Illustration by Jesse Kuhn
For 15 years, Ron LaPlant lived in the past. He replaced bear-claw latches on ’32 Ford roadsters, tuned the triple turbines in ’57 Chevys, polished the sleek fins of ’59 Cadillacs.
Then he got intrigued by the future.
Last year, LaPlant opened the Electric Car Co. Customers come from all over the country—even California, birthplace of the Miles car he’s selling. “We do modifications, performance upgrades on the motor,” he explains. “You can travel farther on the batteries, and your speed pickup is quicker.” He’ll also modify for solar power, and he sells a wind turbine that will recharge the car overnight.
Now in larger quarters in Bonne Terre, the Electric Car Co. is one of only three Miles service providers in the country—and sells nothing else. “It’s the only steel-bodied, totally electric car on the market,” LaPlant explains. “The others are fiberglass or plastic, or they look like golf carts. Miles is a real car. It has a Toyota body and chassis, and it’s assembled by an electrical company in China.”
His base price is $12,000 to $15,000, and about $18,000 for the new Miles truck. “It’s still just around-town use,” he warns. “But you can drive 30 miles every day for a month for $5.20.
“This electric car thing just makes a lot of sense.”
7072 U.S. Highway 67, Bonne Terre, 573-701-3844, electric-carcompany.com
