Licensing and Production Notes25 Mar 2011 10:36 am

Finally, Good News!

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.

12 Responses to “Finally, Good News!”

  1. on 25 Mar 2011 at 2:56 pm   Mate from Cro

    That’s great news Otmar! Congratulations!

  2. on 25 Mar 2011 at 3:50 pm   Frank

    This is great news! Good luck to both you and Rich.

  3. on 25 Mar 2011 at 5:32 pm   Ryan

    That’s awesome im looking forward to see what new features you will come out with for the hairball!

  4. on 26 Mar 2011 at 1:57 pm   Greg Sievert

    Good to hear. Please keep those of us with Zilla controllers posted as it would be great if we could upgrade our Hairball to include cruise control and other features. We just got our EV on the road and so far are happy with the smooth performance of our 1KHV.

  5. on 26 Mar 2011 at 7:02 pm   Wayne

    Thanks for the great news and I am looking forward to “The Return of The Zilla”!
    Wayne

  6. on 27 Mar 2011 at 5:32 am   Denison Kolling

    Good luck brother! Today I watched on television, Discovery Channel
    program and on-speed EV used a Zilla controller, I
    I hope produli it again and having much success. Florianópolis – Brazil

  7. on 27 Mar 2011 at 11:59 am   Richard Bebbington

    This is great news Otmar!

    I can’t think of a better partner to help with getting the Zilla back into production – I was impressed with the build quality inside my PFC30 charger, and Rich has always been quick to help with technical stuff.

    Looking forward to some new features too!

  8. on 04 Apr 2011 at 8:32 am   George Hamstra

    Otmar,

    I am happy to hear that you’re returning to fill the void! There is NO DOUBT that you make the KING of controllers! EV’rs of the world rejoice!

    All the best!

    George Hamstra!

  9. on 04 Apr 2011 at 11:04 pm   Ryan Bohm

    Otmar,

    Dream garage, Zillas back … could it get better?!

    Congrats!

    -Ryan Bohm

  10. on 08 Apr 2011 at 8:48 am   Rick Clester

    Great News! Glad to see it’s on the move! You are the man!

  11. on 13 Apr 2011 at 10:05 am   James May

    Hi Otmar

    I’m delighted that you’ve found a new partner for your Zilla production.

    You can’t beat the Zilla for performance, ease of fitting and robustness. I’m really happy with mine.

    Please keep us updated on your newer projects!

    James May

  12. on 19 May 2011 at 5:32 am   John Henry

    I hope its not to little to late, we need everyone who wants one to get one cleaner and greener my motto more power Tim Allens motto my mantra we need to do it better faster cheaper with indestructable reliablity , control the market with market share , then dominate if your out of production for even hrs it might mean market share loss don’t be controled by foreign ownership there laws were not predicated on freedom as a guideing princepal ours was , Use it or loose it !