From the outside looking in, electric car development programs seem to proceed at a snail's pace and are filled with many ambiguous meanderings. Even when company executives make lots of public statements, the waters stay muddied. A recent interview with Tohru Hashimoto, Corporate General Manager of the Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle business or the "MiEV Promotion Office" conducted by Stephen Clemenger and published on the EV World website, refreshingly goes some way to shed light on the reasons behind many of the decisions taken by that company - as well as it's path ahead.

After a brief history of Mitsubishi's involvement with battery electric cars since the 1960s and its more recent development program featuring the Colt EV MIEV and Lancer Evolution MIEV, Hashimoto explaines that they want to introduce an electric car to the "real market" as soon as possible. Some of the other, more significant points made are as follows;

• Mitsubishi would like to have a "lease type agreement" with individual customers (yes, we can hear your groans)
• A larger model iMiEV is in the works though the focus will be on the current configuration (pictured above) until after it launches
• In-wheel motors should be used by Mitsubishi in 5 to 10 years though a smaller companies may use them sooner
• Mitsubishi will add a range extender in future for larger models though it is unlikely to be a fuel cell (yes, we can hear your cheers)
• Mitsubishi has no interest in making Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEVs) and will continue to manufacture cars with doors and seating for four (more cheers)
  

If you have the time for the entire interview click on the "read" link below and gain more insight into Mitsubishi's electric car future through the eyes of Tohru Hashimoto. Also, check out this morning's official statement from Mitsubishi on working with Peugeot on electric cars.

[Source: EV World]

Mitsubishi must be enjoying seeing how much attention the all-electric iMiEV is getting. We've seen Helen Clark, the prime minister of New Zealand, take a ride in Tokyo, an HD view of the car on iTunes, and a video of the car driving in the mountains of Japan. These are just the beginning, as frequent tipster Yanquetino has found three more for our viewing pleasure.

First, a test drive by Popular Mechanics, which looks like it was filmed in New York City, probably during the auto show in March. In this clip we learn that the car uses 47 kWh when in main drive mode and 18 kWh in economy mode. Second, MSN Autos drives the car and shows just how much space is available in the rear (something we discovered when we drove the iMiEV in NYC). Will all your friends be calling you to come by with the iMiEV when they want to move? No, but if you've got to carry a chair or two around town, the iMiEV is able to do so. Lastly, a clip on YouTube from Japan where the host get a ride on a test track and the iMiEV races an ICE-powered i down the strip (guess who wins). While Yanquetino says he thinks the show might be designed for teenagers, this is just how TV shows are in Japan. The YouTube segment is the only one that's embeddable, and it's available after the jump.

There's nothing like a real-life introduction to get the love sparks flying. Helen Clark, Prime Minister of New Zealand happened to be in Japan the other day when she was invited to take a ride in the all-electric i MiEV from Mitsubishi. She found the ride through the Tokyo streets "smooth" and thought it was the perfect automotive solution for her own island country. "If they can get it into mass production and get the price down this would be an incredibly popular urban car," she said. She compared it to a modern "Mini" and stated her desire for "Japan to see New Zealand as a place that is very willing and ready to pick up these kinds of cars and because we've got so much renewable energy it makes sense for us to go the electric car way." With sales planned for Japan and the UK next year and with North America to follow in 2010, New Zealand is keen to have Mitsubishi offer it up to their populace as well, though no promises of Kiwi distribution have been made.

The Mitsubishi wasn't the only enviro-friendly vehicle Clark got to ride in during her visit. She also got to tour Tokyo's financial district in one of the four hybrid buses by Designline, a redevelopment project has imported from her own native land.



[Source: stuff.co.nz]

The Mitsubishi i-MiEV is one of the most exciting pure-electric projects discussed by a major automaker. For one thing, the numbers being tossed around for this city car are astounding: something around 100 miles per charge (depending on driving style) and 1,000 vehicles that might be ready for sale for €17,000 ($24,800US) in 2009 or 2010. The trouble is, for American drivers, that these vehicles are only going to be available in Japan and Europe (so far, Mitsubishi has only said "maybe" to U.S. sales of the i-MiEV).

So, what's the answer? An online petition organized by one Ben Robeson and tipped to AutoblogGreen by Steven L. The petition encourages Mitsubishi Motors North America to bring the i-MiEV here because "the American public is ready for this type of vehicle" (read the full text after the jump or sign on here). As Steven wrote to us, this call won't have a lot of impact unless there are a few thousand signatures, which might take a while. I can't tell when the petition was put online, but it currently has just 75 votes.


