What do you get when you couple Ralph Lauren with Butch Cassidy? Apparently, the outcome is nothing less than a lineup of 100-percent-electric, zero-emission cars manufactured in China and poised to slink into US dealerships.

It turns out that conservation activist and former Ralph Lauren CEO Miles Rubin teamed up with actor Paul Newman to start a new car company, called Miles Automotive Group , which already produces fleet-oriented low-speed electric vehicles, or LSVs. Those who keep their ears to the ground for new developments in the electric-car arena have been picking up exciting buzz surrounding the company's line of small cars fresh from China. It isn't the engine buzz, however, since the fully electric motors in the ZX40, ZX40S, and OR70 ; are virtually silent when compared with raucous and overbearing petrols.

Current production models from Miles Automotive are already rolling up mileage at NASA, Yale, Stanford, and the U.S. Navy. All five-door hatchbacks, the cars are powered by six 12-volt batteries, two under the hood and four in the back. They also utilize a powerful DC converter and can be charged from any normal 110-volt electrical outlet. The range is only 60 to 70 miles, and the power plants yield a meager 35 mph for roughly 3.7 hours of operation before a recharge is needed. That's a far cry from the awe-inspiring Tesla Roadster, which can rocket from 0 to 60 in just 4 seconds. Yet in its move toward highway-speed electric vehicles (HSVs), Miles is betting that longer range and practical design will make an even greater environmental impact by connecting with average carbon-weary consumers.

"Tesla's models, with the initial sports car priced at $100,000, are certainly well-publicized and sexy--but carry a price tag well beyond the regular guy," said Beth McGroarty, Research Director for Miles Electric Vehicle. McGroarty emphasized that Miles Automotive is "a car company building EV models a bit more for the masses.... beyond the likes of just George Clooney and Sergey Brin."

The utilitarian approach to design will be carried over to the new generation of Miles EVs: Two new HSV models will be introduced as early as 2008. A rapidly changing marketplace--driven by innovation and recently approved tougher CAFE standards--are certainly setting the stage for Miles HSVs, which will reach speeds in excess of 80 mph and travel 125 miles or more on a single charge. According to McGroarty, a trip of this length will cost a Miles HSV driver "a grand total of under $3.00. To get that kind of efficiency with a gas-powered car you'd have to get significantly better than 100 mpg." At approximately $29,000, the next-generation EV's price is also very appealing.

Still, this electric mobility forecast is not without clouds. Offering consumers on-board equipment and amenities worthy of a $30,000 price tag might prove challenging and will require prompt and momentous advances in lithium-ion battery technology. For example, even with their inventive design and functionality, current Miles LSVs do not offer power upgrades or even essentials like air conditioning. Such extras are simply unsustainable given the models' power output. The purest of environmentalists might also be irked by the fact that all Miles vehicles are manufactured in China—a nation with murky environmental standards and one of the worst pollution records in recent history.

Despite the hurdles, Beth McGroarty and other green-minded folks at Miles are optimistic, planning to unveil their HSV duo at the coming Detroit Auto Show and make it available to public by 2008. "The next few years will bring historic and welcome changes to the auto industry," she said, "and all-electric vehicles will be a big part of the shakeup."