The Mitsubishi i Miev (pronounced ‘i meeve’) is an all-electric car that’s due to hit UK shores in 2010. It’s of interest because it can seat 4 adults – unlike the two-seater Mini E and Smart ED, yet it has similar dimensions, performance and range.
Fleet News has just published a First Drive road test of the i Miev that makes interesting reading. Summed up in a nutshell, they found that:
- It’s pretty good to drive
- It has a typical sub-100 mile range
- It will do up to 70mph and works well around town
- It’s likely to be rather expensive at an estimated £17-£20,000
In fact, FN’s conclusions mirror those in an article I wrote for another website a while ago – “Electric Car Profitability Remains Elusive – Here’s Why“. As the Fleet News review writes, “Fleets will really want to make an eco-statement to pay such a price for what is a limited vehicle”
I think it’s fair to say that the same consideration applies to private car owners – only a minority will pay so much for so little – a vehicle that takes 6+ hours to charge and can’t travel more than 80 miles in one day.
Zero emissions at the tailpipe is all very well, but the price might still be too high, I think.
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