Hands on ... Mitsubishi i-MiEV

Technology Writer

Saturday 7 April 2012

From tanker driver strikes to gas platform leaks, the Middle East to the Falkland Islands, the news agenda is increasingly driven by our thirst for fossil fuels.

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grant gibson

Against that backdrop, even a diehard petrolhead like me can see the attraction of electric cars. Unlike petrol and diesel, electricity can come from almost any energy source imaginable: solar, wind, water, nuclear or even the contents of your bin.

There's also a good economic argument for going electric. Most electric cars are exempt from road tax and attract no benefit-in-kind tax for company car owners. I tested the new Mitsubishi i-MiEV, a four-door city car with a battery range of around 90 miles. From the outside it isn't particularly pretty – neither cute like a Fiat 500 nor carrying the boxy charm of something like a Toyota iQ. Instead, it's like a middle manager's sketch of a futuristic city car – bland, sweeping and devoid of character.Inside it doesn't get much better. The upholstery is drab and the controls are anachronistic – while petrol-engined cars are gaining keyless entry and paddle-driven gear shifts, this electric Mitsubishi slavishly apes traditional controls. Why ask drivers to hold the key to a fake starter motor position, or select one of six options on the automatic-style gearbox when forward, stop and reverse would be sufficient?On the road, though, the Mitsubishi is a joy. With light power steering, a zippy electric motor and no gears to worry about the car drives like a go-kart around city streets. Even on the open road the i-MiEV performs well, accelerating briskly to the national speed limit.At motorway speeds the car starts to feel out of its depth – the motor tops out at 80mph and its 93-mile maximum range drops dramatically at those kinds of speeds. But in the city the Mitsubishi feels right at home.Glasgow City Council has promised to offer free parking for electric cars across its network of car parks and on-street bays starting later this year, while energy giant SSE is offering a free park-and-charge facility for the public at its Glasgow offices.Even with the incentives it isn't a no-brainer. According to my napkin calculations, even accounting for tax breaks, government grants and free city parking it takes four years to recover the higher up-front cost of the Mitsubishi i-MiEV compared to a typical city car.Book your own i-MiEV test drive at the Scottish Hydro Centre in Waterloo Street, Glasgow – call 0141 224 7116 or email scottish-hydro-centre@sse.com.Mitsubishi iMiEVfrom £23,990Positives: cheap to run, fun to drive and provides a warm, fuzzy eco-friendly feeling.Negatives limited range and lack of charging infrastructure narrows its appeal.

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Hands on ... Mitsubishi i-MiEV

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