Electric vehicle developer ZAP (BULLETIN BOARD: ZAAP) this morning acknowledged it's now targeting development and delivery of a more affordable high performance electric vehicle in advance of its already-announced ZAP-X.

ZAP says initial concept development of the new unnamed vehicle is complete.

The targeted price is to be $30,000, with top speed in excess of 100 mph and range of 100 miles per charge, substantially lower on all counts than the high-performance compact, or crossover, SUV supercar concept called ZAP-X that it began talking about this year (see Cleantech.com's ZAP issues ZAP-X drawings, specs, and Look out Tesla... ZAP building electric supercar.)

Many of the technologies already specified for the ZAP-X electric car concept will be applied to the new vehicle, but delivery is expected to be sooner than the ZAP-X, the company said.

More details of the new vehicle are to be presented at the company's annual shareholder meeting July 29 in Santa Rosa, California.

"With ZAP's experience over the past 12 years and the groundwork we have already laid, we know that electricity is the future of the auto industry," said Schneider. "At the same time, we believe we have a design that will serve a niche no other manufacturer in the auto industry is seeking to fill."

Today, ZAP is selling a low performance electric car and truck design called the XEBRA for about $10,000 that travels at speeds up to 40 MPH, designed for city use. ZAP is marketing them towards government and municipal fleets as well as short-distance commuters.

ZAP has developing and selling advanced transportation technologies since 1994, delivering over 90,000 vehicles, many of them scooters, to consumers in more than 75 countries.