Mar 22 - Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News - Julie Bisbee The Daily Oklahoman

Rick Knight didn't even want to sit in the ZENN car.

"I know it doesn't sound very manly, but it's just so cute," he said. "I'd just have to charge it if I got in it. I'm still making payments on my truck."

His truck, a Hummer that gets about 14 miles per gallon on the highway, sat idling across the street as Knight walked around the ZENN car Tuesday and poked his head under the hood.

ZENN cars, short for Zero Emission No Noise, will be made by Toronto-based Feel Good Cars. Production on the electric cars will begin next week. The cars are expected to hit dealers in June and hopefully win the hearts of Americans who have been wedded to their gas-guzzling cars for years.

As gasoline hovers at $2.40 a gallon, that love affair could be waning. At least that's what executives at Feel Good Cars are hoping. They want their demure, quiet cars to catch people's attention and change their minds about electric cars.

"We sort of want to be the Volvo in our class," Bill Williams, vice president of sales for the company, told members of the Central Oklahoma Clean Cities group Tuesday.

Folks with Feel Good Cars stopped in Oklahoma City after showing the car in Austin, Texas, this week. The compact downtown business district and growing urban living in Oklahoma City make good sales opportunities for these cars, said Graham Hill, vice president of business advancement.

Officials in Austin, Texas, and other cities, such as San Francisco, Denver and Boston, are promoting electric cars for municipal fleets and urging companies to buy the cars when they come available. Austin is creating plug-in stations throughout the city so drivers can power up their cars, Hill said.

Efficiency and no emissions are central to the car's appeal. But the amenities are what make it irresistible. Air bags are optional on the cars that top out at 25 miles per hour. Sunroofs and compact disc players can be added to the two-seater vehicles.

The price tag: Between $10,000 and $14,000, depending on the perks added to the car.