It may look more like a Porche Cayenne SUV than a Tesla Roadster, but today's announcement of a forthcoming ZAP (BULLETIN BOARD: ZAAP)/Lotus electric car promises to set new standards in range, top speed and charging time.

This won't be the kinder, gentler yet odd-looking electric vehicle the market has come to expect from ZAP. Named the ZAP-X, the new vehicle is to be based on Lotus Engineering's existing APX concept car body structure (pic below.)

The svelte, yet practically-sized new vehicle will be previewed at this weekend's North American Dealers Association (NADA) annual meeting in Las Vegas.

A combination of lightweight aluminum structure, a new efficient drive and an advanced battery system is intended to enable a range of up to 350 miles between charges and a top speed of 150 miles an hour, ZAP said today.

By contrast, the Tesla Motors Roadster sportscar has a published 250 mile range, and top speed in the vicinity of 130 miles an hour. 

Yet the most aggressive claim may be in the APX's charging time. While the Tesla Roadster needs to be plugged in overnight, ZAP claims the ZAP-X will only require 10 minutes for a full recharge of its batteries. That'd be a full "tank", yielding another 350 miles, they company said, in the time it takes for a roadside washroom break.

While ZAP director of communications Alex Campbell wouldn't comment to Cleantech.com on the battery technology behind the claims, we noted similarities in statistics several months ago trumpeted by Reno, Nevada-based Altairnano (NASDAQ: ALTI) of its nanotech-based batteries (see Altair shows off all-electric SUV with nanotech batteries.) Altairnano had talked previously of being able to power an SUV for 350+ miles, and being able to fully charge its battery in 10 minutes.

This afternoon, Altairnano spokesperson Fayth Ross would not confirm or deny to Cleantech.com that it was working with ZAP.

ZAP plans to replace Lotus' APX's conventional gasoline V6 engine with revolutionary in-hub electric motors, delivering 644 horsepower in all wheel drive mode and theoretically capable of powering the ZAP-X to a potential top speed of 155mph.

"There are a lot of companies creating really exciting motors in the marketplace. Our goal at ZAP has always been to identify the technologies that are closest to market. We're going to be using low cost motors that are ready for production or off the shelf," said ZAP's Campbell.

The Lotus APX, upon which the ZAP-X will be based.

ZAP is targeting the $60,000 USD price range for the ZAP-X, with expected availability in 2008. Because the car is to be all-electric, the company expects to bypass many of the emissions requirements of new cars, Campbell said, noting the company has substantial experience in electric vehicle production and marketing.

"We've been in this business 12 years. We think the market is finally catching up to what we’ve been preaching."

ZAP has built a network of 25 dealers around the world, with recent inroads into Latin America.

"We try to focus on low cost solutions that can fit world markets, not just the U.S.," said Campbell.

Read all of Cleantech.com's coverage of ZAP here.