Mitsubishi i-MiEV
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The Mitsubishi i-MiEV (MiEV is an
acronym An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...
for ''Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle'') is a five-door
hatchback A hatchback is a car body configuration with a rear door that swings upward to provide access to a cargo area. Hatchbacks may feature fold-down second row seating, where the interior can be reconfigured to prioritize passenger or cargo volume. ...
electric car An electric car, battery electric car, or all-electric car is an automobile that is propelled by one or more electric motors, using only energy stored in batteries. Compared to internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, electric cars are quiet ...
produced in the 2010s by
Mitsubishi Motors is a Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.Mitsubishi i. Rebadged variants of the i-MiEV are also sold in Europe by
PSA Peugeot Citroën The PSA Group (), legally known as Peugeot S.A. (Peugeot Société Anonyme, trading as Groupe PSA; formerly known as PSA Peugeot Citroën from 1991 to 2016) was a French multinational automotive manufacturing company which produced automobiles ...
(PSA) as the Peugeot iOn and Citroën C-Zero. The i-MiEV was the world's first modern highway-capable
mass production Mass production, also known as flow production or continuous production, is the production of substantial amounts of standardized products in a constant flow, including and especially on assembly lines. Together with job production and ba ...
electric car. The i-MiEV was launched for fleet customers in Japan in July 2009, and on April 1, 2010, for the wider public. International sales to Asia, Australia and Europe started in 2010, with further markers in 2011 including
Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known a ...
and South America. Fleet and retail customer deliveries in the U.S. and Canada began in December 2011. The American-only version is larger than the Japanese version and has several additional features. According to the manufacturer, the i-MiEV
all-electric range All-electric range (AER) is the maximum driving range of an electric vehicle using only power from its on-board battery pack to traverse a given driving cycle. In the case of an all-electric vehicle, it means the maximum range per recharge. For a ...
is on the Japanese test cycle. The range for the 2012
model year The model year (sometimes abbreviated "MY") is a method of describing the version of a product which has been produced over multiple years. The model year may or may not be the same as the calendar year in which the product was manufactured. ...
American version is on the
United States Environmental Protection Agency The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it ...
's (US EPA) cycle. In November 2011 the Mitsubishi i ranked first in EPA's 2012 Annual Fuel Economy Guide, and became the most fuel efficient EPA certified vehicle in the U.S. for all fuels ever, until it was surpassed by the Honda Fit EV in June 2012 and the
BMW i3 The BMW i3 is a B-segment, high-roof hatchback manufactured and marketed by BMW with an electric powertrain using rear-wheel drive via a single-speed transmission and an underfloor lithium-ion battery pack and an optional range-extending pe ...
,
Chevrolet Spark EV The Chevrolet Spark ( ko, 쉐보레 스파크, translit=) is a city car manufactured by General Motors's subsidiary GM Korea from 1998 to 2022. The vehicle was initially developed by Daewoo and was introduced in 1998 as the Daewoo Matiz ( ko, ...
,
Volkswagen e-Golf The Volkswagen Golf (Mk7) is a small family car (C-segment) produced by German automobile manufacturer Volkswagen, as the seventh generation of the Golf and the successor to the Golf Mk6. It was introduced in Berlin on 4 September 2012, befor ...
, and
Fiat 500e Fiat 500e is the name of a battery electric automobile made by Italian car manufacturer Fiat from 2013-2019. It was an electric conversion of the internal combustion Fiat 500, and was sold in the US states of California and Oregon as a “complian ...
in succeeding years. , Japan ranked as the leading market with over 10,000 i-MiEVs sold, followed by Norway with more than 4,900 units, France with over 4,700 units, Germany with more than 2,400 units, all three European countries accounting for the three variants of the i-MiEV family sold in Europe; and the United States with over 1,800 i-MiEVs sold through August 2014. As of early March 2015, and accounting for all variants of the i-MiEV, including the two minicab MiEV versions sold in Japan, global sales totaled over 50,000 units since 2009.


History

Mitsubishi i-MiEV, based on the Mitsubishi i
kei car Kei car (or , kanji: , "light automobile", ), known variously outside Japan as Japanese city car or Japanese microcar, is the Japanese vehicle category for the smallest highway-legal passenger cars with restricted dimensions and engine capaci ...
, was first exhibited at the 22nd International Battery, Hybrid and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle Symposium & Exposition in Yokohama. Mitsubishi eschews the in-wheel motors (
MIEV MIEV (Mitsubishi In-wheel motor Electric Vehicle) or MiEV (Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle) Tetsuro Aikawa">"Interview With Managing Director in Charge of Product Development and Environment Affairs Group Headquarters, Tetsuro Aikawa", Mits ...
) in favour of a more conventional array of batteries, motor and inverter to replace the " rear midship" engine and fuel tank of the conventional car. Mitsubishi Motors provided three power companies with vehicles in 2006 and 2007 in order to conduct joint research to evaluate how fast-charge infrastructure may be developed for EVs. Fleet testing by five power companies was conducted in 2007. The car had a range of for the 16  kW⋅h
lithium-ion battery A lithium-ion or Li-ion battery is a type of rechargeable battery which uses the reversible reduction of lithium ions to store energy. It is the predominant battery type used in portable consumer electronics and electric vehicles. It also s ...
pack and for the 20 kW⋅h pack. Top speed was . Plans were announced in 2008 to sell the i-MiEV in European markets as the Peugeot iOn and Citroën C-Zero. Mitsubishi began supplying the electric cars to PSA Peugeot Citroën (PSA) since 2010, and PSA has a contractual commitment to buy 100,000 i-MiEVs over a period that remained confidential.


