New generation electric car trial launched

A trial which could lead to the first mass-produced new generation electric vehicle in New Zealand was launched by Environment and Climate Change Minister Nick Smith in Wellington today.

The Mitsubishi Innovative Electric Vehicle (iMiEV) is a four-door hatchback with a maximum speed of 130kmh and a driving range of up to 160km, but with fuel cost only a third of that for a petrol-driven car.

Mitsubishi is working with Meridian Energy on the first joint venture in New Zealand between a car company and a power company.

The iMiEV evaluation programme will run until late March, with demonstrations around the country.

"The iMiEV is a whole new way of thinking about transportation," said Mitsubishi New Zealand chief executive John Leighton at today's launch at the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary.

"It's a new and exciting car that challenges convention, and embodies the latest developments in technological innovation. The high-power, low-noise electric engine, delivers a drive unlike any vehicle on New Zealand roads."

The project's goal was to get New Zealanders excited about electric vehicles, so that New Zealand was one of the first countries to adopt them once they went into mass production, he said.

- NZPA