Mitsubishi aims to slash i-MiEV price by 2012

Mitsubishi is aiming to cut the price of its electric i-MiEV model to just 2 million yen (equivalent to just £14,820) by 2012, Japanese publication Nikkei reports today.

The electric car model has been criticised for its very high price tag of £38,699 including VAT-this compares to just £28,350 for its main rival- the Nissan Leaf.

While both models will benefit from price-reducing grants and incentives in countries including the UK, US and Japan, the i-MiEV remains nonetheless much more expensive than its larger, more family-friendly rival.

But today, the Japanese firm hit back, claiming that it expects the price can be cut by nearly half within the nest two years as the scales of economy tip in its favour. Price cuts will come to make the model more competitive with hybrids while mass production of lithium ion batteries, the most expensive component of an electric vehicle, will help lower costs sharply.

An unnamed source at Mitsubishi told Nikkei that the electric model, originally priced at 4.59 million yen when it was unveiled last July, will effectively sell for 2 million yen after factoring in government subsidies.

Likewise, in the UK the i-MiEV is expected to benefit from Government grants of £5,000 to reduce its price to just under £34,000.

Mitsubishi i-Miev pioneers

Drive one of Mitsubishi's i-Miev electric cars from San Francisco to Sacramento. But there were two things wrong. No. 1, the i-Miev is based on Mitsubishi's i model, a Japanese Kei-class car designed for cities and not the length of high-speed freeway we would drive into California's Central Valley. No 2, it is 85 miles from San Francisco to Sacramento and Mitsubishi puts the i-Miev's best range at 80 miles.

We can solve one of these problems with a stop at a new Eaton rapid charger in Vacaville, about 55 miles outside of San Francisco. That charger should bring the i-Miev's batteries to an 80 percent charge in 25 minutes, reminding us that "rapid" is a relative term. Mitsubishi scheduled a lunch during the recharge stop, as five i-Mievs would need to take turns at the single charging station.

We were presented with a small number of i-Mievs, various test cars that had been brought over to California from Japan, all with right-hand drive. Our first lesson in right-hand drive is that you turn on the windshield wipers to signal a turn.

Mitsubishi i-MiEV Electric Vehicle Showcased at NSW Parliament House

Mitsubishi electric car i-Miev to be part of a NSW Government trial by the Department of Environment Climate Change and Water (DECCW). Mitsubishi’s innovative i-MiEV electric vehicle has today been showcased at NSW Parliament House as part of a NSW Government Trial.

The vehicle, one of only two in the country, is being trialled this week by staff at the Department of Environment Climate Change and Water (DECCW) to test its performance as part of a working fleet. During an official inspection NSW Environment and Climate Change Minister Frank Sartor met with Mitsubishi's Vice President of Brand and Marketing, Paul Unerkov, received a brief presentation on Mitsubishi’s benchmark electric vehicle technology, and enjoyed a drive in the snappy city commuter.

Mr Sartor is enthusiastic about the potential of electric vehicles in NSW. “Our fleet has about 25,000 vehicles so the potential for electric cars to help us make savings in carbon emissions is huge," he said.

Mr Sartor said the NSW Government has formed an Electric Vehicle Taskforce to look at the technology, infrastructure, policy, and legislation that would ensure motorists could gain early access to electric vehicles.

Mr Unerkov said “The team at Mitsubishi Motors is proud to be at the forefront of the evolution of environmentally sound motoring in Australia and is looking forward to working with the government on creating a sustainable future”.

Mitsubishi i-MiEV begins trials

Mitsubishi's i MiEV Electric Car

The first zero-emissions fully electric city car to be used on the government-funded Technology Strategy Board (TSB) user trials has begun testing in the West Midlands.

The Mitsubishi i-MiEV (Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle), which has a top speed of 81mph, a range of 100 miles and can be trickle charged from flat to full in seven hours, is participating in a UK-wide project to test electric and ultra-low-emission vehicles.

Quentin Willson, one of the i-MiEV drivers participating in the trials, said: ‘The Mitsubishi i-MiEV is a forerunner of a transport revolution that eventually will change the world. At last here’s an electric car that doesn’t look like a church pew, seats four, does 80mph and costs less than a quid to charge.’

Over the next 12 months, keys to 25 Mitsubishi i-MiEVs will be given to test drivers by the Arup-led CABLED (Coventry and Birmingham Low Emission Vehicle Demonstrators) consortium, who are tasked with managing the £25m TSB Ultra Low Emission Vehicle Demonstrator Competition.

The i-MiEV trials are worth £15m and will see 110 vehicles tested on the roads of Birmingham and Coventry. Throughout the UK, a total of 340 vehicles will be tested using funding from the TSB and £2.5m from regional development agency, Advantage West Midlands.

Neil Butcher, Arup’s project leader of the CABLED consortium said: ‘Less than one per cent of the vehicles registered every year in the UK are electric and most of these are currently used in London. We think that by 2020 low-carbon cars will be commercially viable and it’s important that we start to understand the public’s reaction and provide the necessary infrastructure to prepare for this.’

He added: ‘The launch is a landmark occasion for the UK automotive industry and this project will begin to examine the points where the vehicles meet the built environment – energy generation, battery charging and driver behaviour. This is an important first step on our roads to a low-carbon future.’

The consortium will also benefit from a commitment to developing the necessary infrastructure to coordinate the trials from E.ON, Birmingham City Council and Coventry City Council, who will provide electrical charging points for vehicles across the two cities and access to Birmingham University’s hydrogen-refuelling station.

Throughout the trials, Aston University will be analysing and reporting the conclusions from the data generated by the vehicles.

Iain Gray, chief executive of the TSB, said: ‘The journey towards low-carbon transport will not be easy, but the demonstrator programme is the biggest project of its kind to date and is a major step in the right direction.’

Mitsubishi to Sell an Electric Car in U.S., Someday

The Mitsubishi i-MiEV.

You could call it a soft introduction. During a press conference at the auto show Thursday morning, Mitsubishi’s president and chief executive, Shin Kurihara, stood in front of a car covered by the usual auto show drape but talked about the small fully exposed car beside it instead — Mitsubishi’s i-MiEV electric car, in white.

Mr. Kurihara said it was a “real four-passenger car” that would go on sale this summer in Japan. The first car, he said, would roll off the assembly line in July.

The particular car on the stand was left-hand drive, he noted, which has “special meaning.” The i-MiEV is running in test fleets in the United States, where, Mr. Kurihara announced, it will eventually go on sale, though he gave no timetable.

So what is this i-MiEV of which I speak? It is a tiny car with very little wheel overhang. It has been proved to get 75 to 100 miles in a single charge, Mr. Kurihara said. And it takes 14 hours to fully charge through a 110-volt electrical outlet. It takes half that time with a 220-volt outlet, and Mitsubishi is developing a quick charge feature.

Mitsubishi i-MiEV to Join U.K. Police Agencies; Rollout Begins in Oz

The first full-production i-MiEVs arrive in the U.K. in November and will be on roads in December.

Mitsubishi i-MiEV.