Japans Mitsubishi has the iMiEV which had hit Japanese customers in 2009 and will increase production over the next two years. The car is mini and so called a space efficient vehicle. It is a four-passenger car with the wheels as far out as they go, 100.4 inch wheelbase to be precise. The iMiEV is part of the “i” series of Mitsubishis sold in Japan. The “i” series is normality charged by a 660cc turbo gasoline engine. The iMiEV has 47 KW motor/16 kWh lithium ion batteries. On one charge with a 330 volt outlet and this small and somewhat funky car can travel up to 100 miles. Plugged into a 200 volt outlet it would take only 7 hours to charge and 30 minutes to recharge at 80%.
It can reach top speeds of up to 80mph (130 km/h) and can jump from 0 to 60 seconds in less than 9 seconds. The exterior is tall and narrow. The car looks somewhat odd as if someone just threw something together at the last minute, like on that Top Chef show. Yeah I can actually see Elmer Fudd Driving this car. Okay, I’m sorry , but isn’t that the same interior in my old Mitsubishi Gallant, Okay now I’m really starting to think they put this together at the last minute and someone chimed in and said, what about the interior? If you’re going to have a Looney Tune car then work with the rest, play with it, because who’s your clientele? I don’t think I can tell by looking at this. However placid the interior, It is comfortable and roomy for a compact car.
It has a good amount of Cargo space and the back seats fold completely flat to expand the cargo space. It has three driving modes. As we move to electric vehicles we will all need to get used to the feel of the cars. It does feel and sound much different. “Eco”, reduces horsepower and increases the braking system. You will have to be careful not to push too hard as the breaks become extremely sensitive. “D” drive is supposed to be similar to driving a gasoline vehicle, the brake reacts immediately when you tap it and there’s more horsepower of course. However, this will reduce the total distance of travel. Then there’s “B” which is sort of in between.
The price started out at a staggering 47,000, which sounded somewhat absurd, at least to me and maybe to them, as they are supposedly going to slash the price in half. For this car around $21,000 sounds reasonable. Mitsubishi has joined alliances with Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PGEC) and Southern California Edison (SCE). SCE has been involved with this type of interface for years. They hope to establish SmartConnect meters for all hybrids and electric cars. Let’s see how well i-MiEV’s success of the Japanese market can spill over to the US. By teaming up with PGEC and SCE, they may accomplish just that.
