I’m happy to report that things are progressing well at Manzanita Micro. The Automated Test Equipment (ATE) is up and running in Kingston and we are busy setting up and training for production. Parts availability will make for a bit of a slow start so be sure to let Clarice at Manzanita Micro know if you are itching to get Zilla power in your vehicle!
Zilla’s are coming back!
I am excited to announce that I am in talks with Manzanita Micro to bring the Zilla controller line back to life soon! We have agreed on the basics and now just need to finalize the details to get Zilla production, sales and support up and running at their facility in Kingston Washington.
It’s been a long time since I’ve updated this blog. My apologies for that. I have been busy during that time communicating with and visiting a number of potential manufacturers for the Zilla. After the last fiasco, I admit I’ve been slow to move forward. I wanted to make sure I was working with someone who knows the EV market and also has the manufacturing experience necessary to build the Zilla properly. I’ve known Rich Rudman and the folks at Manzanita Micro for many years. Rich and I go back to the mid 1990’s as friends and sometimes friendly rivals. We often observed how similar our companies were. Now that Manzanita has expanded operations into a beautiful new facility and expanded staff to handle larger volumes (I admit, I was very impressed during my recent visit) it looks to me that they have the space and the ability to build Zilla controllers in good volumes. I’m looking forward to working with them to bring the Zilla back, and also I’m eager to get back to product development, maybe starting with improving the Hairball with new code and features.
Since I am a bit slow to update the blog posts, I am trying out Twitter to see if I will be motivated to keep the smaller updates happening there.
You can follow us on Twitter at CafeElectric :
-Otmar
At this time, I have had over 30 (edit: 100 now) people contact me interested in licensing the Zilla controller. I am encouraged by all the interest, but it also means a bit of work to figure out who is best suited for continuing Zilla production.
For those of you that are still interested in licensing the Zilla, please realize that I will be giving priority to certain traits:
Location, closer to me is better.
Demonstrated manufacturing experience.
Experience with EV support.
Vision to continue to grow the EV market.
Financial experience and means to start and support a $1M+/yr operation.
Although I hope to get back to everyone eventually, I will first contact those whose initial contact shows them to be likely to meet the above requirements. Emails I get showing interest but no qualifications will be ignored.
Thank you for your patience,
— Otmar