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Mitsubishi makes history by supplying mass produced all electric cars

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Khatir Soltani
Mitsubishi delivers on promise: One i-MiEV to City of Vancouver, two to BC Hydro
As reported by Mitsubishi

VANCOUVER, B.C.– Mitsubishi Motors Sales of Canada Inc. (MMSCAN), British Columbia and the City of Vancouver made history today when three mass-produced, all-electric, zero-emission Mitsubishi i-MiEV passenger cars were presented to the City of Vancouver and BC Hydro. These three vehicles represent the fulfillment of a promise made by MMSCAN to the Government of British Columbia, BC Hydro and the City of Vancouver on April 6, 2009, with respect to providing i-MiEV cars for testing and evaluation.


“This is a first in every sense of the word,” said Mr. Tomoki Yanagawa, MMSCAN’s Vice President Sales/Marketing & Corporate Planning, as he presented the vehicles to British Columbia Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources Blair Lekstrom, Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson, and BC Hydro President & CEO Bob Elton during a ceremony held here this morning. “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. This is history in the making.”

Provincial and local leaders underscored that the Canadian debut heralds the beginning of a new era of green technology that will further the worldwide goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

“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 Minister Lekstrom. “Electric vehicles like these ones, fuelled by clean, renewable energy, will help us achieve a low-carbon transportation future.”

Mayor Robertson echoed those remarks. "Vancouver is at the forefront of adopting electric vehicles, and we're very pleased to be debuting Mitsubishi's i-MiEV in our City," he said. "Supporting cleaner, more efficient forms of transportation moves us closer to our goal of becoming the world's greenest city, and we're very excited to partner with Mitsubishi in bringing their new electric vehicle technology to Canada."

This significant event represents the first time that regular production all electric vehicles designed and built by a major international manufacturer have been put into service on public roads in North America. The i-MiEV is also the world’s first mass-production vehicle to go into production and on sale (customers were first able to purchase the all-electric vehicle in Japan this past summer).

Khatir Soltani
Khatir Soltani
Automotive expert
  • Over 6 years experience as a car reviewer
  • Over 50 test drives in the last year
  • Involved in discussions with virtually every auto manufacturer in Canada