ZAPWORLD CEO Charts 'Bold' New Direction for Company

    SEBASTOPOL, Calif., May 14 Chief Executive Officer
Gary Starr outlined plans today for making ZAPWORLD.COM the
leading force in the electric vehicle (EV) market, and hinted at several new
development projects, including a fuel cell power-assist bicycle.
    "ZAPWORLD is developing a fuel-cell-powered bicycle at this time and we
expect to have it out in the market by 2002," said Starr in an
April 29 interview with United Press International.
    Starr, along with recently appointed Chief Financial Officer Bill Hartman
and the rest of the management team, is undertaking a significant
repositioning of ZAPWORLD (ZAP) from an electric scooter-only company to an
overall provider of premier EV products. The repositioning plans began with an
internal cost restructuring that will greatly reduce corporate overhead and
manufacturing costs while refocusing the company employees.
    Under the plan, ZAP will be positioned as a distributor of high margin
foreign manufactured products, with a primary focus on aggressive sales
activity. ZAP will also be placing an emphasis on the research and development
of new EV products, although acquisition plans still remain a significant part
of the new plan, allowing the company to diversify its product line more
rapidly.  ZAP has acquired four EV companies in the past two years. Some of
the proprietary products resulting from these acquisitions are starting to
enter the marketplace beginning next month. Announcements will be made as
appropriate.
    In commenting on all of the developments and repositioning plans,
Mr. Starr said, "ZAP took a bold step to introduce electric bicycles and
scooters during the '90s when electric cars seemed to be the center stage.
Today, we have proven to the world there is a market for low-speed EVs, but we
need to continue to be a pioneer and a leader in this industry; introducing
new products and opening up new markets. We must draw on all of our talents to
design superior vehicles, manufacture those products at a competitive price,
and market them with utmost creativity. ZAP stands for Zero Air Pollution.  We
believe we have the entrepreneurial team to accomplish all of the above,
backing our mission to make ZAP the name in clean transportation."
    Starr, 45, is recognized as one of the world's leading authorities in
electric transportation. In 1994, Automotive News listed Starr among the
top-ten experts in the EV industry. Last year, Starr was picked for
Advertising Age's marketing 100 for helping to create a market for EVs. Starr
built his first electric car as a college student at UC Davis and since then
has been involved in the production of over 55,000 electric bicycles,
scooters, cars, trucks, buses and other forms of electric transportation.
    ZAPWORLD.COM is a publicly owned company with common shares listed on the
Nasdaq Small Cap Stock Exchange under the trading symbol "ZAPP." For more
information, go to http://www.zapworld.com or call 800-251-4555.
    Forward-looking statements in this release are made pursuant to the "safe
harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
Investors are cautioned that such forward-looking statements involve risks and
uncertainties, including, without limitation, continued acceptance of the
Company's products, increased levels of competition for the Company, new
products and technological changes, the Company's dependence upon third-party
suppliers, intellectual property rights, and other risks detailed from time to
time in the Company's periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission.

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