Specifications


Powertrain

The production version of the 2009 i-MiEV has a single
permanent magnet synchronous motor A synchronous electric motor is an AC electric motor in which, at steady state, the rotation of the shaft is synchronized with the frequency of the supply current; the rotation period is exactly equal to an integral number of AC cycles. Sync ...
mounted on the rear
axle An axle or axletree is a central shaft for a rotating wheel or gear. On wheeled vehicles, the axle may be fixed to the wheels, rotating with them, or fixed to the vehicle, with the wheels rotating around the axle. In the former case, beari ...
with a rated peak power output of (between 2500 and 8000 RPM) and torque output of (between 0 and 2000 RPM). The continuous power rating is . The North American model had a rated stall torque output of (between 0 and 300 RPM). The motor is water cooled, there is a conventional automobile
radiator Radiators are heat exchangers used to transfer thermal energy from one medium to another for the purpose of cooling and heating. The majority of radiators are constructed to function in cars, buildings, and electronics. A radiator is always ...
in the front of the car with an electric fan. The coolant (with antifreeze) level is monitored via a tank under the rear load platform on the left hand side of the vehicle. The vehicle uses a single-speed reduction gear transmission driving the rear wheels and has a 16 
kWh A kilowatt-hour (unit symbol: kW⋅h or kW h; commonly written as kWh) is a unit of energy: one kilowatt of power for one hour. In terms of SI derived units with special names, it equals 3.6 megajoules (MJ). Kilowatt-hours are a common bill ...
lithium-ion battery A lithium-ion or Li-ion battery is a type of rechargeable battery which uses the reversible reduction of lithium ions to store energy. It is the predominant battery type used in portable consumer electronics and electric vehicles. It also s ...
pack. The car's top speed is . Under its five-cycle testing, the US EPA rated the American 2012
model year The model year (sometimes abbreviated "MY") is a method of describing the version of a product which has been produced over multiple years. The model year may or may not be the same as the calendar year in which the product was manufactured. ...
Mitsubishi i with a combined fuel economy equivalent of 112 MPGe (2.1 L/100 km), with an equivalent in city driving and on highways. This rating allowed the 2012 Mitsubishi i to get a higher MPG-e rating than the 2011
Nissan Leaf The , stylized as LEAF, is a compact five-door hatchback battery electric vehicle (BEV) manufactured by Nissan. It was introduced in Japan and the United States in December 2010, and its second generation was introduced in October 2017. The Lea ...
, which was rated at 99 MPGe (2.4 L/100 km) combined, but the Leaf rated a better range due to the Mitsubishi i's smaller battery pack. Consumption was rated at under the NEDC, with a maximum range of under that cycle.


Battery

The lithium-ion battery pack consists of 88 cells placed under the base floor. The pack has 12 cell modules connected in series at a nominal voltage of 330 V. There are two 4-cell modules placed vertically at the center of the pack and ten 8-cell modules placed horizontally. The cells are designated LEV50, developed by Mitsubishi and GS Yuasa for both high specific energy and high rate discharge and manufactured by Lithium Energy Japan, a joint venture of GS Yuasa Corporation, Mitsubishi Corporation and Mitsubishi Motors Corporation. The entire pack has a specific energy of 80
Wh/kg The watt-hour per kilogram ( SI symbol: W⋅h/kg) is a unit of specific energy commonly used to measure the density of energy in batteries and capacitors. SI Units In the SI system of measurement, one watt-hour per kilogram is equal to 3600 jo ...
. Each cell has a nominal voltage of 3.7 V and capacity of 50 A-hr (185 W-hr), measuring (H×W×L) and weighing . A four-cell module connected in series with 14.8 V and the same 50 A-hr (740 W-hr) capacity, designated LEV50-4, measures (H×W×L) and weighs . The battery has a forced air cooling system to prevent overheating during high charge and discharge rates and consequent damage; an optional heater is available for charging during cold weather. There is an integral fan in the battery pack. For rapid charging, the battery pack is additionally cooled with refrigerated air from the car's air conditioning system.


N-variant cells

From the 2013 model year onwards, the cells used in the battery were switched from the LEV50 to the LEV50N. At this time, the Peugeot iOn and Citroën C-Zero batteries were reduced to 80 cells, while the i-MiEV continued with 88 cells; because the individual LEV50N cells each had the same capacity as the LEV50 cells, the overall battery pack was reduced to 14.5 kW-hr for the iOn and C-Zero, but improvements in the regenerative braking efficiency meant the range was unchanged. The "N" variant featured improved life under high discharge current and ambient temperatures due to an electrolyte additive which reduced internal resistance.


SCiB-variant cells

In June 2011 Mitsubishi announced it would adopt
Toshiba , commonly known as Toshiba and stylized as TOSHIBA, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Its diversified products and services include power, industrial and social infrastructure systems, ...
's Super Charge Ion Battery (SCiB) technology for its two new models of electric vehicles, the i-MiEV and Minicab MiEV. The SCiB technology uses lithium
titanate In chemistry, titanate usually refers to inorganic compounds composed of titanium oxides. Together with niobate, titanate salts form the Perovskite group. In some cases, the term is used more generally for any titanium-containing anion, e.g. i ...
oxide chemistry; Toshiba stated that its SCiB batteries can withstand 2.5 times more charge/discharge cycles than a typical lithium-ion battery. In addition, recharging via CHAdeMO takes much less time than charging at the AC Level 2 rate used by most electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE), allowing the SCiB battery to reach 80% capacity in 15 minutes, 50% in 10 minutes and 25% in 5 minutes. Total capacity with the SCiB technology was 10.5 kW-hr. The SCiB battery offers a higher effective capacity than a typical lithium-ion battery, which combined with more efficient regenerative charging during braking or coasting downhill, allows the SCiB battery to deliver 1.7 times the driving range per charge of a typical lithium-ion battery of the same size. Alternatively, the carmaker could install a smaller battery with less weight and keep the same range to contribute to lower the vehicle price as compared to lithium-ion batteries. Recharging is estimated to take 14 hours from a 110 volt power supply, 7 hours from a 220 volt power supply and as little as 30 minutes from a quick
charging station A charging station, also known as a charge point or electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE), is a piece of equipment that supplies electrical power for charging plug-in electric vehicles (including electric cars, electric trucks, electric b ...
. The SCiB battery was only available in the Japanese model. Other markets retained the LEV50 or LEV50N lithium ion cells.


