates! It's an all-electric vehicle, making it much more sensible for urban dwellers looking for a small car that really will save them money on fuel costs. Just make sure you have a place to plug.