Mitsubishi i-MiEV: First Drive

Jay Williams

Melbourne, Australia - Mitsubishi has been on tour with its two full-production i-MiEV's, taking the vehicles around the country to showcase the latest in electric car technology.

I had the pleasure of driving one of these small fully electric cars around Albert Park and I must say it's just like driving any ordinary small car, with one exception it doesn't make a sound.

Sitting in the i-MiEV is like any standard car, you are confronted with all the usual controls. But, looking at the dash you will notice a few differences. 1. The traditional rev meter is replaced by a Charge and Power meter 2. Instead of a fuel gauge there is a battery meter.

The  i-MiEV uses a 'smart key' system like most cars these days, which you can keep in your pocket or place in the centre console.

On the ignition there is a plastic switch, which you turn like a key, now this is the weird / new part, the car simply makes a beeping noise and flashes a light to let you know the motor has been engaged. There is no vibration from the motor, no noise and most importantly no fumes. You would assume that the car isn't running at all.

The i-MiEV has three driving modes to choose from which are marked accordingly on the gear lever. Drive, Eco and Brake. While in Drive mode the car is in full power mode and drives normally. Eco mode conserves power by only using half the throttle while Brake mode offers high regenerative braking that absorbs kinetic energy.

Unlike a standard car the i-MiEV is powered by a 47kW full electric motor that resides under the  rear seats. The motor has the advantage of producing 180Nm that is available instantaneously.

The electric motor sends power directly to the rear wheels, there is no transmission. So the i-MiEV, in effect, has one gear, and the speed is regulated by how fast the electric motor is spinning. Top speed has been restricted to 130km/h.

The i-MiEV weighs in at around 1080kg, which puts the i-MiEV in the lighter part of the small car segment.

The 16kWh lithium-ion battery pack (which weighs 230kg) is mounted low, under the floor of the passenger compartment giving the i-MiEV a better centre of gravity.

The i-MiEV is said to have a range of around 140-160 kms from a single charge, but it's more in the vicinity of 100-130 kms. Which isn't really a problem when considering that more than 80 per cent of motorists drive less than 100km to and from work.

But there are a few variables to take into consideration like, how many people are in the car, your driving habits and traffic. All this depends on how many kilometres you will get from a single charge.

A full recharge from flat to full will take around seven hours, but the average motorist probably wouldn't use a full charge in a home to work round trip, so charge times would be less.

Mitsubishi says that the initial cost of the i-MiEV will be around $60,000 - $70,000. This is the cost of cutting-edge technology. The lithium-ion batteries and the electric drive motors are the main reasons for the premium price tag, accounting for three-quarters of the total manufactured value of the car.

In terms of driveability, the i-MiEV is just like your everyday small car minus the fuel tank and engine noise. 

It can carry four adults, it has air conditioning, heating, CD player all the modern equipment you would expect. 

So, the i-MiEV does sounds good on paper, but until the Federal Government or large enterprising company installs the proper infrastructure (fast charge stations) and the price tag comes down, it may be a few years until we see electrics cars on the road.

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