Mitsubishi leads the charge

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Introduction

Electric cars haven't quite reached mainstream showroom dealers yet. Except this one; as Mitsubishi is leading the charge - literally - with its electric i car. Badged Mitsubishi i-MiEV, that 'EV' refers to the small, tall car's electric drivetrain. So look under the bonnet of this city car and there's no petrol engine, while the fuel filler cap covers a plug socket. Around the back there's no exhaust pipe, either.

What is it?

Mitsubishi's i-MiEV is based on the cleverly packaged i car, a small number of which were brought to the UK by Mitsubishi last year with petrol power. Everything but the drivetrain is identical in the electric version. So you get a comfortable four-seat cabin, a decent sized boot and a fully crash tested structure. The i-MiEV is a properly engineered car; the only thing unusual about it is its electric powertrain. Fully charged - and with a sensible driver - it'll do around 80-100 miles, which should be enough for an average commute. Charging is achieved via an ordinary household socket in six hours - or an 80% charge can be had in 20-minutes should you find a quick charging point. That's unlikely presently as they're all in Tokyo.

How does it drive?

What's always enjoyable in electric cars is the brisk performance - and the i-MiEV is no different. It couldn't be simpler to drive either: simply pop the i-MiEV's automatic shifter into drive and press the quiet pedal. It feels quick from takeoff, the effect heightened thanks to the absence of any engine noise. There's a very gentle whirring as it accelerates, but otherwise all is eerily quiet. Around town you can maximise the life of the battery by selecting the Eco mode, reducing the powertrain's output to just 18kW - plenty to creep through slow-moving traffic. The MiEV's natural habitat is around town, thanks both to its range and size. Built to Japan's strict 'Kei' city car regulations it's narrow and tall, making it perfect for slotting through gaps in traffic usually the preserve of motorbikes.

The performance on offer from the electric drivetrain is more than able to keep up with the cut and thrust of town driving and even feels fine on the open road. It can reach an 87mph maximum and cruises easily at 60-70mph, but do so for long and you'll be running out of battery power fairly quickly. Like all electric cars the MiEV scavenges some power back during braking and freewheeling, choosing 'B' on the automatic gear selector increasing the reclamation effect in hilly areas. Light precise steering allied to the MiEV's decent ride, low centre of gravity and rear-wheel drive make it a rather enjoyable drive too - even more so when you realise you're not using any fuel. Enjoy it too much though and the battery indicator will soon head south€

Planet hugger or planet mugger?

There's no exhaust pipe and while it's being driven you'll not be polluting anything. However, the MiEV's electricity comes from the national grid, which is a huge producer of CO₂. All you're doing is offsetting your CO₂ to somewhere else - unless you get your energy from an ethical, carbon-neutral provider. Even so, the MiEV demonstrates that electric vehicles are truly viable, and that's a good thing for all of us. If you're really serious about being carbon free install some solar panels and windmills at your house, and power your MiEV with them.

Verdict

Mitsubishi is the first mainstream manufacturer to offer a proper electric vehicle for sale. You have to pay heavily to be a pioneer though; the first MiEV's very expensive indeed. So expensive it's likely that Mitsubishi will be leasing them - for around £750 a month. Your 100-miles should only cost you around 45 pence in electricity though. As the availability of electric cars goes up prices will come down, Mitsubishi promising that it'll be able to build 10,000 by the end of 2010 and double that by 2012. What the MiEV does show is that the compromises for a viable electric car are few, unless you face a super-sized commute every day.

Kyle Fortune

Friday January 16