Miles Electric Vehicles

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Miles ZX40S electric car

Miles Electric Vehicles is a manufacturer and distributor of all-electric vehicles manufactured in China to meet international car safety standards. Miles was recently given the "Electric Car Company of 2007" award by Good Clean Tech.^[1]

Miles Electric Vehicles is based in Los Angeles, California, with several facilities throughout the United States, is privately held by "Green" magnate Miles Rubin. The company gained prominence in 2005 when it began sales of the ZX40, the first street-legal Chinese-made automobile sold in the United States.^[2] The company's vehicles, built on steel unibody chassis, are the world's first crash tested NEVs to achieve United States Department of Transportation (DOT), California Air Resources Board and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) compliance.

One of Miles Electric Vehicles most anticipated products is the Miles XS500, a full electric highway speed sedan with a projected price of approximately $30,000. The company recently raised an additional $15M dollar investment primarily from the Angeleno Group. ^[3]

Currently the company offers four electric vehicles designed primarily for low-speed fleet use, the ZX40, ZX40S, ZX40S Advanced Design, and ZX40ST electric truck. These are currently available in the United States and in use by organizations such as NASA, the U.S. Navy, Yale University, Rice University, Stanford University, UCLA, California Polytechnic State University, the San Francisco Airport Authority, and Provo City, Utah.^[4]

All Miles Electric Vehicles are DOT/NHTSA Federal Standard 500 compliant, offering steel chassis, steel impact-resistant frame, steel doors and DOT-approved glass throughout.

NHTSA/FMVSS Standard 500 law requires all low-speed vehicles (LSV) be electronically limited to 25 mph (40 km/h), and are street legal for use on roads with posted speed limits up to 35 mph (56 km/h).

[edit] AC motors

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For the 2008 Miles introduced AC (alternating current) motors for its low-speed vehicles. The advanced three phase, brushless AC induction motor offers 4 times the available power as typical DC motors, and has a 100,000+ mile estimated lifetime (yet to be warranted by the company). The AC motors are paired to Curtis-Albright AC Motor Controllers and optimized for superior hill climbing performance — historically a problem for many electric vehicles.

Miles has produced an "Advanced Design" version of its flagship LSV, the ZX40S Advanced Design to use the motor, as well as using the motor in all versions of its ZX40ST work truck. Along with the AC motor upgrade, these two models come with regenerative braking and vacuum assisted braking pumps. Due to the increase in available power from the AC motor, the two vehicles also offer true air conditioning as an option.

[edit] Current models

[edit] ZX40ST Electric Truck

Electric Truck ZX40ST

The most powerful "fleet" electric utility truck on the market debuted at FedFleet '07 in Orlando in the summer of 2007. The truck is governed to a maximum speed of 25 miles (40 km) an hour and travels 50–60 miles per charge. Like the ZX40S Advanced Design, this truck also uses an advanced three phase, brushless, AC induction motor, which comes standard with regenerative braking and optional air conditioning. MSRP $18,400

Miles Electric Truck ZX40ST

[edit] ZX40

The Miles Electric Vehicles 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"). Miles takes a vehicle without a drivetrain and adds the motor components.

It is powered by a single 48-volt electric motor, which produces 4.2 kW (5.6 hp) and uses a 150-amp-hour battery pack. The car uses an on-board charger that charges through a standard 110-volt 20-amp outlet. An empty battery fully charges in six hours, but only two to three hours are needed to charge it fully if the car is less than 80% empty. The ZX40 can travel up to 64 km (40 mi) at speeds limited to 40 km/h (25 mph). It is a 2- or 4-seat car and is DOT-approved for street use.

The ZX40 has been discontinued for the 2008 model year, in favor of the more powerful ZX40S and AC Motor-powered ZX40S Advanced Design.

[edit] ZX40S

The ZX40S was 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 50–60 miles (80 to 96 km) . To comply with federal law, the ZX40S is also electronically speed-limited to 25 mph (40 km/h) like the ZX40.

The ZX40 and ZX40S are classified as "low-speed vehicles", meaning they have fewer regulations to comply with. Such 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 (56 km/h) or less.^[5]

MSRP $19,499 USD

[edit] ZX40S Advanced Design

This vehicle uses the same body as the two above models, but uses an AC induction motor that offers greater power and torque, extended lifetime, and regenerative braking.

[edit] OR70

Miles Electric Vehicles also makes the OR70, a variant of which travels above 35mph (56 km/h), but it is not legal on public roads. Currently, NASA employs this model as their campuses are exempt from this particular law. The company has reported the suspension of OR70 model production for the 2008 model year.

[edit] Future models

[edit] XS500 Highway Speed Sedan

Miles Electric Vehicles, the XS500 capable of up to 105 mph (169 km/h) with an estimated price of $35,000.

This article contains information about a scheduled or anticipated future automobile. It may contain preliminary or speculative information, and may not reflect the final version of the vehicle.

A fully highway-capable electric vehicle named the XS500 is planned for 2009.

The car, about the size of a standard mid-size car, was designed by renowned Italian design house Pininfarina. As a "consumer" vehicle, rather than their current "fleet" offerings, Miles says the XS500 will offer standard features such as air conditioning, "power everything", a CD stereo system with Bluetooth connectivity, and a moonroof.

Estimated base price of the Miles XS500 is $40–45k^[6] and the car will be capable of speeds up to 80 mph (130 km/h) with a range of over 100 miles (160 km) using advanced lithium-ion batteries.^[3]

The XS500 will charge up through any standard 220 volt electrical outlet, resulting in over 120 miles (190 km) for the cost of a 1 US gallon (3.8 l) of gasoline.^[7] The vehicle will not be a "silver bullet" to the country's energy crisis, but Miles spokesmen do note that the car would have "safe, economical and environmentally positive" value for practical everyday commuter use, particularly in large metropolitan cities.

Miles has stated its plan to crash test the vehicle to meet and exceed all US DoT and NHTSA car safety regulations. The midsize sedan will be sold through a network of 120 existing car dealers and auto groups which the company is currently building. Currently Miles has approximately 50 authorized dealers.^{[citations needed]}

[edit] See also

• Chinese auto makers

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Miles Electric Vehicles - Official Website
• NO GAS REQUIRED - Student Advocacy Website
• CNN Money - An electric car for the common man
• Automotive News - U.S. dealers are set to sell Chinese electric vehicles
• Tree Hugger - Miles Electric Vehicles aims to bring affordable, all-electric vehicles to market
• Daily News - A day with an electric car
• Auto Blog Green - Miles Electric Vehicles
• Stanford Daily - Electric cars roll out