OKA NEV ZEV FAQ

Electric Car = (EV)
Neighborhood Electric Vehicle = (NEV)
Zero Emission Vehicle = (ZEV)
Electric Car = (EV)

OKA NEV ZEV FAQ

Here are some answers to Frequently asked Quastions:

BASICS

What is OKA NEV ZEV?

The OKA NEV ZEV electric vehicle, manufactured by MIROX Corporation, is the first mini car neighborhood electric vehicle (NEV) available for sale in USA.

OKA NEV ZEV is engineered to meet federal safety requirements for street-legal operation as a low-speed vehicle (LSV).

Because it does not emit any pollutant it is also certified as Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV).

Who is MIROX Corporation?

MIROX Corporation is headquartered near Las Vegas, Nevada.

Final assembly plant where it manufactures OKA NEV ZEV vehicles is located about 45 miles from Las Vegas and about 2 miles from Nevada borders with California.

Where is OKA NEV ZEV made?

The final assembly when traction batteries and high current and high voltage wiring is installed is performed in our plant in Nevada, USA.

The chassis and body itself inclusive of interior assembly and painting is performed at one of two locations in Russia.

The transmission is made in Italy but modified in USA.

The components like the electronic motor controller are made in USA.

Electrical switches and indicator lights are made both in Italy and Russia.

There are also few components that are sourced from Germany, Switzerland, Mexico, Malta, China and Taiwan.

By applicable DOT regulations OKA NEV ZEV is considered to be made in USA and MIROX Corporation is the "final stage manufacturer" responsible for the finished vehicle to the ultimate retail purchaser.

Where can OKA NEV ZEV be driven?

OKA NEV ZEV can be driven on all public roads that are posted at 35 mph or less, in States which have approved the use of neighborhood electric vehicles. It is an ideal vehicle for local, around-town use.

Uses include transportation from mass transit stations to the workplace or home, taking the kids to school or the library, grocery shopping, or other common neighborhood or downtown errands.

OKA NEV ZEV can be also operated on any private property such as Mall, Casino or Shopping Center parking lots as well as in Gated Communities either for local transportation or as maintenance support or even a patrol vehicle.

What powers OKA NEV ZEV?

Single 48-volt series wound DC motor or optional 3-phase AC motor powers the OKA NEV ZEV and a traction battery pack comprised of four, eight or twelve 12-volt batteries supplies the electric power. Maintenance free sealed batteries are standard on the Standard and Luxury models. The more batteries the longer is the travel range between required charges. Up to 30 miles with twelve batteries, but only about 10 miles with four.

The Standard model has 8 batteries and typical minimum "rated" range of 20 miles per charge.

How is "rated" travel range measured?

The vehicle is driven non-stop with 250 lbs load on level paved road at maximum speed (just under 25 MPH as per FMVSS #500 requirement) until the battery pack is depleted to a level where re-charge is recommended. This is indicated by traction battery volt meter (48V) when the indicator needle is just at the middle of the gauge.

What is the OKA NEV ZEVs driving range and life on a single charge?

Many things can affect the driving range of the OKA NEV ZEV, including: ambient temperature, terrain, driving conditions, payload, driving habits, and battery age, tire pressure and tire wear. It is hard to say exactly what your range will be, but a typical OKA NEV ZEV with two Passengers, used under proper conditions with fully charged batteries, will get up to 30 miles on a charge (with twelve batteries).

At the very minimum you can count on about two hours of operation in typical city stop and go traffic.

How many people can OKA NEV ZEV accommodate?

OKA NEV ZEV is available in both 2-seat and 4-seat models. In addition, OKA NEV ZEV is offered in 2 cargo carrying models that seat 2 passengers.

How much does OKA NEV ZEV weight?

Depending on the model, the curb weight is between 1500-1700 pounds.

Where can I see and purchase OKA NEV ZEV?

OKA NEV ZEV is available direct from MIROX Corporation.

You can make appointment for Test Drive either in Las Vegas, Nevada or Burbank, California.

Technology

OKA NEV ZEV has Five main components:

  1. Batteries @ 12 VDC each ( four per each pack = 48 V DC)
  2. Electronic motor controller
  3. either DC electric motor 48 V DC
    or 3-phase AC electric motor
  4. Reduction gearbox with integral differential
  5. Battery Charger (either On-Board or Off-Board)

The controller takes power from the batteries and delivers it to the motor. The controller responds to input from "throttle" and controls the vehicle speed. Gears in the "transmission", which has integral differential that provides power and torque for each of the front wheels, reduce the high RPM of the electric motor.

