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Mitsubishi electric car

To see our full Mitsubishi electric car blog please visit the electric car blog on the website Owning Electric Car.

12th June 2010 - We have now complete the first 6 months of the trial. We have also just reached 4000 miles. We have had a few problems, a few weeks ago our car broke down and we had to get it taken back to the garage. The full story can be found on the electric car blog.

The first 4 months with the Mitsubishi i MiEV have been a good experience. The iMiEV is now used for nearly all our everyday driving which includes school run, shopping, work, taxi for the children and days out. The only time we have used our petrol car is for long distance driving or if we are both out at the same time.

Mitsubishi Electric Car range

The range is now very good on a full charge on a spring day we can now achieve a range of 85 miles, but this has not always been the case. We first got the car in December 2009, which was one of the worst winters in the UK. The batteries needed to be run in to improve the range. We had to use the heater most of the time to stop the car from misting up, this reduced the range by about 10 miles. We were also unable to drive long distances due to the bad road conditions. In the beginning we were only able to achieve about 50 miles. This range was ok for most days but did not allow us the flexibility for longer distances.

Mitsubishi iMiEV electric car

Charging the Mitsubishi Electric car

Charging is very easy, we had a external plug fitted to the garage just before we started the trial. There is a small lever inside the car which opens a flap, which looks like a standard petrol flap. Inside the flap is a connection, just plug it in and off you go. We have put our charging socket onto a timer so that it starts charging at midnight so it is off peak time.

When we go to the car the next morning we have a full charge and are ready for the days driving.

There are lalso some local charging points, these have now been installed in Leamington Spa, Birmingham and there are plans for Coventry.

Mitsubishi Electric Car launch in the UK

The Mitsubishi i-MiEV was launched on trial in the UK December 2009, under the West Midlands Cabled project. We have been selected to take part in the trial and will take delivery of the iMiEV on 12th December 2009 in Birmingham.

The trial will last for a year under a lease scheme of £350 per month. The trial is part of the government programme for zero emission cars. Mitsubishi will be able to gain information about use and charging during the year.

We are planning to use the car for most of our everyday journeys which will include the school run, shopping, commuting and days out. The only journeys we are planning to use our main family car are for towing our caravan and journeys over the range of 100 miles. We already own a DC G-Wiz electric car which we will continue to use for commuting to work most days.
We were given a test drive of the iMiEV and are very impressed with the space inside and the performance, with a top speed of 81mph. There is enough room to seat 4 adults comfortably.
The next steps is to get E.ON to install a second meter and go on a evening training course, to learn all the details regarding the charging and use.

We will be using this page as a blog of our use of the Mitsubishi iMiEV, which will include photos, videos and information about the car.

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