The MiEV is coming to town.
Translation: Mitsubishi Motors North America Inc. is offering its groundbreaking Mitsubishi electric vehicle (amazing name, I know) for pre-order beginning April 22, Earth Day.
This vehicle, like the Nissan Leaf, is all electric all the time. The only other commercially available full electric car is the Tesla Roadster, which will set you back around $100,000. Tesla’s sleek Model S sedan, which also boasts a 300-mile charge life and claims zero to 60 in 5.6 seconds, costs about half that and comes out next year.
The all-electric lineup available to the consumer will soon number up to five models. And more are coming.
The $41,000 Chevy Volt is also on the streets. One was seen by my co-worker Sandy Nax recently at a Kingsburg auto show. The Volt also has a gasoline engine for backup. Its all-electric range is 40 miles, not exactly half the $32,780 Leaf’s advertised 100-mile range.
But according to Washington Examiner reporter David Freddoso, the news isn’t all that exciting for Chevy. Freddoso writes on his blog in March that February sales of the Volt were a “very modest 281,” down from December’s 326. He read some of the comments on the post and it seems to be more of a supply issue than a demand issue. One commenter says his Volt won’t be delivered until late April or May.
After several delays, Fisker appears to be on track to start delivering its Karma sedan in June or July, Products & Tech News reports. The blog says, “Fisker’s Roger Ormisher also notes that the company began ‘limited series production’ in late March as planned, and says the company is ‘scaling up slowly to ensure absolute quality.'” because it will cost around $100,000.
Comparatively, the entry-level 2012 Mitsubishi i will set buyers back a measly $27,990. Add in the federal tax credit and the price drops to $20,490, “a substantial savings…compared to its mass-produced EV competition,” the company says in a statement.
For a couple thousand more, buyers can get the SE package with “360-watt, eight-speaker sound system, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, upgraded seating material with silver interior accents, exclusive black interior trim and doors two-tone, 15-inch alloy wheels and fog lights.Another upgrade includes a fast-charging port to recharge 80 percent in 30 minutes and other fun stuff.
The MiEV will be on display at Earth Day San Francisco 2011 on April 23 at the Civic Center Plaza. For more information, visit http://www.earthdaysf.com/.
Mitsubishi didn’t offer a driving range for the MiEV in its press release, but Michael Boxwell of thechargingpoint.com says the automaker claims a range of 92 miles. He said that while he was testing the car, he was able to achieve a range of 92.7 miles in the city. “However, at higher speeds, the range is greatly reduced,” says Boxwell. “On a highway trip, my range dropped to just over 50 miles, while on a cross-country trip it gave me a range of 64.4 miles.”
Blogger Phil T has been testing the limits of his newly purchased Nissan Leaf on the roads of Southern California and had this to say about its range: “I measured 86.5 miles of range one day when I decided to try leaving the car without power to see what the range would be. I drove some of the miles smoothly and some aggressively, no highway miles. I know the car is capable of more range, and I can try again with a full “tank” of careful driving.”
I will be following the exploits of Phil T, who recently picked up his Leaf in Costa Mesa. I mentioned my fear of going all electric. (I have considered converting my custom 1974 black Super Beetle.) Phil says not to worry: “There’s no point in being afraid, Mike. After all, ‘the weak heart never won the fair maiden,’ as they say.”
In my defense, I will say that I won fair maiden 20 years ago.
Phil says it’s just a matter of taking conditions into account and whether a driver’s daily commutes fit within the range of an electric vehicle. “That and you’d need a plan for longer trips,” he says.
So if you’ve taken the plunge, I’d love to hear about your experiences.