First Mitsubishi i MiEV Trial Results

16th June 2010 - The first Mitsubishi i MiEV trial results are now available from Arup. 25 Mitsubishi i MiEV's are on trial as part of the CABLED(Coventry and Birmingham Low Emission Vehicle Demonstrators) project in the West Midlands. The trial started on the 12th December 2009 at a handover in Birmingham.

We are one of the lucky people to be on the trial and have been looking forward to the outcome of the results. The main findings so far are:

• Distance - Electric Vehicle drivers use their car like any other car in the UK, with most of the journeys less than 5 miles. The average daily mileage is only 23 miles, our average is 22 miles.
• Speed - The i MiEV is used at all speeds including motorway speeds. We have travelled to Oxford using the M40 and are happy at motorway speeds.
• Charging - The average i MiEV is parked for 97% of the time. This is fairly typical of our usage the car is used for the school run, shopping, some commuting, days out and is on the drive for the rest of the time.
• Cars are left plugged in for more than 20% of the time, sometimes for several days. At the beginning of the trial in the cold weather, we used to plug our car in every night. We now only plug it in when we need to recharge, typically every 2-3 days.

Lance Bradley, Mitsubishi Motors' Managing Director comments: "The i-MiEV is certainly proving itself in real-world tests. It is interesting that British motorists involved in this trial don't seem to be showing any significant signs of 'range anxiety' and are using their cars just as they would a normal vehicle. This is good news for Mitsubishi and the future of electric vehicles in the UK, and justifies Mitsubishi Motors' vision to lead the way in electric vehicle research, design and manufacture."

We are looking forward to the next 6 months of the trial and are enjoying the car.

Mitsubishi have also announced that a further 25 cars have arrived in the UK on trial.

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