The new Mitsubishi i-MiEV news page

Pricing announcement

23-03-2010

Mitsubishi is pleased to announce the on-sale price of the Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle – the i-MiEV.

Price and Incentives

For orders delivered to the customer from January 1st 2011, to coincide with the UK Government’s recently announced Consumer Incentive Scheme, the price has been set at £38,699 including VAT. The government grant will be worth £5,000 off the purchase price of qualifying electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, making the transaction price £33,699 including VAT.

The ultra-low running costs of the i-MiEV are a key advantage over other cars, with additional incentives including:

• Approximately £115 fuel costs for 12,000 miles driving (currently £0.96 pence for a full charge)
• Low servicing costs and downtime – only approximately 4 working parts compared to over 300 in a typical internal combustion engine
• Exempt from road tax (saving approx £300 per annum)
• First year capital allowances for fleet vehicles
• Zero benefit-in-kind company car tax
• Lower rate of VAT for domestic electricity
• Exempt from congestion charge (saving up to £2,000 per annum)
• Free parking in many London boroughs and cities such as Milton Keynes
• Expected high residual values due to high demand outstripping supply for several years to come

Lance Bradley, Mitsubishi Motors UK’s MD

Lance Bradley, Mitsubishi Motors UK’s Managing Director, said:

“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.”

Mitsubishi Motors UK customers in prime position for £5,000 'Plug-in-car Grant' on i-MiEV

25-02-2010

Following Lord Adonis, Transport Minister’s announcement today, Mitsubishi Motors UK customers will be in a prime position to enjoy the benefits of £5,000 off of the purchase of the multi award winning all electric i-MiEV.

The announcement from the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) means that from January 2011, motorists will be entitled to a ‘Plug-In Car Grant’ of up to £5,000^† when buying an electric, plug-in hybrid or hydrogen fuel cell car meeting their safety, reliability, performance and warranty standards set by the Office for Low Emissions Vehicles (OLEV) in consultation with industry.

The Mitsubishi i-MiEV is a fully electric city car with zero emissions. It's a real car, ensuring no compromise in safety and reliability, while cabin space easily accommodates 4 adults and room for luggage. It has a top speed of 81 mph, a range of up to 80 miles and can be trickle charged from flat to full in 6 hours at any UK three-pin socket - and it only costs 96p for a full charge, the equivalent of £115 for 12,000 miles driving. Quick Charging to an 80% charge is already possible with the i-MiEV, subject to infrastructure developments.

Mitsubishi Motors UK’s Managing Director, Lance Bradley, commented: “We are thrilled with this news, particularly as it coincides with the opening of the Mitsubishi Electric Vehicle Centre in Central London. We are now accepting customer orders for the i-MiEV with deliveries for January 2011.

Mitsubishi Opens Electric Vehicle Centre in London

08-02-2010

Today Mitsubishi officially opened the Mitsubishi Electric Vehicle Centre in St James’s Square, London

The MEVC is operational for customer enquiries and demonstrations and customers can contact the Centre on 0207 546 8331 or via email at imiev@mitsubishi-cars.co.uk

Click here to find out more about the Mitsubishi Electric Vehicle Centre.

Mitsubishi i-MiEV launches uk's largest public electric car trial in the west midlands

12-12-2009

The Mitsubishi i-MiEV has today become the first zero emissions fully electric city car to be used on the government funded Technology Strategy Board user trials.

It has a top speed of 81 mph, a range of 80 miles and can be trickle charged from flat to full in six hours at any UK three-pin socket – costing under £1 for a full charge. In addition the i-MiEV can be fast-charged from flat to 80 per cent in just 30 minutes using the quick charger.

Mr Genichiro Nishina, President and CEO of Mitsubishi Motors Europe, said: “Mitsubishi Motors takes an holistic approach to environmental and sustainability issues at every stage of the vehicle’s design, production and in-service lifecycle. The i-MiEV is the most prominent element of our basket of environmental solutions, which makes the prospect of ultra-low carbon transport a present-day reality”.

Endorsing the programme as an i-MIEV driver in the trials, Quentin Willson, said: "These first EVs that go on the Technology Strategy Board's trial mark the start of a seismic shift in the sort of cars we drive and how we power them.

