I also don’t have a charging station at home, which means I must plug the car into a standard, 120V power outlet. With a 240V charger, a full charge of the lithium-ion battery pack takes 6 hours (no sweat), but with a household plug, it takes 22.5 hours. That’s a long wait.
Bringing the i-MiEV back to the office after picking it up, we thought best to keep it plugged in at all times. After all, 22.5 divided by 135 km (the car’s estimated range) means every hour plugged in gives us about 6 kilometres of travelling. In ideal conditions, a range of 160 km is possible. With no free parking spaces around the building near a power outlet, we promptly parked the i-MiEV inside the building and plugged it in.
Next, we head out to lunch. We’re driving down a busy, three-lane boulevard, and the i-MiEV looks like nothing else—especially with the tacky “Pray for Japan” lettering Mitsubishi stuck on the car’s doors. We roll down the windows and start pointing fingers while shouting “Polluter!” to every other motorist, including a Prius driver who seemed to be quite upset. Oh, come on. It’s all in good fun.
And fun is how we’d describe driving the electric Mitsubishi. Not as in goosebumps, adrenaline, wet-pants fun, but an amusing, wacky fun. You drive the i-MiEV and you feel as though you’re an outlaw refusing to follow the system, raising your middle finger to each gas station you pass. Those crooks will never see your face again.
OK, enough clowning around; photos are done, it’s past 5 o’clock and it's time to get home. I climb in the i-MiEV, and the range meter reads 76 km. I turn on the A/C, and the range drops to 65. You see, the system estimates your range based on the electrical load you put on the battery pack. Turn on the heated driver’s seat, and it’ll go down even more.
The drive home is about 35 km, and upon arrival, the range meter reads 32, which means I used up about 44 km worth of juice by driving on the highway, while using the very effective air conditioning, the radio and the giant solo windshield wiper.
We brought the i-MiEV back to Mitsubishi the next afternoon, and our overall first impression is a very positive one. The car drives well and feels more refined than we would have imagined. Keep in mind that it is a minicar with skimpy tires, but it’s certainly more “normal” than a smart fortwo.
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| With a 240V charger, a full charge of the lithium-ion battery pack takes 6 hours (no sweat), but with a household plug, it takes 22.5 hours. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour/Auto123.com) |
Bringing the i-MiEV back to the office after picking it up, we thought best to keep it plugged in at all times. After all, 22.5 divided by 135 km (the car’s estimated range) means every hour plugged in gives us about 6 kilometres of travelling. In ideal conditions, a range of 160 km is possible. With no free parking spaces around the building near a power outlet, we promptly parked the i-MiEV inside the building and plugged it in.
Next, we head out to lunch. We’re driving down a busy, three-lane boulevard, and the i-MiEV looks like nothing else—especially with the tacky “Pray for Japan” lettering Mitsubishi stuck on the car’s doors. We roll down the windows and start pointing fingers while shouting “Polluter!” to every other motorist, including a Prius driver who seemed to be quite upset. Oh, come on. It’s all in good fun.
And fun is how we’d describe driving the electric Mitsubishi. Not as in goosebumps, adrenaline, wet-pants fun, but an amusing, wacky fun. You drive the i-MiEV and you feel as though you’re an outlaw refusing to follow the system, raising your middle finger to each gas station you pass. Those crooks will never see your face again.
OK, enough clowning around; photos are done, it’s past 5 o’clock and it's time to get home. I climb in the i-MiEV, and the range meter reads 76 km. I turn on the A/C, and the range drops to 65. You see, the system estimates your range based on the electrical load you put on the battery pack. Turn on the heated driver’s seat, and it’ll go down even more.
The drive home is about 35 km, and upon arrival, the range meter reads 32, which means I used up about 44 km worth of juice by driving on the highway, while using the very effective air conditioning, the radio and the giant solo windshield wiper.
We brought the i-MiEV back to Mitsubishi the next afternoon, and our overall first impression is a very positive one. The car drives well and feels more refined than we would have imagined. Keep in mind that it is a minicar with skimpy tires, but it’s certainly more “normal” than a smart fortwo.
 |
| The system estimates your range based on the electrical load you put on the battery pack. Turn on the heated driver’s seat, and it’ll go down even more. (Photo: Sébastien D'Amour/Auto123.com) |