SUGAR GROVE,
Ill. (CBS) ― Greg Zanis' Dream Car
might look like something out of a 1960s
sci-fi flick, but with its fully electric
motor, it may be a relief for those dealing
with 21st century gas prices.
The car, which resembles a pyramid-shaped
spaceship, can travel 240 miles on one
charge with its 48-volt battery system,
Zanis explained. Zanis' current model only
travels up to 40 mph, but he says his
upgraded model will be capable of speeds of
200 mph, and may be able to travel 500 to
1,000 miles on one charge.
"Each motor runs on a four-pack of
batteries, and when that four-pack of
batteries goes 65 miles, that switches over
to another four-pack, and we have 80
batteries in there. It can do that
continually," Zanis said.
The vehicle recharges by plugging into an
electrical outlet with a built-in power
cord, and has several chargers on board.
The car runs on lead acid batteries, and
would also work with more modern
nickel-metal hydride or lithium ion
batteries, Zanis said, "but I want to keep
expenses down and come up with a practical
car and something that people understand."
Zanis said he prefers the pyramid shape to a
more conventional one.
"We're very set on the shape," he said.
"It's also a very safe car – it's built with
12-inch I-beams all around in order to take
on any kid of a crash. So we like the
spaceship kind of feel to it."
Zanis said the cars cost about $8,000 apiece
to build, and he hopes to sell them for
$16,000 to $24,000 apiece.
He said he has wanted to build the car ever
since he was a little boy.
"I've wanted to build this car ever since I
was 4 or 5 years old, and finally, the
technology has caught up with what I've been
wanting to do," he said.
But now, Zanis has high hopes for the car's
future.
"Hopefully, in the next year or so, I'm
going to be building one a month, and I have
a five-year business plan where I'll be
building 100 a year after that, 1,000 a year
after that, and 10,000 a year in five
years."
Zanis added that while he had been courted
by high-tech firms in California, he decided
to stay in the Chicago area.
"The high-tech corridor gets enough
publicity. We need to do this here," Zanis
said. "We need jobs here in Illinois."