Mitsubishi i-MiEV: Full of beans and oh, so silent

ROSS GIBLIN/ The Dominion Post

THE ROAD LESS-TRAVELLED: Dominion Post reporter Paul Easton purrs along in Meridian Energy's new Mitsubishi i-MiEV electric car, "the only sound the rubbery rumble of tyres on tarmac''.

PLUGGED IN: Replenishing the i-MiEV's battery takes seven hours and costs $5.

Relevant offers

Motoring

Midfield Mitsubishi Outlander soldiers on Studebaker revival being worked on Holden Barina competitive again More Allure from the Peugeot 308 Safety up, emissions down in Nissans Large car sales on the rise Top Gear star tops worst passenger poll Powered-up Murano is strong silent type Honda hybrid unlike any other before it Max Factor in BMW M5

Surrounded by petrol-guzzling beasts in a waterfront car park, the tiny vehicle looks an unlikely talisman. But it's a fully electric car, and the future is here.

The i-MiEV – the first electric car available to the New Zealand public – will go on sale from July for $59,990. New Zealand is just the third country in the world after Japan and the United States to get them.

Five were brought to Wellington in a joint venture by Wellington City Council, Mitsubishi Motors, Meridian Energy, New Zealand Post and the Wellington Company.

The low-noise green machines have a maximum speed of 130kmh and a range of up to 150 kilometres.

We took Meridian Energy's car for a test drive on the streets of Wellington.

Staff use it to beetle around town for meetings instead of taking taxis, and fight over who gets to take it home at night.

First impressions are of a large neon jelly bean, though as we take a seat there's plenty of headroom.

The dashboard gives the first hint this is not your ordinary petrol car. In place of the fuel gauge, a little battery meter tells you how much power you have.

The i-MiEV is fully charged, so we are good to go. Starting up is simple. Foot on the brake, push the key in, and turn it away from you.

Unlike my own car, there's no angry burble from beneath the bonnet, just silence. And also unlike my car, it doesn't cost $140 to fill up. Instead, a full recharge takes around seven hours and costs about $5.

If caught short in the city, electric vehicle drivers now also have inner-city recharging options. At its Harbour City Shell Service Station, Greenstone Energy has installed a free 15-amp charging post. Meridian Energy has also installed a plug at the i-MiEV's car park.

A gentle "ping" says it's drive time. The silence is somewhat disconcerting, as we ease out of the car park and into Wellington's traffic.

The i-MiEV is surprisingly peppy, and made for city streets.

It's just as well. With a range of just 150 kilometres, the i-MiEV will barely get you to Palmerston North from Wellington.

It does, however, cruise down Lambton Quay with aplomb, attracting curious stares from passers-by.

It pays to be careful in the stealthy, little car. Wellington's notoriously casual pedestrians are even more likely to step out in front of a car if they don't hear it coming. A couple of school pupils almost make that mistake but spot us just in time.

"People will leave it later to cross than they normally would," says Meridian Energy's Lizzy Baker, who is along for the ride.

We decide to venture on to the motorway to open the electric car up. The i-MiEV is surprisingly grunty.

Getting up to 100kmh is no problem, and even the grind up Ngauranga Gorge inspires confidence.

But the city is this car's natural environment. You purr along, the only sound the rubbery rumble of tyres on tarmac.

Pace Courier driver Shane Collins travels about 90km a day in his i-MiEV. Low running costs and agility make it an excellent replacement for his diesel van.

"These cars are designed for urban commuters. The average commuter travels 32km a day. Every couple of days, they can plug the car into a 15-amp socket in their garage to recharge the batteries."

But its range is so limited that, even if I had a spare $60,000, I wouldn't buy an i-MiEV just yet.

However, it's hard to escape the thought that this car is one of the first of many that will one day glide in near silence down Wellington's streets.

Mitsubishi i-MiEV New Zealand's first mass-produced electric car

Mitsubishi guarantees the batteries for 10 years or 150,000km

Top speed: 130kmh

Range: 150km

Full recharge takes about seven hours and costs about $5

Price: $59,990

- © Fairfax NZ News