Charging (types and modes)

It includes two types of charging inlet connectors: * CHAdeMO: On the left hand side of the car, towards the rear, is the “rapid” DC charging point. It is beneath a cover (released from inside the car), there is a dust cover beneath to keep out insects etc. There are two large pins (for the charging current) and eight small ones for control circuitry. The cable used for this purpose is captive to the roadside charging point. When the car is on fast (DC) charge, the air conditioning system is automatically started and refrigerated air is blown through the battery pack for cooling purposes. There is a diverter flap in the ventilation system for this. From depletion, the battery may be charged to 80% full in 30 minutes using this socket. * Yazaki: On the right hand side of the car is the “fast” and “slow” AC charging point, accessed in a similar way to the DC charge point. This is a five pin IEC62196 Type 1 point. Three large pins are the line, neutral and earth/ground. The two small pins are a control circuit. This circuit enables the charge current to be cut off when charging is complete, cuts off power if the plug is removed from the vehicle (the plug and socket are both unshuttered), prevents both rapid and fast charging being done simultaneously and also prevents the vehicle from being driven while the plug is inserted. For “fast charging”, the control box (mounted at the roadside) is limited to 20 amps enabling a charge time (from depletion) of four hours. For “slow charging”, a non-captive lead/cord is provided with the car. It is intended for use in the home or other domestic places. This has a local plug at one end and a Yazaki connector at the other. There is an in-line control box in the middle of this lead/cord that functions similarly to the fast charger but limits current to 10 Amps, enabling an eight-hour charge time (from complete depletion on 230 volts).


Emergency power supply and V2G

In the aftermath of the
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami The occurred at 14:46 Japan Standard Time, JST (05:46 UTC) on 11 March. The Moment magnitude scale, magnitude 9.0–9.1 (M) Submarine earthquake, undersea megathrust earthquake had an epicenter in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peni ...
, Mitsubishi introduced one year ahead of schedule a device called MiEV Power Box that enables the i-MiEV to supply power to home electric appliances in the event of a power outage or
natural disaster A natural disaster is "the negative impact following an actual occurrence of natural hazard in the event that it significantly harms a community". A natural disaster can cause loss of life or damage property, and typically leaves some econ ...
s. The device provides 100-volt outlets, converting the i-MiEV's
direct current Direct current (DC) is one-directional flow of electric charge. An electrochemical cell is a prime example of DC power. Direct current may flow through a conductor such as a wire, but can also flow through semiconductors, insulators, or ev ...
(DC) battery power into 100 volts
alternating current Alternating current (AC) is an electric current which periodically reverses direction and changes its magnitude continuously with time in contrast to direct current (DC) which flows only in one direction. Alternating current is the form in whic ...
(AC) to power up to 1,500 watts of small electrical equipment. Mitsubishi estimates that the i-MiEV total battery capacity is enough to provide power for between 5 and 6 hours, equivalent to one day of power consumed by an average Japanese home. The device was scheduled to be available by the end of April 2012, at a cost of () but as of November 2013 it is not clear if this is widely available. On the other hand, Mitsubishi HEMS (Home Energy Management System), is the V2G system.


Regenerative braking control

The manufacturers have made every effort to make the very different technology of this car appear similar to conventional cars. The lever between the front seats appears to be an automatic transmission control but is not so, though it works in a similar fashion. It is in fact a switch which reverses the electric motor and also controls the strength of the
regenerative braking Regenerative braking is an energy recovery mechanism that slows down a moving vehicle or object by converting its kinetic energy into a form that can be either used immediately or stored until needed. In this mechanism, the electric traction mo ...
through a driving mode selector. Correct use of the regeneration control can influence the range of the car. As well as "park" "neutral" and "reverse" there are three driving mode positions that affect the strength of regeneration, intended for city driving (D), hilly terrain (B), and flat terrain (C) respectively; the North American model is labeled (E)co instead of (C). Used correctly, on most journeys, a large percentage of
kinetic energy In physics, the kinetic energy of an object is the energy that it possesses due to its motion. It is defined as the work needed to accelerate a body of a given mass from rest to its stated velocity. Having gained this energy during its acce ...
and
potential energy In physics, potential energy is the energy held by an object because of its position relative to other objects, stresses within itself, its electric charge, or other factors. Common types of potential energy include the gravitational potenti ...
can be returned to the battery. Lifting off the accelerator/"gas" pedal also induces regeneration as does light pressure on the foot brake. The only other mechanical losses are frictional. The main loss is
aerodynamic drag In fluid dynamics, drag (sometimes called air resistance, a type of friction, or fluid resistance, another type of friction or fluid friction) is a force acting opposite to the relative motion of any object moving with respect to a surrounding ...
which is proportional to the square of speed, hence high speeds are inefficient and reduce range. Regeneration and power consumption can be monitored by the driver with an analogue instrument surrounding the digital speedometer on the dashboard/control panel which shows both instantaneous power consumed (needle moving to the right of its resting neutral position) and regeneration (needle moving to the left).


Electrical equipment

The heating of the passenger cab is by a conventional "wet" automotive system. Heat is derived from the traction battery via a resistance element. Use of the heater significantly reduces range. The traction motor cooling system runs at much lower temperatures than in a conventional car and is therefore separate from the cab heating system. While the car is charging, the interior can be preheated to alleviate the range reduction problem. There is an auxiliary, 12volt conventional lead acid battery under the bonnet/hood for the accessories. It is also needed to control and charge the main traction battery and to start the vehicle. It is charged from the main traction battery via a DC-DC voltage reduction device. If it is discharged, the vehicle cannot be started, neither can the main traction battery be charged. Use of 12 volt "jump cables" from another vehicles is possible. The steering is rack and pinion with electric power assistance. An emergency cutoff for main battery is located under the front left hand seat. If the car is involved in a collision, there is a cutoff switch that is operated by the "G" forces involved.


Wheels

The front and rear wheels are different sizes. Instead of a spare wheel, a roadside repair kit with a 12 volt electric compressor (plugs into cigarette lighter) and a bottle of repair fluid is located under the cushion of the rear passenger seat.


