Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Miles EV
Hafei Saibao EV passes crash test; good news for Miles' XS500
Sometimes a tiny nugget of information with sizable implications can slip by in the truckloads of news we sift through everyday. Just yesterday, for instance, there was a small mention in the China Real News of an "high-speed Hafei Saibao electric car" passing an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) crash test. Big deal, right? Well, yes and no. A little digging helped us uncover that the test wasn't actually conducted by the IIHS but rather by the China National Quality Control & Inspection Center for Automobiles and was meant to replicate the IIHS 40 percent frontal offset impact. Still no biggie until you realize that this car also very likely goes by the name of XS500 and that Miles Electric Vehicles is planning on selling it in the U.S. sometime next year. One of the worries about importing cars from China has been their past crash test performance (or lack thereof) and this test offers some insight into how well the XS500 may do when it comes time for its testing over here.
So, how did it fare? After a little more digging we found out it did quite well. After hitting the barrier at 40 mph, the injuries to the crash dummy were "lower than standard limited values" (We're pretty sure that's good). All the expensive stuff, including the lithium ion batteries, motor and controller survived intact and were still operable as well. There was no mention made of any side impact or other tests which vehicles must pass to meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) and although Miles declined to comment on the progress of their testing, this small tidbit does offer up some hope that their XS500 may indeed make it to the American market.
[Source: EV World / China Real News]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Joseph 10:38PM (8/29/2008)
If they do sell this car in America, and it ends up not being a good car, the following will happen in the average consumer's mind:
China = Junk
Bad Electric Car from China = Electric Cars are Junk
Goodbye Tesla, Volt, and PHEVs!!!!
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Andrew 11:02AM (8/30/2008)
It looks like they did pretty well on the test. According to http://english.cri.cn/2906/2008/08/29/189s400146.htm
"The model, named Saibao, scored US-NCAP (United States New Car Assessment Program) 4 stars. Injury measures on all body regions of the test dummy fell well within the safety limits, and the car's high-voltage electric engine as well as all the other key electric assemblies remained untouched after the crash."
4 stars!! I'm impressed and can't wait to test drive this thing in the US.
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ben 12:54PM (8/30/2008)
This is great news for electric car fans around the world. It is quite an engineering achievement to design the structure of the electric car to meet the crash test requirements. The electric car has much more mass than its gasoline powered counterpart. The components of the electric car are also much more sensitive to the shock of the crash test than typical mechanical components in a gasoline powered car.
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Mark Kiernan 2:00PM (8/30/2008)
China, if it wants to bring into the USA and Europe must do ENCAP and American crash tests if they are to convince people. I don't know what the average joe in China thinks about safety but here in the West it is very important to have a good standard. European cars always advertise their ENCAP rating 1 to 5 stars, so if China want to compete they will have to reach 4 ot 5 stars or they are dead (excuse the pun) in the water.
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Emil 2:07AM (4/02/2009)
The only average Joe here is you. Do you think you are special or something? I would suggest for people that never left their country, to travel a little before expressing themselves about other countries.
Jim Stack 3:08PM (9/19/2008)
This is better than a Tesla. Family sized room, very efficient and affordable. I'd buy one as soon as they are out. I think Miles is still looking at late 2008. I'm very impressed.
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