New electric car - 25 all-electric Mitsubishi i-MiEV’s arrived into the UK at Bristol Docks today. What is all the excitement and why is this great news? We already have electric vehicles in the UK - right and the i-MiEV has been on trial here already (Police show i-MiEV)? Well, the Mitsubishi i-MiEV is the first fully electric, zero (tailpipe) emissions proper car made available by a mainstream manufacturer.
By 'proper' car we mean it is comparable to an ordinary combustion engine vehicle, your average car currently on the road. It's got normal cabin space (so even a Jeremy Clarkson could fit in!), seating for 4 and luggage space. A top speed of 81 mph (130kph), a range of 100 miles (60km) and can be charged from flat to full in 6 hours at any UK three-pin socket. It only costs 96p for a full charge, now compare that to the cost of fuel to take you 100 miles (somewhere between £7-£10 dpending on the fuel efficiency and price of fuel). Over the years that adds up to a lot!
The i-MiEV has won loads of awards and 25 cars will hit the road on December 12th 2009 as part of a West Midlands government trial. The i-MiEV have caused quite a stir with a big following on the Mitsubishi Motors UK Facebook page. The i-MiEVs have proved popular in their home country of Japan with a sell out in 2009 of 1,400 made available. The i-MiEV is the base model for both the Peugeot iOn and Citroen C-Zero which will be available in the UK in late 2010.