Braking system

The braking system is conventional hydraulic (Power assisted) with disk brakes at the front and drum brakes at the rear.
Anti-lock Braking System An anti-lock braking system (ABS) is a safety anti-skid braking system used on aircraft and on land vehicles, such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, and buses. ABS operates by preventing the wheels from locking up during braking, thereby maint ...
and
Traction Control System A traction control system (TCS), also known as ASR (from german: Antriebsschlupfregelung, lit=drive slippage regulation), is typically (but not necessarily) a secondary function of the electronic stability control (ESC) on production motor vehicle ...
is fitted. The hand/parking brake is cable operated, acting on the rear wheels. The hydraulic fluid reservoir is under the front bonnet/hood. As there is no manifold vacuum, there is an electric vacuum pump located under the rear loading platform. On some models, there are interlocks on the braking system so that the startup process can only be initiated when the brake pedal is pressed.


Range

The
all-electric range All-electric range (AER) is the maximum driving range of an electric vehicle using only power from its on-board battery pack to traverse a given driving cycle. In the case of an all-electric vehicle, it means the maximum range per recharge. For a ...
is on the Japanese test cycle. Two additional trim levels will be available in Japan beginning in late July 2011, the entry-level “M” with a 10.5
kWh A kilowatt-hour (unit symbol: kW⋅h or kW h; commonly written as kWh) is a unit of energy: one kilowatt of power for one hour. In terms of SI derived units with special names, it equals 3.6 megajoules (MJ). Kilowatt-hours are a common bill ...
battery pack has a reduced range of , and the higher-level "G" with the same a 16.0
kWh A kilowatt-hour (unit symbol: kW⋅h or kW h; commonly written as kWh) is a unit of energy: one kilowatt of power for one hour. In terms of SI derived units with special names, it equals 3.6 megajoules (MJ). Kilowatt-hours are a common bill ...
battery as the original i-MiEV has a range of . The "G" trim availability was announced as mid August 2011. The US EPA official range for the 2012
model year The model year (sometimes abbreviated "MY") is a method of describing the version of a product which has been produced over multiple years. The model year may or may not be the same as the calendar year in which the product was manufactured. ...
American "i" version is based on the five-cycle tests using varying driving conditions and climate controls. Under the LA4 driving cycle for city conditions, EPA's rated range is . According to the carmaker, the city range of the 2012 Mitsubishi i was improved as compared to the previous i-MiEV versions, through software upgrades and a revamped regenerative braking system. The Australian Government's Green Vehicle Guide estimated the i-MiEV's range to be . In practice range is affected by driving style, hilliness of the terrain, speed and use of passenger compartment heating and cooling. Strong head and following winds also make a noticeable difference.


Towing

The drive system is permanently connected to the rear wheels. This means that the vehicle must be transported/towed with the rear (driving) wheels off the ground to prevent damage. Using the car to tow trailers is not recommended.


Safety

The
European New Car Assessment Programme The European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) is a European voluntary car safety performance assessment programme (i.e. a New Car Assessment Program) based in Leuven (Belgium) formed in 1996, with the first results released in Februa ...
(Euro NCAP) awarded the i-MiEV a four-star car safety rating, earning the following ratings for each criterion. The tested model was a left-hand-drive five-door hatchback registered in 2011: Euro NCAP also states that it "believes that the star rating of the i-MiEV can also be applied to the Citroën C-Zero" because the agency was informed that the Citroën C-Zero is structurally identical to the Mitsubishi i-MiEV and has the same interior fitting and levels of safety equipment. The
Australasian New Car Assessment Program The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) is a car safety performance assessment programme based in Australia and founded in 1993. ANCAP specialises in the crash testing of automobiles sold in Australia and the publishing of these resu ...
(ANCAP) rated the i-MiEV four out of five stars for crash safety, scoring 28.35 out of 37. This score takes into account a 10.95 out of 16 rating in the frontal offset crash test, and a score of 14.4 out of 16 received for the side impact test. The U.S.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA ) is an agency of the U.S. federal government, part of the Department of Transportation. It describes its mission as "Save lives, prevent injuries, reduce vehicle-related crashes" relat ...
(NHTSA) gave the 2012 model year i-Miev a four out of five-star crash rating.


Production

Full production of the i-MiEV started in July 2009 and Mitsubishi expected initial sales volume to be small, to sell up to 1,400 vehicles by March 2010, but expected sales to rise to 5,000 vehicles in the following twelve months, once retail sales had started. Mitsubishi decided to target sales to corporate customers in Japan at first to allow local governments and businesses to set up recharging stations around the country. The company said initial sales were constrained by production capacity but expects production to ramp up quickly from 2,000 units in 2009/10 to 30,000 vehicles within three years as it expands production of lithium-ion battery through Lithium Energy Japan, a
joint venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acces ...
with
GS Yuasa is a Kyoto-based Japanese company specializing in the development and production of lead acid and lithium-ion batteries, used in automobiles, motorcycles and other areas including aerospace and defense applications. History Yuasa In 1909 ...
Corporation and
Mitsubishi Corporation is Japan's largest trading company (sogo shosha) and a member of the Mitsubishi keiretsu. As of 2022, Mitsubishi Corporation employs over 80,000 people and has ten business segments, including finance, banking, energy, machinery, chemical ...
. Production was projected to increase to 9,000 units in its fiscal year 2010/11, and to 18,000 in the following twelve months. Production of the left-hand drive European-spec i-MiEV began in October 2010. By the end of November 2010 cumulative production had reached 5,000 units at Mitsubitshi's Mizushima Plant. In May 2011 Mitsubishi announced a new production target of 25,000 i-MiEVs worldwide in fiscal year 2011. The carmaker also plans to export about 15,000 units overseas, mainly to Europe, where the company will promote sales to the European public sector, such as police departments and local governments. Production of the American-spec Mitsubishi i electric car began in late October 2011. Since July 2009 Mitsubishi had manufactured more than 33,000 i-MiEVs and rebadge versions by March 2013, including more than 11,000 units rebadged in France as Peugeot iOn and Citroën C-Zero, and sold in the European market. In August 2012, and as a result of Europe's debt crisis that resulted in
PSA Peugeot Citroën The PSA Group (), legally known as Peugeot S.A. (Peugeot Société Anonyme, trading as Groupe PSA; formerly known as PSA Peugeot Citroën from 1991 to 2016) was a French multinational automotive manufacturing company which produced automobiles ...
(PSA) Group slow sales, Mitsubishi Motors announced the suspension of its supply of the i-MiEV electric vehicle to PSA, although the period for supplying vehicles under their contract as part of original equipment manufacturer agreements has not yet ended. The suspension is part of the decision of several Japanese manufacturers to suspend their joint development projects and contracts with several European partners. By early August 2012, PSA had sold a total of 6,575 Peugeot iOns and Citroën C-Zeros since their launch in Europe in 2010, while Mitsubishi had assembled almost 11,000 electric cars destined to PSA, leaving the French carmaker with more than 4,400 electric cars in unsold inventory. PSA only sold 50% of the sales target set for 2011 and according to PSA the supply was only temporarily interrupted. In May 2014, PSA Peugeot Citroën Chief Executive, Carlos Tavares, announced that the carmaker will decide over the next 12 months whether to continue selling electric vehicles manufactured by its partner Mitsubishi. Sales of both of PSA rebadged electric cars fell significantly from 2012 to 2013 as a result of new competition from Nissan, Renault and BMW. The production of the i-MiEV had fully ceased in March 2021.


