Gary Starr, ZAP Founder, Chairman Emeritus, Manager, Business Development, Product Development

Gary Starr is quite possibly the most prolific electric car entrepreneur today, having been involved in the design and production of over 100,000 electric vehicles since building his first electric car in 1974 as a UC Davis sophomore. In 1993 Automotive News named Starr among the top ten authorities in the electric car industry.

In 2000 Advertising Age honored him and ZAP in their annual Marketing 100. Starr has several publications to his credit, including "Electric Cars: Your Guide to Clean Motoring, "The Shocking Truth of Electric Cars," and "The True Cost of Oil."

He is a holder of several electric vehicle patents. Starr was a sophomore at UC Davis studying Environmental Consulting and Advocacy during the OPEC Oil Embargo and says he was late for a date because he had to sit in a line to buy gas. While waiting he pondered a better way using electricity. He asked one of his professors about electric cars who told him they could not go fast enough, far enough and were too expensive. A few months later, Starr built his first electric car with mostly junk and surplus parts. The converted dune buggy went 50 MPH, had a range per charge of 50 miles and cost about $2,500 to make. "That car taught me that, just because an expert says it can't be done, doesn't mean it's true."

Starr founded ZAP in 1994 and has been a director since the Company's inception, serving as Chief Executive Officer from 2000 to 2002 and Chairman from 2002 to 2008. Prior to ZAP, Starr founded US Electricar's electric vehicle operation in 1983. Starr has provided expert commentary on more than 300 radio and television shows including Larry King Live, The Today Show, CNN Headline News, the McNeil Lehrer News Hour and more.