The flexible platform the car is built on can be fitted to support a wide range of drive trains, such as full and mild hybrids or full-electric vehicles. Mila EV will be equipped with an electric motor that produces 67 horsepower and is powered by a lithium ion battery. The battery of the Mila EV can be recharged in 2 hours and a half and the electricity in it is good for about 150 km.
Magna Steyr is not a car manufacturer with its own brand. They developed the Mila EV, but the car will not see production. The car was conceived in order to give possible customers a good platform to build their vehicles on. The company thus lines up with the current trend in the automotive industry and bets on the electric car’s future.
Magna Steyr is a unit of Canadian supplier Magna International. The latter is working on developing components and systems for this emerging market. They plan to start production of lithium-ion batteries by next year.
Last month in Detroit, Ford and Magna announced a partnership to introduce a zero-emission lithium-ion battery electric vehicle by 2011. Magna will build much of the vehicle's powertrain, including its battery pack, motor, transmission and control units.
Magna Steyr, the company’s European branch, has the strongest balance sheet in the supplier industry, with net cash reserves of more than 1.5 billion euros, as Siegfried Wolf, Magna Steyr CEO said in a statement.
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