The batteries can vary in type, number, voltage and placement.

In conventional configuration two Lead-acid battery packs of four 12 V batteries each can be installed in the back and one in the front of the vehicle. Optionally different battery types available now are Nickel-Cadmium, Nickel metal hydride, Lithium Ion, and sealed Lead-acid.

To recharge the batteries, there is a charger which takes the electricity from a power source (ultimately the power plant) and converts the current from household alternating current (110 VAC) to direct current (12 VDC).

PRICES & COSTS

What is the price of OKA NEV ZEV?

Suggested retail on OKA NEV ZEV start at:

How much are vehicle parts and options?

OKA NEV ZEV parts prices are posted on our web, if you need any part or component that is not listed e-mail your request to:

okaauto@aol.com

How much does it cost to charge OKA NEV ZEV?

That depends on the cost of electricity in your area, as well as the state of charge and condition of your battery pack. To fully charge OKA NEV ZEV from a completely discharged state, it takes approximately 4.2 kWh of power. (Standard Model with 8 traction batteries)

Multiply 4.2 by the local cost per kWh and you will have the cost for charging your OKA NEV ZEV.

In Las Vegas for example it costs about 28 cents for a full charge, while in Los Angeles it is about 38 cents. In typical use most OKA NEV ZEV owners will spend about $8 per month to charge their vehicles.

Are incentives available for the purchase of OKA NEV ZEV?

OKA NEV ZEV purchasers may qualify for a federal tax credit. Additionally, depending on your area, incentives from air districts or other governmental agencies may be available. California for example has many ZEV programs that are available to both fleets and individuals.

SAFETY

What about safety?

OKA NEV ZEV meets not only the latest requirements set by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for this class of vehicle, but also much more strict EU regulations for a full speed vehicle. By contrast golf cart like vehicles like Polaris GEM only meet the absolutely minimal NHTSA FMVSS #500 LSV requirements.


The requirements include:

OKA NEV ZEV however also incorporates as a standard equipment many other automotive features:

As well as and many other features that are not found at any price on other LSVs sold in USA.

OKA NEV ZEV has been crash tested in Europe to much more stringent "offset" frontal crash standards.

There are no US or Canadian standards or crash test or crash performance requirements for LSV, indeed many LSV do not have front or rear bumpers or not even door.

OKA NEV ZEV is therefore much safer vehicle than any other LSV or even a motorcycle.

OKA NEV ZEV meets all federal motor vehicle safety requirements. The batteries are fused and all high-voltage circuits are protected from casual contact. High-voltage circuits are marked, color-coded and posted with warnings to advise of their presence. These vehicles pose no additional risks over a conventional vehicle.

How fast can OKA NEV ZEV go?

OKA NEV ZEV is electronically limited to a top speed of 25 miles-per-hour to meet Federal Low-Speed Vehicle requirements. FMVSS #500.

EV Facts

BATTERIES & CHARGING

Is special equipment needed to charge the batteries?

No. The low-maintenance batteries are charged with an onboard charger that plugs into any standard 110-volt outlet.

How long it takes to charge?

To fully charge an OKA NEV ZEV from a completely discharged state, will take approximately 8 hours.

The ideal time to charge is at night when the demand for electric power is at its lowest, although the OKA NEV ZEV can be plugged in virtually anywhere, at any time, to top off the charge or to completely charge the vehicle. (Please refer to the owners manual for helpful charging tips)

OKA NEV ZEV is fueled by electricity which is stored in Batteries and can be recharged at a charger installed at your home or workplace, or can be recharged from any 110 V AC outlet if optional On-board charger is installed in the vehicle.

Charging time varies depending on how "empty" the battery is, how much energy the battery holds (or how big the tank is) and other factors.

In general, it takes approximately two to five hours to recharge vehicles that are 20% to 80% full and approximately six to eight hours to recharge vehicles that are on "empty."

However, you'll probably be working, sleeping, shopping or watching a movie so it really doesn't seem that long.

How much does it cost to charge OKA NEV ZEV?

That depends on the cost of electricity in your area, as well as the charge state and condition of your battery pack. To fully charge OKA NEV ZEV from a completely discharged state, it takes approximately 4.2 kWh of power.

