First drive of Mitsubishi’s four-seat commuter points to an electric near-future

NRMA Motoring+Research recently hosted a ‘green party’, inviting various low-emissions ‘eco’ cars to strut their stuff on a real-world driving route. The feature [read The Real Deal] shows how actual consumption and emissions figures can differ markedly from official claims, which ought to be treated as comparative guidelines, not gospel.

This test also assessed the practicality of the seven models featured and revealed some surprising limitations.

Then, before going to press, Open Road secured a drive of the first mass-produced electric car scheduled to go on sale in Australia. The Mitsubishi i-MiEV delivers zero emissions when recharged by renewable energy sources and is cheaper to refuel at the mains than the most miserly petrol and diesel cars. It’s also much quieter, as we found on our stop-start test drive through Sydney’s CBD.

NRMA Driver's Seat: Watch the Mitsubishi i-MiEV car review video

The i-MiEV has a large, under-floor battery pack and a 47kW electric motor in place of a combustion engine and fuel tank. It’s rear-wheel drive with the AC motor in the back and a transfer case and charger neatly packaged on the rear axle line. It’s also practical; passenger room is perfectly adequate for four adults.

Switch it on and only the dash lights indicate the i-MiEV is breathing. It excels in stop-start traffic, pulling away silently and smoothly whether in standard ‘Drive’ mode or the range-extending ‘Eco’ setting. In Drive, acceleration to the city limits is brisk. With maximum torque available at take-off, there is instant response from the electric motor and it comfortably keeps up with the traffic flow. On a full charge, the i-MiEV has a range of 160km and maximum speed is limited to 130km/h.

Mitsubishi says that if you plug the i-MiEV into the mains, it will fully charge the 88 lithium-ion cells in seven hours. However, dedicated fast-charge stations in Japan and Europe can charge the battery to 80 per cent in just 30 minutes.

The sum total of exhaustive research and testing of batteries, motors and energy management, the i-MiEV is not just a novelty but a viable solution for work-day commutes, shopping trips and school runs. It could be ideal for a city like Sydney where Mitsubishi says 87 per cent of our daily driving amounts to less than 100km each per day.

How close we are to filling up at the power outlet is yet to be determined, but emissions-free motoring is clearly on the horizon and looks to be more fun than expected. EVs will become more entertaining as their power-to-weight ratios increase in line with battery development. The i-MiEV will begin short-term trials on private and government fleets from June and local certification and ADR compliance
is imminent.

Open Road May/June 2010.