Cars.com Video: Mitsubishi i-MiEV

Cars.com senior editor Joe Wiesenfelder recently got his hands on what will be one of the first battery-electric cars in the U.S., the Mitsubishi i-MiEV. Besides being propelled by a virtually quiet electric motor, the i-MiEV drives and feels like any other car, Wiesenfelder says. It even has decent cargo space in comparison to its tiny footprint. Still, with a limited total range — especially when you start trying to control the cabin temperature — is the i-MiEV a realistic heir apparent to today’s gas chuggers? Watch the video to find out.

Comments

I have never saw this kind car

Just wish they'd bring over the gas version.

The connector cable shown in the video is not safe, and does not follow National Electric Code. The use of such a cable would be illegal in most municipalities in North America. The code states that the charge plug that inserts into the car must not be energized until the car is confirmed present. Ground fault protection must be provided integral to the cable or charging station. The code does NOT allow adaptors.

There has been an ongoing effort by automotive OEMs, connector manufacturers, and utility companies along with code standards organizations to come up with a safe, robust, easy-to-use connector that meets the NEC requirements. This work is being done to avoid shoddy, unsafe equipment such as was shown.