First Drive: 2011 Mitsubishi i MiEV electric car first drives
Mitsubishi iMiev. Click image to enlarge
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Mitsubishi Motors Canada

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By Bob McHugh; photos by Greg Wilson

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Mitsubishi iMiev

Vancouver, British Columbia – The electric car is far from dead, and appears to be gaining ground on its competitors in the race to replace the gasoline engine.

The Mitsubishi i-MiEV is likely to be the first production-ready e-vehicle on Canadian streets. Mitsubishi will start leasing i-MiEVs to corporations and fleets in Japan this July, and a small test-demo fleet will arrive in Vancouver later this year. Retail sales are scheduled to begin in April, 2010 in Japan.

The i-MiEV is an electrified version of an existing Mitsubishi mini-car called the I-car, which has been on sale in Japan for the past three years, powered by a 600-cc gasoline engine.

The i-MiEV can match its gasoline counterpart’s horsepower numbers and provide more torque, but it is 120 kilograms (264 lbs) heavier. It can seat four people and, unlike the majority of electric mini-cars we’ve seen to date, it will meet passenger safety standards and is capable of being driven at freeway speeds.

First Drive: 2011 Mitsubishi i MiEV electric car first drives
Mitsubishi iMiev. Click image to enlarge

The driving range of the i-MiEV is between 120 and 160 km, on a full charge. It has an onboard charger that, when connected to a 110-volt outlet, will recharge a completely discharged battery in 14 hours. If connected to a 220-volt outlet, that’s cut to seven hours, and there’s also a three-phase quick-charger option that can boost the battery to 80 per cent of its capacity in just 30 minutes.

Mitsubishi claims that the i-MiEV will cut vehicle operating costs by 70 per cent or more, if recharged during off-peak hours. And even taking into account the CO2 emissions generated at electric power plants, it’s still 70 per cent better than a comparable-size gasoline vehicle.

Related posts:

  1. Mitsubishi unveils iMiEV electric, plug-in vehicle
  2. Mitsubishi announces i MiEV to be sold worldwide
  3. Production version of Mitsubishi electric car unveiled
  4. Mitsubishi electric car to be tested in U.S.
  5. Mitsubishi shows Evolution and i MiEV in China
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