1) When you get your Xebra the first thing you are going to want to do is drive it. Before you do, charge it for as long as you can stand it. A full charge before you drive it would be the best idea. This may take 5 hours or longer so plug it in and have someone lock you in a room until it's done.

2) After your first full charge, drive your Xebra about 5 miles and then plug it back in. Do this about 5 times and then begin to increase your mileage a bit each time after the first 5 charges. The more you baby your batteries in the beginning, the longer they will last.

3) Do not fully discharge the batteries EVER, if at all possible. This can damage your batteries and shorten their life.

4) Charge your car every night no matter if you drive it or not. Your Xebra batteries "likea da juice."

The Details

Sent in by L. David Roper

The 110-Volts outlet plug on the right-rear side of the Xebra needs to be rated at a minimum of 20 amperes and a minimum extension cord of 12AWG gauge is necessary. If the cord is longer than 24 feet, use a 10AWG gauge extension cord. Comes with a 10-feet cord.

The six batteries (currently being shipped with ZAP Xebras) are Deka Dominator Model 8G31 12-Volts, 98-Amp-hours @ 20 hours, deep-cycle sealed lead-acid gel batteries that cost $199 each and weigh 70.5 lbs each ( Click here for PDF of containing battery specs) . They are in series for a total of 72 Volts. Therefore, 7.1 kWh maximum energy can be stored in the 6 batteries.

A full charge takes 8 hours with the 110-Volts charger. That is, 110 volts x 20 amperes = 2.2 kilowatts. So, at maximum current of 20 Amperes it would take about 3.5 hours to charge the batteries. Half maximum current would take nearly 6.5 hours. Apparently the charger runs at slightly less than half maximum current.

The duration of an average charge at a speed of 30 mph will yield approximately 25 miles of travel.

Factors such as prolonged high speed, excessive stop and go traffic, inclined or uneven roads and weight will play a role in decreasing the distance that you can drive. The Xebra was built for short routes on flat terrain. It can easily handle a 5% incline with the standard controller and 10-12% incline with the upgraded controller. Using the Xebra on hills will decrease distance per charge.

Conditioning batteries properly is required to get the most out of your vehicle, typically 15 or more charging cycles. Optimal range will happen after this break in period.

With normal use, the no maintenance, deep-cycle batteries should last up to three years.

In a cold climate the car needs to be kept as warm as possible in a garage. At 32 degrees F the battery energy capacity is reduced to about 80%, at 0 degrees F it is reduced to about 60%.

Click the link below for close up pictures of theDeka Dominator Batteries

BATTERY PICTURES