With the recently confirmed £5000 Government electric car grant, the i-MiEV price will be further reduced to £23,990 ($37,450 U.S.).

The i-MiEV was previously priced at £38,699 ($60,410 U.S.).

In response to Nissan’s low price for the LEAF electric vehicle, in March, Mitsubishi has cutted the price of the electric i-MiEV in Japan.

Specifications have also been revealed, and the electric car gets:

• All-round electric windows
• Central door locking with keyless entry
• Driver’s and front passenger’s front airbags
• Side and curtain air bags
• Heated driver’s seat and wing mirrors
• CD player
• Leather-wrapped steering wheel
• Leather-wrapped shift knob
• Headlamp levelling device
• Battery remaining indicator
• Air conditioning
• Alloy wheels

Mitsubishi said it will offer a five-year or 62,500 miles warranty, whichever comes first, on the battery and electric drive system in the i-MiEV electric vehicle.

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The four new Mitsubishi i-MiEVs, part funded by the Government’s Low Carbon Procurement Partnership (LCVPP), are the first step to achieving the 1,000 electric cars that the Mayor aims to bring into the city’s fleet over the next few years.

The new electric cars, with specially designed livery to distinguish them from traditional petrol and diesel cars, will be used by TfL to ensure that roadworks comply with its permit scheme to keep traffic moving.

By the end of this year, TfL will have up to 10 electric cars in its fleet.

Increasing the number of fleet cars is one element of the Mayor’s plans to boost electric car numbers to 100,000 as soon as possible.

Over the coming year, 1,600 charge points will be installed across the Capital with numbers rising to 7,500 by 2013 and 25,000 points will be in place by 2015.

By then, with 2,500 charge points installed in publicly accessible areas, on average no Londoner will be further than a mile from any charge point.

The number of electric cars in mainstream use is forecast to significantly increase in the coming years as many of the leading car manufacturers are planning to launch new electric car models in the UK.

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Under the MoU, the Danish government will consider introducing i-MiEVs into its fleet in or after 2011, conducting EV promotional activities and implementing EV infrastructure.

The Danish government, in order to reduce CO2 emissions in its country, is proactively implementing environmental conservation initiatives as national policy – a part of which are EV-related tax incentives – and approached Mitsubishi for cooperation in the popularization of EVs in Denmark.

Mitsubishi is already selling the i-MiEV in Japan and in Hong Kong. Mitsubishi also has signed MoUs regarding EVs with several governments around the globe including the Principality of Monaco and Iceland, among others, collaborating with these governments towards the popularization and promotion of EVs.

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The carmaker aims to cut the price of its key i-MiEV electric car to 2 million yen by lowering output costs to promote the still-pricey vehicle.

The i-MiEV electric car was priced at 4.59 million yen when it was unveiled last July. In April Mitsubishi has cut the i-MiEV price to 3.98 million yen (US$42,690), a 619,000 yen savings from the previous price. Providing current government incentives remain in place, the i-MiEV is eligible for a 1.14 million yen subsidy, cutting the total cost to 2.84million yen ($30,700). By 2012 the i-MiEV will effectively sell for 2 million yen after factoring in government subsidies, the Nikkei said.

Mass production of lithium ion batteries, the most expensive component in an electric vehicle, will lower costs sharply.

A battery plant coming online in April 2012 will churn out 70,000 units a year, with the mass production cutting battery costs to under 1 million yen per vehicle, down from 2.5 million yen. Mitsubishi Motors will also work with the suppliers of motors, rechargers and other parts to reduce component numbers, making volume production easier.

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Mitsubishi, along with its Australian distributor Mitsubishi Motors Australia Limited, has been conducting EV promotional activities aimed at electric power companies and other entities since February of this year with 2 i-MiEVs.

Forty i-MiEVs will be shipped starting from July. With high environmental awareness and the i-MiEV garnering praise in Australia, plans are to sell the i-MiEVs via lease to customers from July.

The i-MiEV was first sold in Japan in July of 2009 mainly to corporations and municipalities, and in April of this year sales to individuals was commenced. In addition to high environmental performance and handling inherent to a car with a compact body, the i-MiEV has been lauded for its motive power, stability, quietness and its comfortable ride.

The sale of the i-MiEV in Australia marks the 2nd market outside of Japan that the i-MiEV will be sold, after Hong Kong, which began sales in May of this year.

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The move comes as the Governor’s office and the Department of General Services both expressed interest in the inclusion of electric vehicles (EV), such as the i-MiEV, into the State’s support vehicle fleet.

During a May 24th press event, Governor Schwarzenegger was introduced to the Mitsubishi Motors i-MiEV by company officers. Schwarzenegger sat in the i-MiEV and later spoke to a panel of reporters about the battery electric vehicle being representative of the technology necessary to tackle the sustainable transportation challenges facing the State of California.

Key committees within the California State Legislature seek to gain experience with battery electric transportation to help better understand and resolve the challenges facing the development of electric vehicle infrastructure. Lawmakers and officials will have these vehicles available for extended test-drives to learn the nuances of driving an EV and experience the recharging process.

