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Gary Starr is one of the most prolific electric vehicle developers and marketers in history, involved in over 100,000 vehicles built since he started in 1974 during the OPEC Oil Embargo. He was a sophomore at UC Davis studying Environmental Consulting and Advocacy and says he was late for a date because he had to buy gas. While waiting in a gas line, he pondered a better way using electricity. Later 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 co-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 several publications: Electric Cars: Your Guide to Clean Motoring, The Shocking Truth of Electric Cars, and The True Cost of Oil. He has provided expert commentary on more than 300 radio and television shows including Larry King Live, The Today Show, Inside Edition, CNN Headline News, Prime Time Live, the CBS Evening News and the McNeil Lehrer News Hour as an authority in the field of electric vehicles. Starr earned a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of California. Automotive News named Starr among the top ten authorities in electric cars.
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