“The Mitsubishi i-MiEV is a forerunner of a transport revolution that eventually will change the world. At last here's an electric car that doesn't look like a church pew, seats four, does 80 mph and costs less than a quid to charge. What is there not to love?"

This is the first stage of a Government-supported UK-wide project to trial electric and ultra low emission vehicles – and begins in the West Midlands today. The keys to 25 Mitsubishi i-MiEVs (Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle) will be given to independent drivers – including automotive expert Quentin Willson – to test over the next 12 months by the CABLED (Coventry and Birmingham Low Emission Vehicle Demonstrators) consortium in Centenary Square, Birmingham.

The CABLED consortium will manage the project after being confirmed in June as one of eight successful teams in the £25 million Technology Strategy Board Ultra Low Emission Vehicle Demonstrator Competition. The consortium brings together the expertise of 13 West Midlands-based organisations within the engineering, automotive manufacturing, academic, public and infrastructure sectors, and is led by global engineering consultancy Arup.

The project is worth £15 million and will trial 110 vehicles on the roads of Birmingham and Coventry. UK-wide, 340 vehicles are being tested using funding from the Technology Strategy Board. As well as being the largest, CABLED is the first consortium to begin vehicle trials and has recently gained further public backing thanks to £2.5 million funding awarded by Advantage West Midlands (a regional development agency).

Neil Butcher, Arup’s project leader of the CABLED consortium said: “Less than 1% of the vehicles registered every year in the UK are electric and most of these are currently used in London. We think that by 2020, low carbon cars will be commercially viable, and it’s important that we start to understand the public’s reaction and provide the necessary infrastructure to prepare for this.

“Today’s launch is a landmark occasion for the UK automotive industry, and this project will begin to examine the points where the vehicles meet the built environment – energy generation, battery charging and driver behaviour. This is an important first step on our roads to a low-carbon future.”

It's Here

17-11-2009

Excitement is building as the first 25 full production all-electric Mitsubishi i-MiEV’s arrive at Bristol’s Royal Portbury Docks. Final preparation has already begun before the cars hit the road on December 12th 2009 as part of a West Midlands based government trial.

The i-MiEV’s left Japan by boat six weeks ago and their arrival has been eagerly awaited, especially by the end users and everyone following their progress via Mitsubishi Motors UK’s i-MiEV Facebook fan page.

i MiEV has arrived in the UK

30-10-2009

Electric vehicles are not new to Mitsubishi Motors, in fact we started developing all electric vehicles as far back as the 1970’s and our first electric vehicle ‘Libero’ was sold in Japan between 1993 and 1996.

With renewed interest and a real demand for electric vehicles Mitsubishi returned to the drawing board and developed the i-MiEV, three production i-MiEV’s have been on extended trials in the UK since October 2008.

It has come as no surprise to us that i-MiEV is creating so much interest. We have had many emails asking when will i-MiEV be available to buy and how much it will cost.

So when will the i-MiEV arrive – sooner than you think

25 i-MiEV’s arrive in the UK November 2009, this delivery is destined for the West Midlands CABLED trial. A further delivery of i-MiEV’s arrive early 2010 in time for a scheme that is to be run by the Exchequer. Applications to lease a vehicle under the West Midlands CABLED trial have now closed, details of the other scheme are expected shortly.

More i-MiEV’s are expected to arrive in the UK later in 2010, these are destined for dealer showrooms.

How much will i-MiEV cost?

i-MiEV’s on the CABLED trial are being leased at a cost of £350 (including VAT) per month. Retail (on the road) prices for 2010 have not been announced yet and when buying an i-MiEV next year you would need to take in to account any government subsidies should they be introduced. We will announce prices on this website and on Facebook as soon as they become available.

More details on i-MiEV will be released over the coming months. To be kept up to date on where you can see i-MiEV, information on prices and how you can test drive an i-MiEV please click here and register or join us on Facebook.

i MiEV Field Trials

27-10-2009

CABLED

In a coordinated move towards ultra-low carbon transport, the multi-award winning i-MiEV is at the cutting edge of the recently announced Government trial of low-emissions vehicles in the UK.