Multiply 4.2 by the local cost per kWh and you will have the cost for charging your OKA NEV ZEV

In Las Vegas for example it costs about 28 cents for a full charge, while in Los Angeles it is just about 38 cents. In typical use most OKA NEV ZEV owners will spend $8 per month to charge their vehicles.

Some utility companies offer special low electricity charges for off peak recharging of electric vehicles, check with your local electric company if such special rates are available and how to obtain them.

Can you power the OKA NEV ZEV from Solar Energy?

Yes, you can recharge your OKA NEV ZEV form any 110-Volt AC power source that is capable of delivering 15 Amperes of Current. At this time, MIROX Corporation does not offer a direct solar panel charge option. Therefore the Solar DC current would have to be first converted into 110 V AC to power the standard 110V OKA NEV ZEV On-Board or Off-Board chargers. This however is possible, but at current cost of Solar Charge Panels as well as the limited time of available sunlight, such an option may neither be cost effective nor convenient for most owners.

Will I damage the batteries if I plug the OKA NEV ZEV in when it may only need a partial charge?

No. You can give your batteries an 'opportunity charge' at anytime. Whether you are plugging it in for 30 minutes over your lunch or letting it charge for 4 hours, there is no problem with topping your batteries off.

If you are using the OEM charger it will automatically go into a "maintenance" state when a full battery charge is detected, therefore the OKA NEV ZEV can be left plugged in indefinitely even when you are not using it for extended period. Infect it is preferable to do so rather than to let the batteries self-discharge due to extended period of non use.

Do the batteries create a "memory"?

No. Unlike the old cell phone batteries, you do not need to fully discharge the OKA NEV ZEV batteries before charging. We do recommend that you do not leave the batteries in a discharged state for any length of time. Always try to keep the batteries charged.

What battery maintenance is required?

Periodically check the electrolyte level on flooded batteries usually every three months is adequate.

Only distilled water needs to be added periodically. Special battery additives if needed should be only handled and added by a qualified technician.

The Standard version has fully sealed maintenance free traction batteries, thus no maintenance is needed.

How long will the batteries last?

The sealed batteries that are used in OKA NEV ZEV have so far been tested for 5-year service life with no apparent deterioration in charge capacity or useful vehicle driving range. However as batteries age the driving range per charge is usually reduced. We recommend that you replace the batteries when they no longer meet your typical driving range needs. Generally we expect service life of up to 4 years, but few 2003 Model Year test vehicles still have usable batteries, but with a reduced range after 9 years and over 30,000 miles of service.

Vehicles that are used daily and always kept in full charge condition when not in use will exhibit far longer useful battery life than vehicles that are seldom used and left to self-discharge when not in use.

Any battery can be permanently damaged if fully discharged and stored for long time without recharge.

The actual battery life you will experience in your application will be greatly dependent on how much attention you devote to proper recharging.

Is there a Warranty on the batteries?

Yes, there is Warranty on INDIVIDUAL batteries in the battery pack. This means that if a single battery of the four-battery pack fails to properly recharge it will be replaced. However if all the batteries of the four-battery charge pack exhibit the same performance, which is due to typical use, there is no free replacement.

The warranty is therefore limited to failed performance due to defects in materials or workmanship of the single units within the battery pack. Such failure although possible is extremely rare occurrence.

Since 2003 only two such batteries needed to be replaced during the Warranty Period.

Environmental Benefits

OKA NEV ZEV benefits are:

OTHER

What options are available?

Personalizing OKA NEV ZEV is easy with an array of options that include everything from power door locks and custom wheels to a car cover and Custom Sound Systems.

What colors are available?

The color available for 2020 Model Year is Red.
Custom colors for fleet operators are available by special order on orders of four or more vehicles.

Perks and Conveniences

There are many perks and conveniences in driving a battery electric car:

How do I become OKA NEV ZEV Dealer?

If you are currently licensed as either NEW or USED card dealer in your State and your State permits the use of LSV on public roads you can apply for dealership consideration.

What is the OKA NEV ZEV -  MPG?

If you think this is a trick question, think about it for a minute and then click here for an answer:

OKA NEV ZEV - MPG

Any other questions?

If you have any other specific questions please feel free to contact us via E-mail: okaauto@aol.com