Mitsubishi's all-electric i-Miev city car

Silent, and potentially an absolute menace when it comes to pedestrians and cyclists, the Mitsubishi i-Miev (that's Mitsubishi Intelligent Electric Vehicle) is the future.

It does about 130kmh, can run for  up to 160km on a single seven-hour low-electricity-cost charge (about $3.50's worth) and will sprint up to 100kmh in nine seconds. And get this, when calculated in terms of emissions by assessing the way its electricity comes from, the i-Miev has a carbon footprint measured at from a quarter to a third of a modern hybrid car's.

It looks a little strange, but it gets along well, feels very secure - it's five-star safe - and its only drawback is its quietness. Perhaps they'll have to get a man with a red flag to walk in front of it!

Anyway, I liked the car, which drew smiles everywhere it went in Wellington this week. It seems the capital's public is aware of the car's green potential - what I liked was that it would outrun big two- and three-tonne SUVs as if they were standing still and I have to say that if we all drove these, the world would be a cleaner, nicer, safer place.

We won't be able to get the i-Miev for private use until late 2010, but people are showing lots of interest and Mitsubishi hopes that if numbers around the world get large enough, then its price will drop to close to the price you pay for a small petrol car.

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