Miles Electric Vehicles was based in Los Angeles, California, with several facilities throughout the United States.

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 that achieved United States Department of Transportation (DOT), California Air Resources Board and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) compliance.

Miles electric vehicles use wet cell lead acid deep cycle batteries weighing 100.5 pounds each.

Due to the increase in available power from the AC motor, the two vehicles also offer air conditioning and heat as an option.

The most powerful "fleet" electric utility truck on the market debuted at FedFleet '07 in Orlando in the summer of 2007.

Daily users and independent tests found the actual vehicle range to be 21 to 24 miles per charge.

The car is a licensed version of the Japanese Daihatsu Move mini-compact and is sold in China as the Huali Happy Messenger.

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

Miles Electric Vehicles also made the OR70, a variant of which travels above 35 mph (56 km/h), but it is not legal on public roads.