Good bye.........polutioned taxies............

Mia's plug-in electric delivery van puts driver front and center

07:22 February 27, 2012

French/German electric vehicle manufacturer mia has developed a small plug-in delivery van with a top speed of 68 mph and a battery range of up to 80 miles

The mia U is a single occupancy vehicle of some 10.46 feet (3.19 meters) in length, although the manufacturer can equip the vehicle with two seats if desired at the cost of reducing the 53 cubic feet (1,500 liters) of cargo space behind the driver seat. The contents of the microvan can be accessed via the rear door or a lateral sliding door on either side of the driver. It's capable of a top speed of 68 mph (100km/h) thanks to its 18kW (peak) asynchronous electric motor, which also delivers a maximum torque of 58 Nm.

There are two battery options available. The 8 kWh LiFePO4 Lithium iron phosphate battery pack gives a range of up to 56 miles (90 km) and is fully charged in just three hours via a standard 230V/16A plug, although the manufacturer says that a quick 10 minute top up should be good for at least five miles (eight km) - hopefully enough for the homeward journey. A 12 kWh battery pack will extend the vehicle's range to up to 80.77 miles (130 km), and charge time is five hours.

 There's nearly 15 cubic feet (420 liters) of storage at the back. The 8kWh version weighs 1,732.8 pounds (786 kg), which increases to 1,843 pounds (836 kg) for the 12kWh model.which doubtless contributes to the microvan's extremely economical power consumption and low running costs