The i-MiEV went on sale in Japan in July of 2009. This efficiently-designed, battery electric, sub-compact vehicle seats four adults, and can be recharged from a standard wall-socket. The State of California will be evaluating production model RHD Japanese Domestic Market versions of the i-MiEV. Mitsubishi Motors plans to introduce an EV for U.S. consumers in 2011.

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Universal Cars Ltd. (UCL), Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC)’s importer and distributor for Hong Kong, will start selling the Mitsubishi i-MiEV on Friday (21 May) priced at 395,000 Hong Kong dollars (50,000 US dollars).

The company aims to sell 50 of the i-MiEV electric cars in Hong Kong by the end of the year, as it reaches out to a wider market.

MMC and UCL signed an EV memorandum of understanding with the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China (HKSAR) government in February, with the authority carrying out “practicality tests with a pre-production test model”.

Mass-production i-MiEVs have already been delivered to the government of the HKSAR and some companies.

Japan’s No. 4 automaker started to take pre-orders through dealerships since 31st July 2009, and since than it has sold 1,400 of the electric cars in Japan.

Lithium Energy Japan, a joint venture among GS Yuasa, Mitsubishi Corporation and Mitsubishi Motors, which makes lithium-ion batteries for the i-MiEV, will also increase production.

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A spokesman for Japan’s No. 4 automaker said Tuesday a surge in production of the i-MiEV was due to robust demand for the zero-emission vehicle in Japan and abroad.

Mitsubishi plans to make some 9,000 i-MiEVs in the upcoming fiscal year starting April 1, some 18,000 in the following year and 30,000 in the fiscal year starting April 2012.

The i-MiEV, which went on sale in Japan in July last year, costs 4.59 million yen ($51,000). Mitsubishi has acknowledged the price may be too expensive for most people.

Mitsubishi is currently launching the car to consumers in Great Britain, and anticipates doing the same in the U.S. will start in fiscal year April 2011.

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Currently, the price has been set at £38,699 including VAT.

Mitsubishi is highlighting the low running costs of the i-MiEV as a key advantage over other cars, including the fact that 12,000 miles’ worth of electricity costs just £115, the low servicing costs, the fact it is road tax-free and that it is congestion charge-free and attracts no benefit-in-kind company car tax.

“These are exciting times for the motor industry in the UK. This is the biggest change in the automotive industry since it began some one hundred years ago, so to be able to offer our zero emissions car for this price is a truly great achievement. We are aware that, by their very nature, any new technologies always command a premium, which has been true for anything from plasma televisions to cars. Others make price claims and estimations, but we have a real vehicle that is available now and is proven in the real world,” says Lance Bradley, Mitsubishi Motors UK’s Managing Director.
Customers will be able to fully personalize their car from a wide range of environmentally friendly and premium accessories including floor mats made from bio-degradable bamboo fiber; specialist leather seat trims including a monogram service; and a special collection of exterior vehicle designs – from Union Jack Flags to special customer requests.

UK Specification

The European Whole Type Vehicle Approved i-MiEV has been engineered to achieve a target Euro NCAP crash test rating of 4-stars and illustrates that customers do not need to compromise in any area.

Vital Statistics:

- Zero CO2 tailpipe emissions

- Top speed 81 mph

- Range 80 miles (EU combined mode, estimated)

- Seating capacity – 4 adults, plus luggage

- 12-months / 12,500 miles service intervals

- 3-year warranty and pan-European accident and breakdown cover

- Kerb weight – 1,105 KG

- Dimensions – 3,475 (l) x 1,475 (w) x 1,610 (h)

Mechanical:

- 47kW AC permanent magnet synchronous motor (max power)

- 1-speed fixed gear

- Front McPherson strut and coil spring suspension

- Rear 3-link de Dion suspension

- Front stabilizer bars

- Front 14″ ventilated disc brakes

- Rear 8″ drum brakes

- 9″ master vac brake boosters

- ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) with EBD (Electronic Brake-force Distribution)

- Brake assist

- ASC (Active Stability Control)

EV Functions:

- Brakeforce regeneration

- Lightweight electronic power steering

- On-board recharging system with cable (flat-to-full in 6-hours, 240V 13 A input)

- On-board rapid charging system (flat-to-80 in 30 minutes)

- Energy-saving drive mode (reduces output to 18kW)

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Mitsubishi and PSA Peugeot Citroen signed a Framework Agreement in September 2009, following which both parties reached a final consensus on development and supply of electric cars based on the i-MiEV for the European market.

Peugeot and Citroen expect to sell 25,000 of the new electric cars each year.

Production will start in October ahead of models launches by the end of 2010.

The C-Zero is Citroen’s version of the Mitsubishi’s i-MiEV. Peugeot’s version is called the iOn.

In Japan, the i-MiEV has already been on the market since July 2009 whilst production of export left-hand-drive versions has been scheduled to start in October 2010 for some time. The i-MiEV has also been planned for European launch at the end of 2010. Its charging system will be compatible with European 220/240 volt household outlets, providing for a zero-to-full charge within an estimated maximum seven hours.

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