2010 Mitsubishi i MiEV Road Test

This morning I took my camera and iPhone off their chargers, unplugged the laptop and packed it in my briefcase. Then took the lift down the carpark, where I unplugged an electric Mitsubishi i MiEV and headed for a meeting. This is 2010 and Australians live in a plug-in world.

Electric cars are the latest plug-in toy, though ‘toy’ isn't the right word because these vehicles are about to become reality worldwide. The first electric car of the modern era to be sold in Australia is the Mitsubishi i MiEV. We tested it last year in Adelaide, Mitsubishi’s home town, later we drove it in the crushing traffic that's part of Tokyo life. Now we have lived with an electric i MiEV on a daily basis in Australia.

This meant picking it up at a Mitsubishi dealership north of Brisbane and driving to my home in Surfers Paradise. The total distance is almost 100 kilometres and in conditions for which the i MiEV really wasn’t intended. Its zero-emission motor is obviously designed for city running not for cruising down a 110 km/h intercity motorway.

The i MiEV made the trip, but only just as fuel gauge was showing only about five per cent of the original full charge was still available. This low fuel level was a bit scary because you can't simply hitch a lift up to the closest service station and pick up a plastic container full of electricity...

After a two-hour recharge that took it to about a third of a tank (a third of a battery?) we tested the i MiEV in its natural environment of inner city running.

The first thing we noticed was the nippy acceleration. Indeed, the performance of this electric car is likely to really appeal to those who simply enjoy driving a lively machine, with benefits to the environment being of secondary importance.

The Mitsubishi i MiEV is almost normal to drive, apart from the near silence when the car is stopped or travelling at low speeds. The electric motor is completely off when the car is stopped. Once on the move at a reasonable speed i MiEV creates the usual sounds from road and wind noise as any other car, with only a light humming sound from the electric motor.

Handling is typically soft Japanese as the Mitsubishi is a city runner that hasn't been revised to suit Australian/European drivers’ desires. Hopefully it will be sorted out if the car is imported to Australia in sufficient numbers.

On the upside, the low centre of gravity that results from having heavy batteries under the floor does give it a nice stable feel.

Though it looks small, the Mitsubishi i MiEV is surprisingly spacious inside. We road tested for a while with four Aussie blokes aboard and while those in the back found it slightly squeezy, they were comfortable enough for a short trip.

Tellingly, the three passengers were all full-on revhead mates of mine and I picked them up from a local classic car restoration workshop, South Pacific Autos at Broadbeach. All three were stunned by the level of grunt from the motor of the i MiEV and instantly became electric car converts. Previously they had thought of them as being slow and boring.

Power for the i MiEV is provided to a 330-volt, 47 kW electric motor that sits between the rear wheels and drives them through a differential. Maximum output is 47 kW of power. Torque is developed right at the bottom of the rev range and the peak of 180 Nm continues a fair way through the working rev range.

Multiple 16 kWh lithium-ion batteries used in the i MiEV are similar to those used in mobile phones, laptop computers, cameras, and so on. They are stored under the car’s floor and take around seven hours to fully charge from Australia's 240-volt power system.

Recharging requires a 15-amp outlet and I had one installed in the underground parking bay at our place for $400, no other equipment was needed. Overnight charging filled the battery up and the i MiEV was sitting waiting for us each morning.

Mitsubishi Australia says that eventually there are likely to be electric-car chargers at parking stations, shopping centres, convenience stores, cafes, perhaps even on parking meters – the possibilities for locations are endless.

An optional fast-charge system takes the batteries to about 80 per cent of their full capacity in around 30 minutes. It's not yet available in Australia, but can't be too far away.

On the downside, a lot of Australian electricity is generated by coal-fired power stations that create carbon dioxide. However, Mitsubishi assures us that the C02 created to charge its electric cars is significantly lower than that produced by petrol-engined cars of a similar size.

Current prices of the Mitsubishi i MiEV are likely to be in the $50,000 to $70,000 range in Australia, which is a huge outlay for a car of this size. Mitsubishi says that once it starts to produce the car in large numbers the cost will come down significantly.

MMC (Mitsubishi Motor Corporation) in Japan has sent representative to many governments worldwide to discuss subsidies for people wanting to use the i MiEV. In some countries governments have done things like providing free or low-cost registration, free parking in cities, free use of toll roads and similar incentives. Nothing has been offered in Australia at this time.

Are electric cars the way of the future? We think they are. Though we Aussies like to think we live in a wide brown land with hundreds of miles between towns, the hard fact is that over 90 per cent of us live in metropolitan areas. We seldom drive more than about 25 to 50 kilometres each day and a lot of that driving is done in start-stop traffic. In other words in perfect conditions for electric cars. Once there are charging stations at home and the office it will all become as routine as charging the aforementioned phone, camera, laptop and so one.

Long distance trips are usually only undertaken once or twice a year. For these occasions we could hire a conventional car, probably one with a turbo-diesel engine. In any case, more and more people are doing their big trips within Australia using low-cost airfares.

AT A GLANCE

2010 MITSUBISHI iMiEV

MODEL RANGE
I MiEV electric five-door hatch: $1740 per month lease over 36 months

FEATURES
ABS Brakes: Standard
Air Conditioning: Standard
CD Player: Standard
Central Locking: Standard
Cruise Control: Not offered
Dual Front Airbags: Standard
Front Side Airbags: Not offered
Stability Control: Not offered
Traction Control: Standard

SPECIFICATIONS (Mitsubishi iMiEV five-door hatch)
Maximum Power: 47 kW @ 3000-6000 rpm
Maximum Torque: 180 Nm @ 0-2000 rpm
Driven Wheels: 2WD
Length: 3395 mm
Wheelbase: 2550 mm
Width: 1475 mm
Height: 1610 mm
Kerb Mass: 1080 kg
Driven Wheels: Rear
Fuel Tank Capacity: NA
Battery Type: Lithium-ion
Total Battery Voltage: 330 volts
Total Energy Output: 16 kWh
Trickle Charge: 240 volts (15 amps)
Charging Time to 100%; 7 hours
Connection: SAE J1772
Charging Time to 80 per cent: 30 minutes
Connection: JEVS G105

2010 Mitsubishi i MiEV Road Test

Mitsubishi i MiEV Really Works