Mygreenwheels

Coming in 2008 - Miles Automotive plans to bring out a mid-sized all-electric sedan with a top speed of 80mph and a range of 120 miles.

It's reported that this new model, the XS 500, is going to be priced at $30,000. If CEO Rubin can deliver on this he'll have a massive market for it. He's talking about having 6 prototypes of this car ready by autumn, so he's giving himself a big challenge to get it road tested and approved in that timescale.

Rubin says he can meet this low price by manufacturing the car in China  and taking advantage of their state-sponsored research into battery technology to produce an 'advanced lithium ion power pack' that takes 6 hours to charge. For anyone whose antennae start twitching about quality issues at the mention of Chinese manufacture he also emphasises that he has quality inspectors at the factories.

"The cars will speak for themselves. You can PR it to death, but if it doesn't perform well, it's dead on arrival," says Rubin.

And what about the competition that's due out at about the same time? There's the four-door utility truck from Phoenix Motors, the promised Tesla sedan and for 2010 the GM Volt plug-in. Tesla's just replaced its CEO in preparation for a serious move into manufacturing, so I wonder who's going to get to market first with an affordable 4-seater electric vehicle. With that $30,000 price tag it surely rules out the smaller players who don't have the buying power. How on earth can Miles Automotive really deliver at that price? Maybe they're being a bit too ambitious.