Consumers who have an interest in pure electric cars are faced with two big bumps on the road to buying one. First, a limited selection€”seven models, depending on region€”and second, EVs are expensive. Unless you are a member of the €HENRY€ club€”High Earner Not Rich Yet€”you can forget about purchasing a Tesla Model S ($57,400 to $105,400) or leasing the BMW ActiveE (24 month lease only: $2,259 down, $499 a month, $14,226 and you can’t keep the car). More reasonably priced, relatively speaking, is the Ford Focus Electric ($39,200) and Nissan’s Leaf ($35,200).
Yes, the above prices can be reduced by up to $7,500 with a federal tax credit plus various state tax credits, if available. But even with maximum credits, e-rides are still pricey, especially when their limited driving range is factored in. If the cost has kept you from jumping on the electric car bandwagon, there’s a new offering that might persuade you.
Say hi to the i, the i-MiEV (Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle). Starting at $29,125 before incentives, Mitsubishi has positioned the i-MiEV as the value-priced choice for an all-electric car. With a look straight out of a comic book, the little egg-shaped four-door hatchback can seat four adults€”really€”and has an EPA estimated driving range of 62 miles with a top speed of 81 mph. While its design will surely turn heads and elicit smiles, the i-MiEV has earned some notable accolades. The Environmental Protection Agency’s 2012 Fuel Economy Guide lists the i-MiEV as the most fuel-efficient vehicle sold in the United States with a rating of 125 city and 99 highway for a combined 112 miles per gallon of gasoline equivalent (MPGe). Additionally, the 2012 Greenest Vehicle List published by the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) ranked the i-MiEV the greenest car on the road, placing it ahead of the Civic Natural Gas, which had won the category the previous eight years in a row.
Beneath The Cartoonist Body
The i-MiEV began as a gasoline-powered Mitsubishi i model in 2006 and is classified as a kei (€light vehicle€) car in Japan, a category of small vehicles that receives tax and other incentives. The i layout is rear-wheel drive with a €rear-midship€ engine placed just in front of the rear axle, an unusual design in a small car where front-engine, front-wheel drive has prevailed since the 1970s. Like other mid- or rear-engined vehicles, its fifteen-inch wheels have uneven-sized tires€”P145/60R (5.7-inches wide) on the front and wider 175/60s (6.9-inches wide) at the rear€”to minimize oversteer caused by the rear-biased weight distribution.
Based on the i, Mitsubishi launched the electric i-MiEV to fleet customers in Japan in 2009 and to the wider public in 2010. European deliveries also began in 2010 and in December 2011, the first 2012 models arrived in the U.S.
To make the i-MiEV more appealing to American preferences and meet U.S. crash standards, Mitsubishi lengthened the Japanese and Euro version by 11 inches, increased the width by four inches and nudged the height by a half an inch. In comparison, it is three feet longer than a Smart FourTwo Electric and more than two feet shorter than the Nissan Leaf and Ford Focus Electric.
To convert the gas powered i to an EV, an electric motor replaces the gasoline engine above the rear axle and a battery pack is placed beneath the floor along with a motor control unit. Directing the power to rear wheels is a simple, single-speed fixed reduction transmission that replaces the four-speed automatic.
The water-cooled alternating current, 49-kilowatt synchronous permanent magnetic motor generates a modest 66 horsepower and a more generous 145 pound-feet of torque. Power output may seem a bit light compared to other EVs, but so is the car, tipping the scales at a petite 2,579 pounds. This helps give the car its 62-mile driving range€”if you’re easy on the go pedal.
Feeding the motor is a 330-volt, 16-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack. Recharging the battery when empty takes about 22 hours using a 120-volt household outlet. The time can be reduced to just seven hours with an upgraded 240-volt Level 2 home recharging unit. And, if there is Level 3 480-volt quick-charging station in the area, an optional quick charge package gets the battery from discharged to 80 percent full in 30 minutes.
The drive system has three driving modes, €D,€ €Eco€ and €B.€ Provided by the gear selector, each is intended to produce the best performance for different driving circumstances. D Mode is the default position and is best utilized on highways and interstates. The Eco mode limits the motor’s output to increase the range of a single charge and the decline in performance in quite noticeable. B mode adds more regenerative braking when the car is coasting to a stop or braking on downhill stretches to more aggressively recharge the battery.
The Cartoon Appearance
My reference to the i-MiEV’s cartoon styling is a term of endearment, not a criticism. Some may look at it as a glorified golf car or an egg-on-wheels. For me, I love the way it makes me smile when I look at it. How many cars can do that?
It starts with elongated headlights€”nearly the size of its 15-inch wheels€”that flank both sides of a quick falling, stubby hood. Below is a bulbous front bumper with a smile-like intake opening.
The silhouette of this perky little four-door begins in a sweeping arc from the front bumper, continues up the sharply raked windshield and flows to the rear hatch, where it abruptly ends in tall vertical taillights. The arc returns to the front along the underside of the rear doors to the front wheel arches, completing the i-MiEV’s egg shape profile.
Inside, Not So Whimsical
While the i’s exterior is a barrel full of giggles, inside the smiles begin to fade. The interior is rather pedestrian with few creature comforts. There’s no soft-touch materials, center armrest or rear cupholders. As for the gee-whiz stuff, via the unwieldy key fob, the owner can remotely warm or cool the interior while the car is still on grid power, But unlike other EVs and plug-ins, the little Mitsubishi doesn’t have built-in cellular connectivity that can accomplish that function from anywhere by means of smart phone applications and websites.
The i-MiEV does, however, have the bare necessities. Standard equipment, regardless of trim level, includes remote keyless entry; power windows, locks and side mirrors; air-conditioning; a four-speaker audio system with a CD player and an auxiliary jack for iPod connectivity: and a 50/50-split rear seats that fold and recline. Also included is a height-adjustable heated driver’s seat€”the front passenger has to make do with a cold derrire on chilly days.
A simple gauge cluster has a centered digital speedometer surrounded half way by an Eco Meter that gives real time feedback€”how hard are you accelerating or braking. To the right is a small round gauge with odometer and trip readouts, on the left a battery distance-to-empty readout is similar to a fuel gauge on a gasoline powered car. Controls on the center console are logically placed and knobs for the climate control are the large, easy to operate kind.
The car’s size suggests otherwise, but the i-MiEV easily seats four adults, including tall people, though its narrow width means there’s some touching. Cargo capacity is 13.2 cubic behind the rear seats, 50.4 cubic feet with the seats folded.
