Austin Alt Car: Z Wheelz shows off Porsche EV and ZW2

The two vehicles that Gary Krysztopik and Z Wheelz brought to Alt Cat Austin this weekend could not be more different. One the one hand, we have the ZW2 (above), a hot rod like trike with all sorts of chrome. The three-wheeled bike is Krysztopik's prototype kit car - one in a planned full line of kit cars - that he hopes to have ready by the end of the year and will sell for around $20,000. If you're thinking that those fat wheels don't look all that common for an EV, you're right. Krysztopik said ZW2 is really more of a show car and is not focused on efficiency. The design and specs are meant to get a new crowd of people interested in EVs.

In the picture, you can see four white boxes under the seats. These are the edges of the battery row, and there are two more rows up front that contain a total of 24 lead acid batteries, weighing 2,000 poiunds, in this thing. Krysztopik's design keeps everything modular, so should the kit builder put in smaller and lighter li-ion batteries, the seats could be lowered to help keep the center of gravity closer to the ground.

Krysztopik's other vehicle on the show floor was a converted 1991 Porsche 911. He bought a franchise from conversion company EV Porsche and now offers conversions of all types of vehicles in the Austin area. The 911 is a demonstration vehicle, and he said that interest from the show would probably generate two or three sales. He'll be using this money to finish getting the kit ready for the ZW2.

Lastly, while ZW2 is a good internal name (it's the Z Wheelz vehicle that seats two people), Krysztopik knows he'll have to fancy it up a bit for the public. Right now, he's kicking around the Manta or the Drifter. What's your suggestion?