The trial is the biggest demonstrator programme for zero and low emissions vehicles in the world, so it is bound to gain a lot of publicity and is designed to help model the imminent reality of a world incorporating the benefits of electric vehicles.

We actually have 25 Mitsubishi i-MiEVs taking part in the CABLED (Coventry and Birmingham Low Emission Demonstrators) programme, which will focus on driving and domestic recharging behaviour across a broad spectrum of users in the region.

The cars will be on the road from Saturday 12th December, leaving from Centenary Square in central Birmingham and as the trial is part-funded by the Government, users will only need to contribute £350 per month including VAT towards leasing the i-MiEV.

LCV PPP

The second government trial in which we are involved is called the LCV PPP (Low Carbon Vehicle Public Procurement Programme). It is part funded by the UK Government and is open to a range of exchequer funded organisations such as the Metropolitan Police, the Environment Agency, Transport for London and various councils. The programme is designed to help illustrate how ultra-low emissions vehicles can be used in a range of different environments and purposes, whilst modelling real-world fleet trial scenarios.

Our allocation of vehicles of 25 i-MiEVs have already been allocated to the scheme and the trial is now closed.

THE MITSUBISHI i MiEV ALL-ELECTRIC CITY CAR TAKES THE JAPANESE CAR OF THE YEAR “MOST ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY” AWARD

26-10-2009

The Mitsubishi Motors i-MiEV city car was announced as the winner of the Japanese Car of the Year “Most Advanced Technology” award at the 41st Tokyo International Motor Show 2009.

Full-Production, No Compromise

This no-compromise zero-emissions car was praised for the way it has applied its advanced lithium-ion battery technology into a full four-seat family city car, and having achieved full-production status.*

Mitsubishi Motors’ EV and PHEV Expertise

The Japanese Car of the Year award underlines Mitsubishi Motors’ long standing expertise in the field of electric vehicles since the early 1970s. It also further enforces Mitsubishi Motors’ place at the forefront of electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle development and signals excellent progress towards its stated goal of having 20% of total production as either electric or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles by 2020.

*Zero tailpipe emissions.

A weekend with the i MiEV

13-10-2009

We gave the i-MiEV to family history journalist Lara Glasspool to see what she thought of it over a sunny weekend in the Cotswolds.

When the kind bods at Mitsubishi lent me one of their new electric cars for a weekend, at first I couldn’t help but worry “how do I charge it?” and “how far can I go with it?”. The answers turned out to be so straight forward I was sure they were pulling my leg – you charge it by plugging it into the mains and a full charge will take you quite a distance – roughly 80 miles. Perfect for staging a fun-filled, green weekend. So, we got some friends over and took a day trip in our new “space car”, as our intrigued pals called it. Getting four adults in this compact (electric) motor was no problem at all. It's something of a tardis, with plenty of leg room all round and a boot that holds several bags of shopping or one fat dog very nicely.

Touch the fob to the little pad where you would normally insert a key and the car chimes to let you know its ready, though it took a moment to realise it was ready to go – it makes the same sound when it's on as it does off – none at all. Having never driven an automatic in my life I had the typical odd sensation of trying to press my left foot on a pedal that wasn’t there but within a minute I was used to it and surprised by how much punch the little thing could give you if you put your foot down.

The i-MiEV is a joy to drive. Smooth and quiet and comfortable and I swear you get more looks from passers by than you would if you were in a Porsche.

My friends and I headed into the country to make the most of the sunshine. Little Mievy (getting quite fond of it now) ate the hills and glided round the bends of the Cotswolds. As we drove through some little towns, busy with their Saturday shoppers I switched to ‘eco’ mode (which drops the power to preserve the battery) and I almost gave in to the urge to wave at the people watching as I undertook the single easiest bit of parking in my life.

After a stunning walk along some ancient ruins we headed back into town for the local farmer’s market and surrounded by sustainably grown vegetables and organically produced cheese, pondered the state of green technology and hoped that more developments like this are coming because we really do need them.

