Miles Automotive

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Miles Automotive is a distributor of electric cars in the United States. The company gained prominence in 2006 when it began sales of the Miles ZX40, the first street-legal Chinese-made automobile sold in the United States market^[1]. The company's cars, built on steel uni-body chassis, are the world's first crash tested vehicles that boast DoT, CARB and NHTSA compliance. The company has offices in New York City and Malibu, California, and several support facilities across the country.

1 Miles ZX40
2 Miles ZX40S
3 HIGHWAY SPEED CAR
4 External link
5 References

[edit] Miles ZX40

The ZX40 is a subcompact electric car built by Tianjin Xiali (Tianjin-Qingyuan Electric Vehicle Co), a subsidiary of the First Automobile Works in Tianjin, China. The car is a licensed version of the Japanese Daihatsu Move minicompact and is sold in China as the Xinfu ("Happy Messenger"). It is powered by a single 48 volt electric motor which produces 5.6 hp (4.2 kW) and uses a 150 amp-hour battery pack. The car uses an on board charger that charges either through a standard 110 volt 20 amp outlet or a 220 volt outlet. 6 hours fully charge an empty battery; however, only 2-3 hours are needed to charge it fully if the car is less than 80% empty. The ZX40 can travel up to 40 mi (64 km) at speeds up to 25 mph (40 km/h). It is a 2- or 4- seat car and is DOT-approved for street use. The ZX40 sells for $14,800 at 15 dealerships in the United States. The quicker accelerating ZX40S is also available in quantity for immediate delivery.

[edit] Miles ZX40S

The ZX40S is designed to accelerate faster than the ZX40. It is powered by a 72 Volt system instead of a 48 volt system, which extends its range to 60-80 miles. In compliance with federal law, the ZX40S is also electronically limited to 25mph like the ZX40. Miles Automotive also makes the OR70, a variant which travels above 35mph, but it is not legal on public roads. Currently, NASA employs this model as their campuses are exempt from this particular law.

The ZX40 and ZX40S are classified as "low-speed vehicles", meaning they have fewer regulations to comply with. The vehicles must include standard lighting and seatbelts, but do not require passive restraints, typically airbags in higher-speed vehicles. The vehicles should not exceed 25 mph (40 km/h) on streets with posted speed limits of 35 mph or less^[2].

[edit] HIGHWAY SPEED CAR

A fully highway-capable vehicle called the JAVLON XS500 is planned for end of 2008. Estimated base price is $29,800 and would be capable of speeds of 80 mph (129 km/h) and would have a range of 150 mi using advanced lithium-ion batteries^[3].