Mitsubishi i-MiEV a preview of automotive future

[NINETY EIGHT REGENCY]

Mitsubishi i-MiEV a preview of automotive future

It happened on Detroit's East Side: A driver in a Smart car waved at me. He saw what I was piloting, and it was a sign of the highest respect.

What prompted this in-the-club type response from someone committed to saving the planet one fuel-sipping mile at a time?

The answer is a car not even sold in the United States: the Mitsubishi i-MiEV. The name stands for Mitsubishi Innovative Electric Vehicle, based on the Mitsu's "i" minicar. The i-MiEV became available for lease in Japan last summer.

Since Mitsubishi is bringing the i-MiEV state side in late 2011, they've brought a small fleet of right-hand drive vehicles over here to gauge how American's will respond. I was one of their guinea pigs.

Looks like the future

Being a horsepower junkie, I had doubts that I'd warm to the eco-minded Mitsu. I also wondered how Detroiters would react.

From any angle, the i-MiEV looks like the future of automobiles, at least the practical future. The cold-capsule shaped body grows on you. Inside, the tall exterior profile provides huge headroom and ample space for four adults. Grocery bags fit in the cargo area, accessible via the rear hatch.

So where's the engine? First, there's no hood and second, there's no engine.

One properly calls it a "motor" because it's electric, and it's under where you'd put your groceries. Under-floor modules store 88 lithium-ion cells that release 330 volts on demand.

A traditional-looking fuel door hides the charging port. The i-MiEV comes with a custom 110/220-volt extension cord. Recharging the batteries takes about 14 hours on 110-volts and about half that on 220.

Once behind the wheel, the i-MiEV's refinement banished my expectations of it being a fancy golf cart. This is a real car with real performance that can function in a real driving environment.

What proved this to me was my first outing, a Grosse Pointe-to-Birmingham round trip with multiple stops. The day's 85-degree temperatures and nearly equal humidity didn't do the i-MiEV any favors. Running the AC on an electric vehicle dramatically increases power consumption, reducing driving range. Knowing that electrics do better in city driving with modest speeds and frequent stops (allowing for battery charging through regenerative braking), I took Eight Mile to Woodward.

The AC blew cold while the i-MiEV easily kept pace with traffic. The electric drive system is so eerily quiet that I had to keep checking my velocity to make sure I wasn't speeding. The ride was civilized and comfortable. In a word, the cross-town drive was effortless.

What was even better than the i-MiEV's performance was people's reaction to it. It cleared B-Ham's book and hobby shop, Auto Zone. The guys were standing around with their hands in the pockets, just like they were looking at a vintage Hemi 'Cuda. Questions flew.

The same thing happened at Ray's Ice Cream.

Another stop was Troy's automotive skunk works, Specialized Vehicles Inc. Like a typical car guy, owner Mike Koran (former manager of the Motown Missile) wondered how fast his shop could make the Mitsu go.

Top speed exceeds 70 mph

In its current state, the i-MiEV isn't a rocket, but it hits 60 mph fast enough and has a top speed of more than 70 mph. I drove back east on I-696, quickly depleting the batteries, but hit the driveway with several kilometers showing on the range gauge.

Knowing we were going out to dinner, I unplugged my lawn mower because my garage circuit could only handle 15 amps.

Welcome to the future.

From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20100805/OPINION03/8050341/1148/auto01/Mitsubishi-i-MiEV-a-preview-of-automotive-future#ixzz0vjpOsujF

[ocnblu]

HORR IB LE

[67impss]

I pray that's not MY future