Miles Electric Vehicles will introduce an all-electric vehicle next year with a price around $45,000. The vehicle, a four door sedan, will be marketed under a different brand name, but is designed by Miles Electric and will be produced by one of its partners in China.
Currently, Miles Electric sells several fleet vehicles that fit into the NEV or Neighborhood Vehicle category. Those vehicles can only obtain a top speed of 25 mph, but the sedan coming next year is for lack of a better term, a "real" car.
Miles will initially bring 200 to 300 of the EV sedans to market in the beginning of 2010. The first group of vehicles will be used as a test bed. Additional production will be in late 2010 and focused on California buyers.
The name of the upcoming vehicle will be announced near the end of this month. Its top speed is expected to be about 80 mph and it should have a range of 100 miles between charges. It will take 8 to 12 hours to fully charge the vehicle with a 110 volt outlet, or 4 to 6 hours with a 220 volt outlet.
As of this writing, the company is undergoing crash testing of some prototype vehicles. They are just a few steps away from production. The cost of the Miles EV has escalated from $32,000 a few months back to $45,000 now. However, it will be eligible for a $7,500 tax credit.
The Miles EV is expected to be a mainstream vehicle and the company hopes that it will appeal to a wide range of buyers. According to director of marketing for Miles Kara Saltness, "It's a practical vehicle, but it has revolutionary technology that's powering it. We're not targeting people who want a trophy vehicle. We're targeting people who are going to use it every day."
Stay with us for more info when the name of the vehicle is released later this month.
Source: Cnet.com
