Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc., is delivering its new 2012 Mitsubishi i electric vehicles, EVs, including six new ones in Normal, Illinois.
These new Mitsubishi i EVs were delivered to six lucky Town Council members who reported the fun-to-drive 100% electric motor torque does provide what is commonly referred to as the “EV grin”. This particular event shows the continued interest with deliveries of the all-electric 2012 Mitsubishi i to customers outside the states of Hawaii, California, Oregon, or Washington.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, or you are one of those unfortunate EV haters, Mitsubishi has a fascinating electric car that should raise your eyebrow. You might love or not love the design, that is up to you but this little EV has a lot to offer. Its mangaesque futuristic look might appeal to you. An added advantage is you will truly have a different car than anyone in the neighborhood. After testing the final product last year, I walked away with some interesting thoughts.
EVs Are Ready. Obviously, some EVs are ready for main commuter usage in more ways than we would imagine. The Mitsubishi i surprised me. It handled very well, much better than I expected this car would do. It was zippy enough to satisfy any traffic condition and with five seats and a trunk, it makes it a perfect contender for a second family local car. But what was very obvious is that Mitsubishi did a lot of engineering around their I and the iMiEV platform. This EV is well designed, engineered and the user experience has been in the forefront. The driving experience is amplified with a choice of three different drive methods ranging from normal, to higher regenerative braking to sports mode.
The Price That Convinced Me. At a starting price of about $21,500 with federal and local incentives, it’s hard to complain about an electric car that delivers around a sticker low estimate of 62 miles. According to Mitsubishi daily "i" users, they reached over 100 in perfect flowing highway conditions, and around 90 with some stop and go. EV drivers will tell you that no one drives one until the batteries are depleted. This is a testament to the level of engineering the company has achieved ion the EV over the years. With a special reservation order with $299.00 one-time fully refundable deposit, it will apply to the final purchase that includes a $99.99 home inspection fee waived.
Mitsubishi strikes a mighty bargain with enough room for 4, enough space in the trunk, it is actually the only $20,000 electric car range you can purchase. EVs top off wherever an outlet is available, which last time I checked around the country was a lot. Restaurant owners have been known to let EV drivers recharge while they eat. Cities have offered free parking for EVs and it isn’t uncommon to see free charging stations at the moment. Although the Mitsubishi I electric car is no Tesla Motors Roadster, it has its well deserved place in the EV automobile industry.
Wrong, wrong, wrong guys, the
Wrong, wrong, wrong guys, the US is lucky enough to have had a specially designed and bigger five seater version of this vehicle than the rest of the world and that included us here in Australia.
This article is a
This article is a misrepresentation of the Mitsubishi I or I(miev) as have already been noted the i is a four seater. The mileage is actually around 62 miles not a hundred. The japanese is more close to 100 because their version is smaller. (nissan leaf 72 miles). Unless there are more incentives being offered than I know of the starting price after government rebates and and local rebates put the price around 21,000 dollars.
Yes, you are right, it is 4
Yes, you are right, it is 4 seats, not five. A continuous typo. It does get close and over 100 miles, that much I can confirm. Some of the Mitsubishi team have been able to get over 100 miles on steady highway driving from home to work.
As far as the price, that was the last one I was quoted at the LA Auto Show, including all incentives. Apparently that price has gone up and I didn't catch it in time.
Thanks for your comment. NIcolas.
The advertised range on this
The advertised range on this vehicle and what's on the sticker of the car is 62 miles. The fuel economy equivalent is 99 mpg-e city and 126 mpg-e highway for a combined of 112 mpg-e. This is all numbers for the US version. Of course this industry is changing fast and I think range is going to improve fast. Everything is subject to change. Introduction of a better battery will easily extend the range on rbis vehicle.
Yes, the sticker does say 62,
Yes, the sticker does say 62, even though I feel it is a very low ball number.
The $299.00 one-time fully
The $299.00 one-time fully refundable deposit is not fully refundable.
The $99.99 home inspection fee waived only if you buy the car.
If you don't buy the car you will not get the $99.99 home inspection refunded.
Their business practices are deceptive and illegal.
Thanks Daniel for pointing
Thanks Daniel for pointing this out. I will double check it. Apparently, some dealerships are dragging their feet on it. The company seems to have an clear policy on making it refundable. I'll check in on it.