Related:

• Mitsubishi testing upgraded i-Miev in Japan
• Mitsubishi's all-electric i MiEV may arrive earlier than expected
• Why Mitsubishi is so bullish on the i MiEV

[Source: Petition Online]

While other automakers turn choke resources to hybrid technology, Mistubishi is putting a lot of eggs into the pure-electric basket. Automotive News (subs req'd) says that Mistubishi's push is being driven by two things - the company doesn't have the funds to try and catch up with the hybrid crowd and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. president Osamu Masuko, who drives an EV himself.

Masuko told AN's David Sedgwick that, "We were not able to put all our resources into hybrids. We are climbing the mountain, but we are finding a different route to the summit." The result of this different route is, of course, the i MiEV, which we've pretty much discussed to death on these pages. When the EV hits Japanese showrooms in 2010 (and European ones after that), remember that this is a company that deciced to leap over the 2007 all-hybrid mentality. I'm betting this will pay off for the three diamonds.



[Source: David Sedgwick, Automotive News

I think we have a winner for the greenest car at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show. Below the fold is a video all about the Mitsubishi iMiEV Sport concept. It's a plug-in electric car with a cool tear drop shape and a number of cool ways of charging the batteries. The iMiEV's lithium-ion batteries can be charged via a wireless microwave charger in your garage floor which means you don't have to struggle to plug it in.

Not keen on turning your garage in a giant microwave? Don't worry, the iMiEV has solar panels on the roof and micro wind turbines in the front grill. The iMiEV has other strange features like the ability to connect to your computer, in-hub motors and an electric plug that flips open. BTW I think the way you say the car's name is eye My EV, which also gives iMiEV our award for strangest car name at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show.

[Source: YouTube and tipster Domenick]

Ahh, the eco-car next to energy-generating windmills. Is there anything more standard than that these days? Mitsubishi is willing to repeat the theme one more time with the latest batch of promo images of the Mitsubishi i MiEV Sport. You can read about the details of the i MiEV Sport in our post from the other day, so I won't clutter this with too much info on this battery-powered 2+2 coupe. Just enjoy the eye candy, if cute EVs are your thing. You can also discuss how much has changed from the earlier version of the MiEV, a car that somehow looks even more cartoony that the one above.

Related:

• Tokyo Preview: Mitsubishi i MiEV Sport

[Source: Mitsubishi]

Mitsubishi's serious entrant in the all-electric category, the i Miev, might be finding a home outside Japan. While the company plans to offer the BEV in the middle of 2010 in Japan, the British Car Magazine says that "UK bosses are secretly preparing to launch it here by early 2011."

A more conventional MItsubishi i (Miev stands for Mitsubishi Innovative Electric Vehicle) powered by a 0.7-liter petrol engine, will be sold starting in about ten days. Mitsubishi's UK managing director Jim Tyrrell told the magazine that they expect to sell about 2000-3000 electric i cars in the British islands. No specific price is set, but the petrol version costs £9084 and the BEV-version may be £3000-4000 more.

Related:

• Mitsubishi delivers i MIEV to Chugoku Electric Power Co.
• 300 Mitsubishi "i" minicars will go on sale in the UK in July
• Mitsubishi abandons in-wheel motors for electric car, still no plans to bring it to the U.S.
• Mitsubishi spokesman says there's no plan to sell electric cars in U.S.
• Mitsubishi Motors builds new research EV, "i MiEV" for joint research with power companies

[Source: Car Magazine (UK)]

Click image to enlarge

As part the ongoing testing with the "i MIEV" research vehicle, Mitsubishi has delivered one of the cars to the Chugoku Electric Power Co. Earlier this year, cars were delivered to Tokyo Electric Power and Kyushu Electric Power as well. The power companies are evaluating the kei-car-based EVs and testing them to gauge their compatibility with and overall impact on the electrical infrastructure. The car delivered last Friday is finished in yellow with white doors and "hood" (the car's motor, etc is actually mid/rear-mounted), which are also emblazoned with cutesy Japanimation/Hello Kitty-esque critters. Also: dig the lightning bolt icon on the erstwhile fuel filler door.

[Source: Mitsubishi]