Markets and sales

The i-MiEV was launched for fleet customers in Japan in July 2009, becoming the world's first modern highway-capable
mass production Mass production, also known as flow production or continuous production, is the production of substantial amounts of standardized products in a constant flow, including and especially on assembly lines. Together with job production and ba ...
electric car. Sales to retail customers began in Japan in April 2010. The Mitsubishi i MiEV was the first electric car to sell more than 10,000 units, including the models badged in Europe as Citroën C-Zero and Peugeot iOn. The record, officially registered by
Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
, was reached in February 2011. Several months later, the
Nissan Leaf The , stylized as LEAF, is a compact five-door hatchback battery electric vehicle (BEV) manufactured by Nissan. It was introduced in Japan and the United States in December 2010, and its second generation was introduced in October 2017. The Lea ...
overtook the i MiEV as the best selling all-electric car. By 2012, accounting for all vehicles of the iMiEV brand, Mitsubishi reported around 27,200 units sold or exported since 2009 through December 2012, including the minicab MiEVs sold in Japan, and the units rebadged and sold as Peugeot iOn and Citroën C-Zero in the European market. , about 37,600 i-MiEV family passenger cars have been sold worldwide since 2009, including the rebadged Peugeot iOn and Citroën C-Zero sold in Europe. '', cumulative global sales of the top selling plug-in electric cars were led by the Nissan Leaf (over 228,000), followed by theTesla Model S (129,393), Votl/Ampera family (about 117,300), Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV (about 107,400), Toyota Prius PHV (over 75,400), BYD Qin (56,191), Renault Zoe (51,193), BMW i3 (around 49,500), Mitsubishi i-MiEV family (about 37,600) and BYD Tang (37,509).'' , Japan was the top selling country market with 10,011 i-MiEVs sold. All three variants of the i-MiEV family have sold over 17,500 units in Europe , with registrations led by Norway with 4,920 units registered, followed by France with 4,710 units, ''See "Ventes de voitures électriques en 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011 and 2010" It shows all electric car registrations between 2010 and 2014.'' and Germany with 2,419 units. The fifth largest country market is the United States, with 1,831 i-MiEVs sold through August 2014. As of early March 2015, and accounting for all variants of the i-MiEV, including the two minicab versions sold in Japan, over 50,000 units have been sold worldwide since 2009.


Australia

In March 2009 the i-MiEV was exhibited in
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
at the
Melbourne International Motor Show The Australian International Motor Show (AIMS) was an annual auto show held in Australia, alternating between the cities of Sydney and Melbourne. Prior to the Sydney event in 2010, both cities previously hosted separate annual exhibitions. Melbo ...
, and afterwards was toured throughout the country. Beginning in mid 2009, Mitsubishi conducted a twelve-month field trial with potential electric vehicle customers, such as local, state and federal government bodies, and major fleet operators. Sales for fleet customers began in Australia in August 2010 under leasing agreement at a price of a month for 36 months, for a cumulative total of after which the car has to be returned to the dealer. The initial shipment included only 40 units, but
Mitsubishi Motors Australia Mitsubishi Motors Australia Limited (MMAL) is a fully owned subsidiary of parent company Mitsubishi Motors Corporation of Japan. The company was established in 1980 and began vehicle manufacturing in that year, having taken over the facilities o ...
reported that just before the launch it had received applications for more than 100 vehicles from private companies and government departments. The initial batch of vehicles leased to government and corporate fleets totals 112 vehicles. Retail sales to the public began in August 2011. Currently, there are no government incentive or rebate schemes for purchasing fuel-efficient vehicles in the country. The new Australian i-MiEV version is similar to the European-spec model released in 2011, with minor changes such as new three-spoke alloy wheels, a few minor exterior tweaks including dark tinted headlights and a revised front bumper with fog lights. With an
Australian Design Rules The Australian Design Rules (ADRs) are Australia's national technical standards for vehicle safety, theft resistance, and emissions. They are largely based on and actively harmonised with the "ECE" regulations promulgated by the World Forum for ...
approved range of , the Australian-spec i-MiEV is sold for ( as of July 2011) through specially equipped Mitsubishi dealerships (one in each capital city and two in Sydney). Mitsubishi anticipates 5 sales to the public per month. Since then a large number of dealerships across Australia have purchased scoops of these vehicles and most dealerships (mainly in Victoria) have a single i-Miev in their showrooms at prices never seen in this market before. During 2011 a total of 30 i MiEVs were sold, and cumulative sales reached 252 units through December 2013. , Mitsubishi is no longer selling the i-MiEV due to slow sales.