On the way home we stopped into a petrol station for snacks and I couldn’t help take a picture of the car next to the pumps and smile at this little fossil-free wonder parked in front of something it might one day make obsolete.

i MiEV wins ‘Electric vehicle of the year 2009’ at the GreenFleet Awards

07-10-2009

The all-electric Mitsubishi i-MiEV city car scooped Electric Vehicle of the Year sponsored by EDF Energy at the GreenFleet awards ceremony, on 1st October at the Guildhall, London.

The i-MiEV was praised for its four seat practicality, range and charge time. It also scored highly for the simplicity with which it could be used, thanks to the use of conventional controls and functional cabin layout.

Mitsubishi Motors’ Sales and Marketing Director, Toby Marshall, commented “The i-MiEV is only the start of an exciting future for Mitsubishi Motors. At the end of this month we’ll be showing the Concept PX-MiEV at the Tokyo Motorshow, a next-generation plug-in hybrid with 141 mpg, and we already have other great environmental technologies such as ClearTec. This low CO2 technology is already on the Colt city car, and will soon be arriving on many other vehicles in the Mitsubishi line up”.

World Premiere: i MiEV CARGO

07-10-2009

Derived from the production i-MiEV, this concept maximises the outstanding environmental performance and economic efficiency characteristics that define the EV and at the same time adds a generous amount of rear free space to extend the range of uses to which it can be put by corporate users and self-employed operators in particular.

Measuring 1350 mm wide by 1180 mm deep and 1100 mm high and having a flat floor, the cube-shaped luggage compartment at the rear of the vehicle allows every inch of available space to be utilised. The height of the compartment floor has been designed to facilitate loading and unloading of luggage and make it more user-friendly.

i MiEV joins Facebook

07-10-2009

We are pleased to announce that we have just launched our official Mitsubishi Motors UK fan page on Facebook for the i-MiEV - all electric city car.

This page has been designed to take you behind the scenes of the Mitsubishi i-MiEV. You will be able to view photos and video footage of the i-MiEV that has never before been seen in public, be kept up to date with all current news and events, be able to interact with other fans including staff members from Mitsubishi head office, comment on the photos, join discussion boards and let us know what you really think.

In celebration of joining Facebook we are exclusively offering the chance for our Facebook fans to come and visit us here at our headquarters in Cirencester to actually drive the i-MiEV.

Carbon Off-set at the Goodwood Festival of Speed

07-07-2009

There was a seriously large amount of 'flash metal' at this year's high-octane Goodwood Festival of Speed, and I'd hate to think how much CO2 was pumped into the environment as Lewis Hamilton drove the McLaren MP4-23 that took him to last year’s F1 drivers’ cham­pionship and France’s fastest rally driver, Sébastien Loeb, took his Citroën C4 WRC at break-neck speed round the Forest Rally Stage.

It was an amazing event, and right at the centre was the Technology Pavilion where at least some of the carbon emissions were off-set by the latest in concept technologies from various manufacturers. There were some futuristic concepts from the likes of Renault as well as completely silent electric motorbikes that will soon be competing in an electric superbike series of their own, including the Isle of Man TT!

This is where the i-MiEV was also to be found - and just about made it as a qualifying car this year as the Goodwood rules say that if your car is 'on sale' it can't be displayed in the technology pavilion (the i-MiEV doesn't officially go on sale until November). So there we were, rubbing shoulders and exchanging ideas with anyone and everyone who passed by. Whereas most (all?) others were displaying their concepts (like the Mini ED that isn't due for sale until around 2012) we were able to talk to people about today's reality, not tomorrow's possibilities!

Interestingly, it's one of the things we're finding more and more, that we seem to be about two years ahead of everyone else in bringing a full-production EV to market. You'd think this was a 100% advantage, but it means that, strictly speaking, we won't be able to display at next year's show while other EVs will still be concepts and will be able to display their wares to the 140,000 + visitors. More significantly, a lot of the government support isn't scheduled to come in to play until 2011, and we'd have been in the market for over a year by then. let;'s hope things can accelerate and be as flexible as the i-MiEV?!

