Mitsubishi to Test i MiEV Electric Car in California
by Michael Graham Richard, Gatineau, Canada on 08. 8.08
Fleet Testing of the i MiEV Electric Car in the US
After announcing that its i MiEV electric car would be sold globally and would come to market in Japan 1 year ahead of schedule, Mitsubishi is now announcing that it will partner with two utilities in California to do fleet testing.
Southern California Edison
With Southern California Edison (SCE), Mitsubishi wants to "gauge how electric vehicles will most effectively connect to the smart grid of the future and the next generation Edison SmartConnect advanced meters." SCE might have been chosen because of its EV Technical Center, a department within the company that helps test prototypes of electric cars, but also plug-in hybrids and fuel cell vehicles.
Pacific Gas & Electric
Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) will also be part of the fleet test. It will:
gauge the viability of utilizing all-electric vehicles in its operations and further understand the impact of charging electric vehicles on the electric grid. The testing will provide PG&E and Mitsubishi Motors with vehicle usage data, which will be used to publicly demonstrate and validate the benefits of dedicated electric vehicles within the California market. (Source)
Tests should start around the end of 2008.
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that's cool. One of these would be a perfect urban car.
Cool. One of these would be perfect for me and my family. The longest distance we travel as it is now is about 35 km, one way. With a range of 100 km, we could even take it camping.
This car looks to be really practical. Now that I'm seeing Smart Cars around my town, I'm confident that this kind of car would sell. The market is ripe for it. What's important is that they need to get it out when gas prices are bad or are about to get bad.
Also, I think they should offer a 2-seat version with the same body, but with 2 doors and a hatchback trunk. It'd suit me well, as well as the people who get a Smart car as a second car for their local exploits. The two seater would get everything right for those people: room for groceries, top speed of 80, looks good enough to not be embarrassing, and it's cheaper to fuel it than a traditional compact which it will compete with.
Also, here's an idea: Everyone hates the idea of having to charge an electric car as they fear they'll forget to do it. People also are big on car share programs. Why not set up a fleet of these in parking garages of apartments and colleges so that people can borrow electric cars for when they sporadically need them? Putting the car back in the charger is necessary to make it clear that you returned it, so people make sure to keep the cars charged to avoid an economic discentive. A GPS system could tell the driver if they need to turn back to get back within range of the charger, keeping drivers from being accidentally stranded. The car could be set up to only charge at chargers operated by the building, a great way to prevent theft.
It would also naturally enforce common policies, such as distances the car can be driven from the facility. The real benefit to the renter is that they no longer need to directly pay for the costs of ownership which make cars so hard to own in the first place. I think electric cars may be just the thing the car share programs need.
Not to worry about a smaller, sportier model. They've already shown an attractive coupe version of this platform. I am not in the market for the coupe or the sedan specifically, I could easily get by with either one. Except, that is, for that huge pitfall that is only being addressed by the Meyers Motors NmG (single seater) and NEV's.... I don't live in California.
AWESOME! plus cali has charging stations already