Canada

In January 2009,
Hydro-Québec Hydro-Québec is a public utility that manages the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity in the Canadian province of Quebec, as well as the export of power to portions of the Northeast United States. It was established by t ...
and Mitsubishi signed an agreement to test 50 i-MiEVs, the largest pilot test of electric cars in Canada ever. The test's goal was to allow a better understanding of winter usage of the technology. BC-Hydro and Mitsubishi had previously tested a three-vehicle fleet in
British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, for ...
. The first five i-MiEVs were delivered in December 2010 and were assigned to staff from the city of
Boucherville Boucherville is a city in the Montérégie region in Quebec, Canada. It is a suburb of Montreal on the South shore of the Saint Lawrence River. Boucherville is part of both the urban agglomeration of Longueuil and Montreal Metropolitan Commu ...
. In October 2010,
Transport Canada Transport Canada (french: Transports Canada) is the department within the Government of Canada responsible for developing regulations, policies and services of road, rail, marine and air transportation in Canada. It is part of the Transporta ...
and Mitsubishi Motor Sales of Canada announced a partnership to test the Mitsubishi i-MiEV. Transport Canada's ecoTECHNOLOGY for Vehicles (eTV) Program tested two i-MiEVs in government facilities and in a variety of real-world conditions. This program aim was to evaluate the i-MiEV road performance and range. Retail sales of the i-MiEV began in December 2011 at a starting price of () before any government incentives available in
Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
and
Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirte ...
. Cumulative sales through December 2014 reached 496 units. ''Table shows monthly and yearly Canadian and U.S. sales figures.'' Mitsubishi sold the US i-MiEV version in Canada, although the international version was used in test fleets, and two trims were offered, standard and premium. The premium package price was () and included leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, 15-inch alloy wheels, premium audio system, HDD Navigation system,
Bluetooth Bluetooth is a short-range wireless technology standard that is used for exchanging data between fixed and mobile devices over short distances and building personal area networks (PANs). In the most widely used mode, transmission power is limi ...
2.0 hands-free cellular phone interface with streaming audio and USB input with voice control. For the 2018 model year, Mitsubishi made the decision to cease i-MiEV sales in Canada.


Europe

The European version of the i-MiEV was introduced at the
2010 Paris Motor Show The 2010 Paris Motor Show took place from 2 October to 17 October 2010, in Paris expo Porte de Versailles. For 2010, the theme of the special exhibition was "The Incredible Collection 2: automobile manufacturers collections and museums." Introdu ...
. Specific features of the European version include a new design to the front and rear bumpers to meet EU regulations, re-arranged center stack in the instrument panel, improved interior comfort and both active and passive safety features have been improved with the addition of Active Stability Control (ASC), as well as side and curtain airbags, all included as standard equipment. The European MiEV achieves an
all-electric range All-electric range (AER) is the maximum driving range of an electric vehicle using only power from its on-board battery pack to traverse a given driving cycle. In the case of an all-electric vehicle, it means the maximum range per recharge. For a ...
of under the European NEDC driving pattern.
Mass production Mass production, also known as flow production or continuous production, is the production of substantial amounts of standardized products in a constant flow, including and especially on assembly lines. Together with job production and ba ...
of the European i-MiEV began in October 2010 at Mitsubishi's Mizushima plant, along with production of its siblings by
PSA Peugeot Citroën The PSA Group (), legally known as Peugeot S.A. (Peugeot Société Anonyme, trading as Groupe PSA; formerly known as PSA Peugeot Citroën from 1991 to 2016) was a French multinational automotive manufacturing company which produced automobiles ...
, the Peugeot iOn and the Citroën C-Zero. In January 2011, Mitsubishi shipped 2,500 i-MiEVs from Japan and began sales in 15 countries:
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
,
Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...
,
Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...
,
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
,
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
,
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...
,
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
, the
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
,
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of ...
,
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
,
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of th ...
,
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...
,
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...
,
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
, and the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...
, and further expand the European roll out through 2011. Mitsubishi also run demonstration programs with the i-MiEV in the
Principality of Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Monégasque dialect, Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riv ...
,
Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its ...
, and
Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...
. The price of the European version vary by country was set to around to ( to ). The carmaker aimed for a final cost to the customer of under () or equivalent after government incentives.


Austria

Retail deliveries began in 2011. A total of 704 units have been registered in Austria through December 2013, including 332 C-Zeros, 254 i MiEVs, and 118 iOns. See data for "Jän – Dez 2013" and "Jän – Dez 2012"


Denmark

Deliveries began in 2011. A total of 550 units have been registered in Denmark through December 2013, including 227 iOns, 202 C-Zeros, and 121 i MiEVs.''Select year and click on Pr. model for details of sales by brand and model.'' ''Select year and click on Pr. model for details of sales by brand and model.''


Estonia

On March 3, 2011, the government of
Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, an ...
confirmed the sale to
Mitsubishi Corporation is Japan's largest trading company (sogo shosha) and a member of the Mitsubishi keiretsu. As of 2022, Mitsubishi Corporation employs over 80,000 people and has ten business segments, including finance, banking, energy, machinery, chemical ...
of 10 million carbon dioxide credits in exchange for 507 i-MiEV electric cars. The deal also includes funding to build 250 express
charging station A charging station, also known as a charge point or electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE), is a piece of equipment that supplies electrical power for charging plug-in electric vehicles (including electric cars, electric trucks, electric b ...
s in larger towns and main highways by 2013, and will subsidize the first 500 private buyers of any electric car approved by the European Union. The first 50 i-MiEVs were delivered in October 2011 and this official fleet will be assigned for use by municipal
social worker Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social wo ...
s. During the first round of allocations of the electric cars, municipalities requested only 336 of the 507 i-MiEVs available. Several local authorities have stated concerns about the i-MiEV's performance during harsh winter conditions, maintenance costs, and reliability on difficult countryside roads.


