Tazzari Zero Electric Car Recharges In 45 Minutes, Offers 93-Mile Range

New Italian company Tazzari aims to address one of the key shortcomings of electric cars — recharge time — by offering a vehicle capable of taking a full charge in just 45 minutes. Tazzari hasn't clarified what kind of outlet is required for this compressed recharge time, but as it's an Italian company, we'll assume at least a 220v is needed, but likely not a commercial-grade three-phase unit like the one required by the Lightning GT supercar. By comparison, the Tesla Roadster takes 8 hours or so to recharge its batteries, but it's also capable of a sub 4-second 0-60 time, a 125 MPH top speed and a range of 200 miles. The Tazzari, which will presumably be far cheaper, is only capable of hitting 56 MPH, has a range of 93 miles and does 0-31 MPH in "less than 5 seconds." While it's not a performance car, the Tazzari Zero actually looks like it has significant merit as a city runabout, having range and performance considerably greater than its main competition, the G-Wiz. Like that car, the Zero looks small enough to park virtually anywhere, and at less than 1,200 pounds, it's seriously lightweight too. There's no word on when the Zero will come to market, but when it does it looks like it'll be available in Italy, England and France, where legislation and local preferences make vehicles like these extremely practical. [Tazzari via Smart Planet]