It was great to find out how much people know about low- and ultra-low carbon vehicles, and to be honest I was surprised at how well informed so many people are. Electric vehicles will initially have a higher price tag due to low volume production runs and the high cost of lithium-ion batteries, but when you think through the savings in fuel costs (just circa £45 per 10,000 miles), Congestion Charge (£8 per day), no road tax, and free parking it started to make sense in more than just environmental terms. The i-MiEV also took up its place alongside some very expensive cars like the Maserati MC12, Aston Martin V8 Vantage, Ferrari SuperAmerica and Lamborghini Gallardo for the 5 mile Hill Climb parade and unlike some more expensive vehicles, it easily made it to the finish line without breaking down, running out of power, or needing a push!

There's a lot of support out there for the i-MiEV, and people were also very interested to hear about the other environmental initiatives going on at Mitsubishi - like the ClearTec technology, next generation plug-in hybrid where the petrol engine is only there to charge the battery not power the vehicle, and things like our Green Plastics (from bamboo resin) and Cedar Wood recycling.

There'll be more about our wide range of Mitsubishi's environmental projects and initiatives coming to this website soon, so stay in touch by registering your interest and we'll let you know as and when new information is available on the i-MiEV and our other CO2-lowering projects.

New Electric Vehicle Group at the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT)

26-06-2009

On a more general front, we attended the first meeting of the SMMT’s Electric Vehicle (EV) Group this week.

The SMMT is the UK motor industry’s official trade body and represents the industry on key issues to government and other organisations. Their website has some useful information such as vehicle CO2 emissions, and loads of other market data. Youll often see or hear a representative of the SMMT, like its Chief Executive Paul Everitt on the TV alongside someone from the AA or RAC. This new group is made up of a wide cross-section of the motor industry representing manufacturers, niche vehicle producers and component suppliers who want to interact with government, stakeholders and industry both in the UK and internationally.

Its good that as the first mainstream manufacturer to have a full-production electric vehicle in the UK (the i-MiEV) we are involved in this group from the start. It could well end up helping to shape the future of ultra-low and low-CO2 emissions products and infrastructure moving forwards. Michael Hurwitz (the Head of Environment Policy and Delivery, Department for Transport) gave an interesting talk about how the government plans to reduce CO2 emissions by various key milestones, and how theyve set some quite tough targets for CO2 reduction.

Organisations include those involved in the research, development, design, manufacture and/or marketing of electric, hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles for commercial and passenger carrying applications.

Watch this space for more updates as and when they happen!

i MiEV on the BBC

24-06-2009

Fantastic news today as the Government’s Ultra Low Carbon Vehicle Demonstrator projects were announced in London and Birmingham. The i-MiEV is going to play a major role as it takes part in the West Midlands’ CABLED (Coventry and Birmingham Low Emission Demonstrators) consortium project as well as other areas across the UK, including London.

There was a buzz of excitement as The Secretary of State for Transport, Lord Adonis, drove into the Guildhall plaza along with Lord Drayson, the Minister for Science and Innovation. We featured prominently in the BBC's Breakfast News programmes - with the i-MiEV being the major focus of attention as the BBC’s reporter, Maryam Moshiri, took it out for an extended drive around the City's streets and also got some great feedback from a number of passers by. Later in the day we also appeared on regional BBC and ITV news broadcasts as the i-MiEV stole the show across the country.

The Government’s Technology Strategy Board was announcing that eight winning consortia will receive a total of £25 million from the Government to help speed up the introduction of ultra low carbon vehicles. The project means that Mitsubishi will also be investing significant sums of money, along with time and effort as we work together with power companies, Regional Development Agencies, councils, some other manufacturers and academic institutions to accelerate the reality of greener transport in the UK.

There’ll be 25 i-MiEVs going on the road as part of the trial from November this year, with another 25 available for other customers. You can now register your interest in one of the first full-production all-electric city cars in the UK. This is going to be the biggest project of its kind in the world, so if you want to be an ecological history maker, make sure you get in touch!

i MiEV trots out to the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials

10-06-2009

We took a trip out to the sunny countryside with the i-MiEV this week - drawing in the masses at The 2009 Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials. This world famous 4 day event saw over 250,000 people come to Gloucestershire from all over the world to enjoy top class eventing at The Duke of Beaufort’s family estate. The estate also hosts the largest outdoor retail site in Europe; definitely selling something for everyone, including Katie Price’s launch of her own new equine clothing range.

