Q. How fast can a City Car go?

A. All Electric City Cars have a maximum speed of 25 mph because they are officially classified as "Low-Speed Vehicles" and conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 500. Among other things, FMVSS 500 requires that manufacturers limit the maximum speed of "low-speed vehicles" to 25 mph.

Q. How far can an Electric City Car go?

A. Electric City Cars are equipped with lead-acid batteries, which are similar to the batteries found in most gasoline-powered cars. This battery technology limits the range of Electric City Cars to 50 to 60 miles. Lithium-based batteries, like those used for laptops, are used in some electric vehicles and greatly increase the range of those vehciles. Unfortunately, they also greatly increase the price of those vehicles.

Q. Why can't I drive my City Car on the highway?

A. In Massachusetts low-speed vehicles are only permitted to drive on roads with a speed limit of 30 miles or less. In cities such as Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, and Somerville, most roads have speed limits of 30 mph or less. Other than the interstate highways, only a major thoroughfares like Storrow Drive, McGrath/O’Brian Highway, and Morrisey Boulevard have speed limits greater than 30 mph.

Q. How do I recharge my City Car?

A. Our City Cars are equipped with on-board charging systems, which means you can recharge them simply by plugging them into any outlet with regular 110V household current.

Q. How long does it take to charge an Electric City Car?

A. It depends on how much of the charge has been depleted. If you have used 80% of the batteries charge, it will take 8 to 10 hours to recharge. If you drive only 5 or 10 miles, you won't deplete the battery that much, so it won't take that long to recharge, either.

Q. How long before the batteries need to be replaced?

A. Miles Electric Vehicles, manufacturer of the ZX40S, estimates that the batteries will need to be replaced after about 25,000 miles of normal driving. Keep in mind that when your trips can’t exceed 60 miles and your speed is limited to 25 mph, it will take quite a while to put 25,000 miles on your car. Please note that the lifespan of lead-acid batteries will be shortened if they are not regularly charged. Allowing the charge of a lead acid battery to be fully depleted will reduce its energy storage capacity and shorten its useful life.