Great news EV fans, Mitsubishi’s little i-MiEV is now at dealers. At select Mitusbishi dealers around Australia, you can now go and test drive Australia’s first electric car. The iMiEV list of stores with iMiEV’s are listed below.
ACT – Commonwealth Motors – Phillip – (02) 6282-3522
NSW – Northshore Mitsubishi – St Leonard’s – (02) 8198-1818
NSW – Sutton’s Mitsubishi – Arncliffe – (02) 9335-9000
NT – Darwin Mitsubishi – Darwin – (08) 8946-4444
QLD – Eager’s Mitsubishi – Newstead – (07) 3109-6600
SA – Australian Motors – Wayville – (08) 8179-3666
TAS – DJ Mitsubishi – Hobart – (03) 6213-3300
VIC – Chadstone Mitsubishi – Oakleigh – (03) 9569-0811
WA – Paceway Mitsubishi – Osborne Park – (08) 9492-9492
The fully electric iMiEV comes with a price tag of RRP$48,800, which ends up at around $53,000 after on road costs. There’s also an $2,000 Audio-Visual option which includes a 7” display, Sat nav, DVD player, Bluetooth and USB port. Overall it’s an expensive small car, but just like a Toyota Prius, your buying this to A help the environment and B help drive the cost down for others.
The iMiEV recharges fully in 7 hours, with a top speed of 130km/hr and a can achieve a range of 150kms. While it certainly won’t suit all needs, this car would be perfect for daily commuters in the city, going to and from work. Congratulations to Mitsubishi for getting the first fully electric cars in the hands of Australian consumers. This will be the first of many brands to release EV vehicles over the next 12-18 months.
As technology improves, range increases and prices come down (we’ve already seen a 15-20k drop from the original price) expect to see more fully electric vehicles on our roads.