France

The i-MiEV family sold 1,326 units in 2011, representing a market share of 50.4% of electric car sales in France. Sales were led by the Citroën C-Zero with 645 units followed by the Peugeot iOns with 639 vehicles, and the i-MiEVs with 42 units sold in 2011. In 2011
PSA Peugeot Citroën The PSA Group (), legally known as Peugeot S.A. (Peugeot Société Anonyme, trading as Groupe PSA; formerly known as PSA Peugeot Citroën from 1991 to 2016) was a French multinational automotive manufacturing company which produced automobiles ...
was awarded a contract to supply 3,900 electric cars to the
French Government The Government of France ( French: ''Gouvernement français''), officially the Government of the French Republic (''Gouvernement de la République française'' ), exercises executive power in France. It is composed of the Prime Minister, who ...
, to be used by government officials in Paris. Since its introduction in 2010, the i-MiEV family has sold 4,772 units through December 2014, including 2,419 iOns, 2,241 C-Zeros, and 112 i-MiEVs. The C-Zero is available for rental starting at () for half a day. The electric car is rented by the MultiCity vehicle rental service in selected French cities. The C-Zero is available in the
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...
region at six locations: the
Gare Montparnasse Gare Montparnasse (; Montparnasse station), officially Paris-Montparnasse, one of the six large Paris railway termini, is located in the 14th and 15th arrondissements. The station opened in 1840, was rebuilt in 1852 and relocated in 1969 to ...
, Gare de Lyon and
Gare du Nord The Gare du Nord (; English: ''station of the North'' or ''Northern Station''), officially Paris-Nord, is one of the six large mainline railway station termini in Paris, France. The station accommodates the trains that run between the capital ...
train stations,
Paris-Orly Airport Paris Orly Airport (french: Aéroport de Paris-Orly), commonly referred to as Orly , is one of two international airports serving the French capital, Paris, the other one being Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG). It is located partially in Orly an ...
, Porte Maillot and
Nanterre Nanterre (, ) is the prefecture of the Hauts-de-Seine department in the western suburbs of Paris. It is located some northwest of the centre of Paris. In 2018, the commune had a population of 96,807. The eastern part of Nanterre, bordering t ...
.


Germany

The i-MiEV was launched in Germany in December 2010 at a price of (~). Germany does not have government purchase subsidies. The only incentive available is an exemption from the annual circulation tax for a period of five years from the date of first registration. On August 30, 2012, approximately 100 Citroën C-Zeros were deployed in Berlin as part of the Multicity Carsharing program. The number of cars is expected to grow to 500 by year end. Sales of the i-MiEV family represented 50.6% of all electric car sales in the country in 2011. Combined sales of the three variants peaked in 2011, with 1,146 units registered, and then fell to 788 units in 2012 and 413 in 2013. , a total of 2,494 units have been sold consisting of 976 i-MiEVs, 965 C-Zeros, and 553 iOns. ''A total of 187 units were registered in Germany in 2014''.


Italy

Retail deliveries began in February 2011. Cumulative sales totaled 540 units through December 2013 including 295 C-Zeros, 189 iOns and 56 i-MiEVs.


Netherlands

Sales started in 2011. In January 2019, the importer announced the i-MiEV would be discontinued. A total of 154 i-MiEVs were sold, as well as 228 C-Zeros and 325 Ions, making up a combined total of 707 units. Both the Peugeot as the Citroën will still be available.


Norway

After deliveries began in January 2011, the i-MiEV became the best selling electric car in Norway for a time, and the 1000th i-MiEV was delivered in November 2011. ''Click on the bar graph for sales details by brand by month.'' A total of 2,240 electric cars were sold in Norway during 2011, of which, 1,050 were i-MiEVS, 210 were Citroën C-Zeros, and 217 Peugeot iOns, for combined sales of 1,477 units representing together a 66% share of all electric cars sold during the year. ''See table "Elbilsalg i 2011 fordelt på måned og merke" (Electric vehicle sales in 2011, by month and brand).'' Registrations climbed to 1,670 units in 2012, then fell to 1,094 in 2013, and stabilized in 2014 with 1,093 units. Cumulative registrations through December 2014 reached 5,334 units, including 2,589 i-MiEVs, 1,352 C-Zeros, and 1,393 iOns. ''See table "Elbilsalg i 2011 fordelt på måned og merke" (Electric vehicle sales in 2011, by month and brand) to see monthly sales for 2011.''''See graph "Salgstall pr. des 2012" (Sales Figures December 2012) for details of monthly sales for 2012.'' ''See graph: ''Gjennomsnittlig CO2-utslipp for registrerte ney personbiler per modell 2014, til og med desember.'' The Norwegian market is one of 4 where the iMiev remains on sale in 2020.


Spain

Retail sales began in December 2010 and the i-MiEV price starts at before sales tax or any government incentives. A total of 233 i-MiEV family electric cars were sold during 2011, representing 58% of all electric vehicles sold in Spain that year. ''A total of 401 electric cars and utility vehicles were sold in Spain during 2011''. Cumulative sales through December 2013 reached 546 units including 204 iOns, 196 i-MiEVs and 146 C-Zeros.''Download the file DossierAutomóviles_diciembre12.xls with current month and cumulative sales for 2012.'' ''Download the file "DossierAutomóviles_diciembre13.xls (929KB)" with current month and cumulative sales for 2013.''


Sweden

Since their inception a total of 196 units were registered in Sweden through December 2013, including 92 i MiEVs, 67 C-Zeros, and 37 iOns. Download file "Nyregistreringar december 2013 prel.pdf" see table "NYREGISTRERADE SUPERMILJÖBILAR DECEMBER 2013" with summary of PEV sales by model for 2013 and 2012.


Switzerland

Deliveries began in 2011. Cumulative registrations totaled 615 units through December 2013, including 342 i-MiEVs, 155 C-Zeros and 118 iOns. This is one of the few markets that the iMiev remains on sale in, as of 2020, along with Hungary and Croatia. ''Under "Modellstatistik" download the xls file for "Januar–Dezember 2013" cumulative sales are presented in tabs by month: Dez (2013). Click the tabs "2012 Statistik" and "2011 Statistik" to download the files with 2012 and 2011 sales by model. ''


