Mitsubishi delivers electric i-MiEV in Vancouver

Mitsubishi made history last week when three examples of its mass-produced, all-electric, zero-emission, i-MiEV hatchbacks were presented to the City of Vancouver and BC Hydro. Their delivery fulfills a promise made in April to have the cars online for testing and evaluation before the end of 2009.

“This is a first in every sense of the word,” said Tomoki Yanagawa, Mitsubishi Motor Sales of Canada Inc.’s vice president sales/marketing & corporate planning “The i-MiEV is the world’s first highway-capable, mass-production electric car.  It’s a first for Vancouver and a first for North America.”

The delivery of the i-MiEVs (Mitsubishi Innovative Electric Vehicle) represents the first time that a production all-electric vehicle, designed and built by a major international manufacturer, has been put into service on public roads in North America (The Mitsu went on sale to the public in Japan this past summer).

“We are very proud to demonstrate our leadership in climate-friendly transportation by having the first Mitsubishi all-electric cars right here in British Columbia,” said Blair Lekstrom, minister of energy, mines and petroleum resources. “Electric vehicles like these ones, fuelled by clean, renewable energy, will help us achieve a low-carbon transportation future.”

“As we get ready for the increased use of plug-in vehicles, it is very important to know how the cars will interact with BC Hydro’s grid and what their charging requirements will be,” said BC Hydro president and CEO Bob Elton. “The i-MiEV will help us answer some of these questions.”

For folks not up to speed on the i-MiEV, it’s an all-electric, highway-capable, charge-at-home commuter car that seats four adults. It can be fully charged in 14 hours with a standard 110V wall socket or in six hours using a 220V dryer-type socket.