The makers of the pant-wettingly powerful Zilla brand controllers are about to get back into production. Last year the makers of Zilla controllers Cafe Electric shut down their operation, forcing electric car converters to go elsewhere for higher performance DC controllers. Things have changed however, and Cafe Electric’s Otmar Ebenhoech has opened up the shop to accept orders again.

For those of you who’re unaware or who hadn’t heard of the Zilla controller, imagine a typical Curtis or Alltrax controller, then give it a leather jacket, sunglasses, and an attitute. Additionally, zilla controllers come with the option of a thing called a Hairball Interface, which allows bucketloads of control over your controller. The Hairball Interface also gives you the option of operating a tachometer from the controller, options to make use of those “idiot lights” in your dash again, and an ‘economy’ mode operated by a dash switch – to name a few.

While more expensive, Zilla controllers suit the needs of electric vehicle converters looking for a bit more grunt in their DC systems. To put things in perspective here’s a comparison with the very popular Curtis 1231C controller:

• Curtis 1231C: Maximum output: 72 kilowatts (144 volts x 500 amps). Cost: $1475 US.
• Zilla Z1K-HV: Maximum output: 300 kilowatts (300 volts x 1000 amps). Cost: $2675 US.
• Zilla Z2: Maximum output: 600 kilowatts (300 volts x 2000 amps). Cost: $4675 US.

These controllers are definitely high performance units and are not for the faint hearted, or the faint of income. I suggest buying neck brace and marrying into money before purchasing.

Alongside the high price, these impressive beasts require a $500 US deposit & have an estimated 1 month waiting list which means it’s out of the reach of this Kiwi for some time yet!

Check out specs & pricing at EVcomponents’ site here: http://www.evcomponents.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=37