On the Mitsubishi Motors display stand the i-MiEV also pulled in the crowds. Everyone was very impressed that you can plug the i-MiEV directly in to the mains using a standard 3-pin plug, and at least three people stated they could charge the car with their own wind turbine! The i-MiEV’s very cheap running costs and ease of charging were key items that caught people’s attention, with 56 great sales enquiries received over the weekend, including some traditional equine 4x4 users looking for a second car.

Oliver Heath to Drive i MiEV in 2009 Eco-Rally

05-06-2009

Great news! We’ve just heard that Oliver Heath – the TV presenter and eco-design champion – is going to be driving the i-MiEV in the Eco-Rally on Monday!

The i won thirteen design awards in its first year, including the Japanese Automotive Researchers and Journalists ‘Car of the Year’ in 2007, so Oliver is a great match as he’s been a champion of environmental issues for a long, long time. He says on his website that “without good design - that which raises the emotions, and gets us all fired up - how do we hope to encourage the sorts of numbers needed to switch to sustainable living, to really make a difference? Aspiration and style play key roles in getting us to make the switch to a better cleaner way of living.”

We know the i-MiEV is both stylish and aspirational and with zero CO2 emissions they will certainly be a match made in heaven. Oliver even lives in Brighton, so the inter-city journey from Brighton to London’s City Hall in the i-MiEV is going to be the ultimate low-carbon journey.

Oliver has a long career promoting excellent eco-design began with his first TV appearance in 1998 when he won BBC Homefront's Young Designer of the Year competition. He is also one of the main presenters and designers on BBC's Changing Rooms, and he is well known for his most recent television series for ITV, Dream Homes, where he followed families all over the UK designing and building their dream homes.

Oliver has written 3 books, writes regularly in both broadsheet newspapers and magazines, and has even defined a new ‘Urban Eco Chic’ style, which “promotes the balance of Technology, Nature and Vintage to create spaces that are as functional, beautiful and as good to live in as they are for the environment.”

That’s i-MiEV all over then!

Eco-Rally Preview

03-06-2009

We’re going to be showcasing the i-MiEV and the Colt ClearTec at this year's Revolve Eco-Rally on Monday 8th June.

The rally is running from Brighton’s Palace Pier to London’s City Hall and is deliberately scheduled to coincide with World Environment Day on Friday 5th June, the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership's sixth annual conference - "The Changing Climate for Vehicles" and the second annual What Car? Green Awards.

It’s going to be so exciting to lead the rally out of Brighton for the 76 mile route to City Hall, where we’ll be met and greeted by Mayor of London, Boris Johnson. We’ll certainly be very noticeable as the i-MiEV will be displaying its bold red and white livery, while the Colt ClearTec has received a full body wrap to highlight the new and up-coming environmental technologies from Mitsubishi Motors.

If you can make it to either Brighton (rally departs at 10.00am) or City Hall (static displays from 12.45pm), it’d be great to see you there and answer any questions you may have about Mitsubishi Motors and our plans for future environmental technologies.

SMMT Track Test Day

21-05-2009

The i-MiEV was the only all-electric car to be shown at the SMMT (Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders) Track Test Day today.

It went down really well with the nearly 250 journalists who attended from loads of national, regional, fleet and lifestyle publications, and they seemed to really like the car. Most were surprised at how good the car really is, almost expecting it to not be so ‘finished’ and ‘polished’ as an end product.

It was particularly interesting to hear their feedback as they get to drive all of the electric vehicles from our main competitors, so they can give proper comparisons, which we can then fed back to our own product teams.

The car ran on the ‘city car route’ and was out being driven as much as the Lancer Evolution X, which is really saying something as this is always a very popular car to drive at the test circuit!

We had a charging cable on hand, mostly to show how easy it is to charge the car. It worked very well as a powerful and practical visual aid as the charging cable easily plugged into the three pin socket at one end and then into the car at the other. Most seemed to think it would be a much more challenging exercise!

After a full 9-to-5 day of demonstrations and only occasional and brief power top-ups the car still had nearly half a full charge on board.