2012 Mitsubishi iMiEVFrom
USA Today: Whew. Made it. The cute battery car had said it was full; enough juice to go 55 miles. The airport here was 45 miles distant — via the dreaded Washington, D.C., Beltway and thence the equally unpredictable I-95.
No way to accurately forecast how much sitting in traffic, or dashing at breakneck speed, or spurting then languishing on the main north-south road along the East Coast of the U.S.
No place to pull over and plug in, and even if there were, there was no time. Gotta catch a flight.
Thus, we whirred into the great unknown — afflicted with so-called range anxiety electric-car marketers say they must overcome to make battery buggies more than curiosities.
Using the "economy" setting on the Mitsubishi i-MiEV minicar, we sacrificed full power in favor of slower battery drain, knowing we could switch into one of two other modes that allowed max scoot if the highway speeds required it for safe going.
No air conditioning or headlights were needed this day — or the outcome would have been different.
With 17 miles of fuel in the "tank," we pulled into the airport parking lot, and the only drama had been between our ears.
(Anxiety was much lower than otherwise because a company that wrangles test cars in this area was trailing as our safety net.)
Perhaps tired of being skipped in the discussion of alt-power vehicles, Mitsubishi has sprinkled some Japan-market i-MiEV cars for testing in the U.S. MiEV stands for Mitsubishi innovative electric vehicle. The initial "i" is, well, just because.
The various labels and warnings in the car are in Japanese, but the car was represented by Mitsubishi as similar to what we'll get in the fall of 2011 (though, of course, the steering wheel will be on the left).
The car's been on sale in Japan since summer 2009 and goes on sale in Europe this summer.
Mitsu forecasts the U.S. price at a bit less than $30,000 before any government incentives, such as the federal tax credit of $7,500 and four-figure sweeteners in some states. The cost of a home charger and its installation will run roughly $2,000, per auto industry forecasts.
The i-MiEV will hit the U.S. market after the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf electric cars, both promised late this year. Both are bigger and priced somewhat higher.
It will have the advantage of having those cars pioneer the way, working out many of the kinks in the electric-car system (such as having to wait forever to get a local permit to install a 220-volt charger), and getting folks accustomed to such vehicles. What's the saying? Pioneers get slaughtered; settlers get rich.
Electric or otherwise, however, a car has to be good at the basics to make it.
Mainly, i-MiEV was. The drawbacks, some significant, seem readily fixable. First, the good stuff:
•Fun. The cute, egg-like appearance and tall roofline gave you a grin every time. And the car's nimble because the drivetrain is in the back just ahead of the rear wheels, so handling balance is better than the more common front-drive layout.
•Roomy. Relative, of course, to overall size. Four fit comfortably in our time with the car.
•Simple. Thank goodness Mitsu eschewed the graphic whirlwind on the dash that seems part of other alt-fuel vehicles. Driver information, automakers call it. Driver distraction and dumb idea, we call it. A couple of simple gauges in i-MiEV tell how much range and battery charge remain and are the only EV-specific gauges needed, thank you very much.
The recharging cord plugs in where and about how a gas nozzle would fit a conventional car. We left it plugged in, cord draped up the driveway, during a rainstorm and had no problem.
•Quick. Up to a point. That's an electric-car forte — neck-snapping jump from a dead stop up to about 30 mph because of instant-on torque. Great in traffic, which is how electrics are meant to be used (though the scoot to BWI was a normal-length commute for some people, so let's say it's within the design intent).
Mitsu says i-MiEV tops out around 80 mph, so it'll be of limited use in some U.S. areas, where, however sporadically, traffic routinely hits 90 mph (the New Jersey Turnpike when it's not clogged, for example).
•Feel. Steering, braking, cornering, all pleasant (as long as you didn't exceed the modest limits imposed by the skinny 145-series tires).
•Features. Unexpected premium items boosted the appeal. A favorite: One-touch up or down operation on all four windows. Others included heated seats and backup warning (though no rear-view camera).
What probably should change:
•Plastics. They felt hard, brittle, cheap. For instance, pull out a cup holder and you first had to yank it loose, then worry that it was so flimsy you'd break it. We're way past that; fix or die.
•Seats. Lumpy in front. Need more refinement.
•Noise. Mostly none, but now and then a pump or blower would kick out what sounded like a faint foghorn. At least the whine you often get from electric motors was absent, so the other is forgivable.
•Range. Uncompetitive, at least in advertising. Nissan's saying 100 miles for Leaf (of course, that'll be best-case). Volt will go something like 300 miles because it has a gas engine that'll kick on and run a generator after the batteries give up at about 40 miles.
So i-MiEV's real-world 50 to 60 miles on a charge (per our experience) won't seem appealing.
Mitsu claims 80 to 100 miles in a Japanese test, but — stating the obvious — America's different.
The car's a strong, basic contender. If Mitsubishi can tailor it better to Americans' high expectations (for any car, not just alt-power vehicles), its relatively low price and funky charm could make it worth the wait.
ABOUT THE MITSUBISHI i-MiEV
•What? Electric-power, rear-drive subcompact, four-door, five-passenger sedan.
•When? Coming to the U.S. in fall 2011. On sale in Europe this summer. On sale in Japan since summer 2009. Test car was Japan-market version, represented as essentially similar to U.S. model.
It will enter the U.S. market about a year after the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf electrics are scheduled to go on sale.
•How much? Mitsubishi forecasts a bit less than $30,000 — before the $7,500 federal tax credit and other incentives some states offer. Charger and installation expected to average about $2,000.
•Why now? Mitsubishi's dribbled a few Japanese-market models around the U.S. to remind folks it's a player — or soon will be — in the alt-power arena.
•How powerful? The electric motor is rated 63 horsepower from 3,000 to 6,000 rpm, 133 pounds-feet of torque from start to 2,000 rpm.
•How big? A foot shorter, 8 inches narrower and 8 in. taller than a Mini Cooper. I-MiEV is 134 inches long, 58 in. wide, 63 in. tall. Weighs 2,376 lbs.
•How far on a charge? Mitsubishi says 80 to 100 miles based on Japan experience.
Based on the trip computer in test vehicle and our real-world driving, we predict an average of about 50 to 60 miles.
•How long to charge? Rated 14 hours for full recharge on a 110-volt circuit, seven hours on a 220-volt circuit, and one hour on 220-volt three-phase quick-charge specialty circuit (as on fast-charge stations in Japan now).
•Overall: Promising.
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