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ZAP Delivers Electric Bicycles To U.C. Davis Bike Patrol

30 October 2000

ZAP Delivers Electric Bicycles To U.C. Davis Bike Patrol

    DAVIS, Calif.--Oct. 30, 2000--Electric vehicle manufacturer ZAPWORLD.COM announced today that it has delivered six ZAP PATROLBIKE(TM) electric bicycles to the University of California at Davis campus bicycle police.
    First established in 1973, the U.C. Davis bike patrol recently expanded from two to six officers, according to UC Davis media representative Julia Ann Easley. The officers are assigned to day and night shifts at the main campus and at the UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento. The expanded bike patrol is expected to reduce the annual mileage driven in the department's nine patrol cars by about 16.7 percent or 41,500 miles. The bicycles were acquired with a $12,000 grant from the Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District.
    The U.C. Davis Police Department introduced its bicycle patrol unit last week and held a demonstration for the new ZAP bicycles. The demonstration, attended by Davis Mayor Susie Boyd and UC Davis Chief of Police Calvin Handy, was held on a bicycle path near the police building. The ZAP bicycles use small electric motors that, when combined with pedal power, deliver a "turbo boost" up to 20 MPH. U.C. Davis officers held a 500-yard sprint, and using a radar gun, clocked the motor-assisted bicycles at 5 MPH faster than the pedal-only bicycle by the end of the race.
    "The electric assist can help officers respond to calls faster, but the crucial difference is that electric motors prevent officers from over-exerting themselves--a definite public safety issue if they have to respond to an emergency or make an arrest," said ZAP representative Doron Amiran.