CLICK HERE FOR PART 1 of the GlobalAtlanta interview, in which Mr. Mannino introduces his company and gives an overview of ZAP's electric vehicles. In PART 2 , the interview continues as Mr. Mannino explains his newfound environmental emphasis and takes GlobalAtlanta for a ride in the three-wheeled Xebra Sedan.

Gaetano “Guy” Mannino doesn’t look the part of a hardcore environmental crusader.

Italian by birth, he’s always loved fast cars.  He races Porsches and Ferraris, and he recently left a 25-year career helping build a global tire brand that prides itself on its association with high-performance - and high-emissions - automobiles.

But when Mr. Mannino, former president and CEO of Rome, Ga.-based Pirelli Tire North America, sought put his international business and marketing experience to use on his own, he saw that helping the environment can be “green” in more ways than one.

Through his new consulting and trading company, Verdek, Mr. Mannino is channeling his love for cars into a venture that pays some dues to the Earth and generates revenue in the process.

Mr. Mannino partners with ZAP, a company in Santa Rosa, Calif., that designs and distributes a full line of vehicles that run solely on electric power.  ZAP, which stands for “Zero Air Pollution,” offers sedans, trucks, scooters, bikes and off-road vehicles, which are manufactured in China and distributed in the U.S. 

Though he founded Verdek and Verdek-EV, its e-business branch, principally to sell the vehicles in his native Italy, record gas prices and a thriving climate of environmental activism in the U.S. convinced Mr. Mannino that it’s a prime market for new modes of transportation.

Sensing the same trends, large automakers have introduced gas-saving hybrids, hydrogen vehicles and prototypes for electric vehicles in the past few years.  But Mr. Mannino feels that the big companies are too often stuck in neutral, waiting for a technological breakthrough.

“I was looking for alternative transportation, but alternative transportation that would be available now, not in 2011 or 2012,” he told GlobalAtlanta in a recent video interview.

Before the interview, GlobalAtlanta test-drove the Xebra, ZAP’s four-seat sedan model.  The tiny, egg-shaped car sits on three wheels—one in front, two behind.  Because “three points are always on a plane,” the configuration makes it virtually impossible to tip over, Mr. Mannino explained.

Painted an appropriately bold shade of neon green, the Xebra stood in stark contrast to the much larger Range Rover Mr. Mannino used to tow the electric car from Rome to the GlobalAtlanta offices in Decatur.  

Driving the Xebra would have taken days and required multiple recharging stops.  With the standard battery pack, the Xebra can travel 25-30 miles on a single charge at a maximum speed of 40 miles per hour, which it usually reaches while traveling downhill, Mr. Mannino joked.  

The fact that the Xebra can’t roam the interstates doesn’t trouble Mr. Mannino, who said his target customers are short-distance commuters within cities. 

Considering Atlanta’s suburban sprawl, he thinks ZAP cars would only be appropriate for commuters inside the perimeter or those who park at MARTA stations and take trains into the city.

But Mr. Mannino isn’t limiting himself to customers in congestion-plagued Georgia capital.  He’s looking at cities like Athens, Columbus, Macon, Rome and Savannah, which don’t rely so heavily on major highways.

He’s also hoping that the cars won’t just resonate with individual eco-warriors.  He estimates that if corporations would convert 20 percent of their fleets from gas to electric, the impact on their budgets and the environment would be positive and immediate.

Even taking into account emissions created by the power plants where the cars get their electricity, ZAP cars produce 98 percent less emissions than gas cars, according to the company’s Web site. 

ZAP CEO Steven Schneider agrees with Mr. Mannino.

“This is the easiest way to start saving money on gas, and at the same time, helping the environment,” Mr. Schneider said in a statement.

The same goes for individuals, even those simply looking to pad their wallets with savings at the pump, Mr. Mannino said.

“Absolutely there’s a cost thing, if you consider the difference in cost per mile is one to 10 between a regular car and an electric car,” he said. “A full charge (in the Xebra) costs $0.40.  That gives you an idea of the amount of savings that you have.”

The basic ZAP Xebra costs $13,500 and seats two adults and two children.  Extended battery models with range up to 40-50 miles per full charge are available for $1,500 more. 

ZAP also sells models with solar panels.  That innovation somewhat frees the driver from the ongoing search for electrical outlets, but it also costs a few thousand dollars more than the standard model.

Mr. Mannino insists that despite the lack of air conditioning, slow speed compared to gas-operated cars and the challenge of recharging on the go, savings on gas and insurance (the car is classified as a motorcycle for insurance purposes) justify the price point.

In Europe, with gas prices in many countries doubling even record U.S. prices, consumers will be even more apt to see the benefit, and Mr. Mannino will soon start Verdek Italia to market the cars in his home country. 

Mr. Mannino is no stranger to international business.  His 25-year career with Pirelli spanned three continents.  He speaks four languages, which he said helped him climb through the ranks of the Milan, Italy-based company.

Mr. Mannino served as president of Pirelli de Venezuela from 1999-2001.  His first U.S. position came in the mid-1990s, when he worked as vice president of operations at the U.S. headquarters in Connecticut. 

When Pirelli decided seven years ago to move its U.S. base and build a new factory, it chose Rome, Ga., which made Mr. Mannino’s appointment as president and CEO appropriate.

“I’m sure there was a lot of economical decisions in that, but I’m sure there was also an emotional decision in going to a place like Rome,” he said. “So it’s ironic, but yes, I’ve done many times a Rome-to-Rome trip.”

Mr. Mannino anticipates that technological advances will lead to electricity-only cars that can travel up to 100 miles on a charge. Once such car, the Alias model, is marketed on www.verdek-ev.com as available in during the first quarter of 2009.  Battery packs in ZAP cars are expandable to accommodate future developments.