United Kingdom

In December 2009 Mitsubishi began an electric vehicle trial in the UK with a fleet of 25 i-MiEVs. The i-MiEV demonstration is part of the project
Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a city in the West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its city status until the Middle Ages. The city is governed b ...
and
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the We ...
Low Emission Vehicle Demonstrators (CABLED), which ran in the
English Midlands The Midlands (also referred to as Central England) are a part of England that broadly correspond to the Kingdom of Mercia of the Early Middle Ages, bordered by Wales, Northern England and Southern England. The Midlands were important in the ...
with a variety of vehicles including
plug-in hybrid A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) is a hybrid electric vehicle whose battery pack can be recharged by plugging a charging cable into an external electric power source, in addition to internally by its on-board internal combustion engin ...
s and the extended range electric
Jaguar XJ The Jaguar XJ is a series of full-size luxury cars produced by British automobile manufacturer Jaguar Cars (becoming Jaguar Land Rover in 2013) from 1968 to 2019. It was produced across five basic platform generations (debuting in 1968, 1986, 1 ...
. In March 2010, the company reported that after the first three-month period the trial fleet ran an average of a day, have been parked 97% of the time, and most of the individual trips were under . Another key finding in the test report is that the vehicles were driven in temperatures as low as during the winter period, and it was observed a drop-off in usage during extremely cold weather, when only essential journeys are made. In March 2010, Mitsubishi announced that the i-MiEV would be sold at a price of (~), but in August 2010 the company reduced the price to (~). Sales to the public in the UK began in January 2011, which coincided with the date the Plug-in Car Grant came into effect. Mitsubishi authorized 13 sales centres with two in London and the rest spread across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. In April 2011
Hertz Rent-a-Car The Hertz Corporation is an American car rental company based in Estero, Florida. The company operates its namesake Hertz brand, along with the brands Dollar Rent A Car, Firefly Car Rental and Thrifty Car Rental. It is one of the three big rent ...
added two i-MiEVs to its fleet of vehicles in London and intends to add more across the UK later in 2011. The i-MiEVs are offered as rental vehicles to
Hertz on Demand The Hertz Corporation is an American car rental company based in Estero, Florida. The company operates its namesake Hertz brand, along with the brands Dollar Rent A Car, Firefly Car Rental and Thrifty Car Rental. It is one of the three big re ...
members and these electric cars will be supported by 16 Hertz-installed quick-charge stations located in and around London. A total of 862 units have been registered in the UK through June 2013, including 401 iOns, 260 i MiEVs, and 201 C-Zeros. In June 2016, reports surfaced that the i-Miev was no longer being sold in the UK, and no more new vehicles would be available. Mitsubishi have not supported UK cars with the same 10 year traction battery warranty provided in other markets.


Japan

The i-MiEV was launched for fleet customers in
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...
in late July 2009, after Mitsubishi's more than 40 years in development of electric vehicles. Initial price was set at (). The Japanese government is offering
subsidies A subsidy or government incentive is a form of financial aid or support extended to an economic sector (business, or individual) generally with the aim of promoting economic and social policy. Although commonly extended from the government, the ter ...
of up to , and some local governments are also offering additional subsidies that could bring the price down to as low as . Mitsubishi reduced the price of the vehicle by () to just below two days before it went for retail sales in Japan in April 2010 to compete with the
Nissan Leaf The , stylized as LEAF, is a compact five-door hatchback battery electric vehicle (BEV) manufactured by Nissan. It was introduced in Japan and the United States in December 2010, and its second generation was introduced in October 2017. The Lea ...
. As of early 2010 there were 60
charging station A charging station, also known as a charge point or electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE), is a piece of equipment that supplies electrical power for charging plug-in electric vehicles (including electric cars, electric trucks, electric b ...
s in Japan. In June 2010 Mitsubishi Motors announced that is aiming to cut the price of its electric vehicles to () by fiscal year 2012 to obtain price parity in the showrooms with
hybrid electric vehicle A hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) is a type of hybrid vehicle that combines a conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) system with an Electric motor, electric propulsion system (hybrid vehicle drivetrain). The presence of the electric powertr ...
s. Mitsubishi is expecting that mass production of lithium ion batteries from its battery plant coming online in April 2012 will allow to reduced battery cost from its current to less than . In March 2010, the company said it had received about 2,000 advance orders in Japan for the vehicle. Cumulative sales reached 3,000 units in Japan by October 2010. Sales in the Japanese market raised from 986 in 2009 to 2,340 in 2010, and then stabilized at 2,290 units in 2011 and 2,295 in 2012. Sales fell to 1,491 units during 2013, and to 1,021 units during 2014. , cumulative sales reached 10,423 i-MiEVs since July 2009. ''A total of 9,402 i MiEVs were sold in Japan between July 2009 and December 2013.'' Two new trims levels were launched in the Japanese market in the second half of 2011. Beginning on July 25, the lower-level "M grade" trim will be sold for () after the government subsidy. The "M" trim has a 10.5
kWh A kilowatt-hour (unit symbol: kW⋅h or kW h; commonly written as kWh) is a unit of energy: one kilowatt of power for one hour. In terms of SI derived units with special names, it equals 3.6 megajoules (MJ). Kilowatt-hours are a common bill ...
battery and its equipment and trim specification were adjusted to allow a more accessible price. The "M" trim range is on the JC08-cycle. The higher-level "G" trim will be available by mid-August at a price varying from () to (). The "G" trim has the same 16.0
kWh A kilowatt-hour (unit symbol: kW⋅h or kW h; commonly written as kWh) is a unit of energy: one kilowatt of power for one hour. In terms of SI derived units with special names, it equals 3.6 megajoules (MJ). Kilowatt-hours are a common bill ...
battery as the original i-MiEV, but the new trim realizes around a 20% increase in its single charge range on the J08-cycle, offering . The "G" has LED headlamps and rear combination lamps, 15-inch alloy road wheels, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shifter knob and other high-grade equipment, such as a navigation system and heated seats for the driver and front passenger as standard. At the same time, Mitsubishi introduced
Minicab Taxicabs are regulated throughout the United Kingdom, but the regulation of taxicabs in London is especially rigorous with regard to mechanical integrity and driver knowledge. An official report observed that: "Little however is known about ...
-MiEV van and truck variants of its Minicab using the same drivetrain and storage battery options as the "M grade" and "G grade" i-MiEV.


United States

The first fleet and individual customer deliveries in the U.S. took place in December 2011. Mitsubishi initially announced a base price of , but in September 2011 raised the base price to plus the destination charge and prior to the federal tax credit and other incentives available in California and other states. The American version of the Mitsubishi i-MiEV was unveiled at the November 2010
Los Angeles Auto Show The Los Angeles Auto Show is an annual auto show held at the Los Angeles Convention Center in early December. The LA Auto Show is an OICA sanctioned international exhibition. It is open to the public for ten days each year, filling of exhibit ...
. During the LA show, Mitsubishi announced it decided to drop the "MiEV" from the name and the US version will be named simply as "i" electric vehicle. The U.S.-only version is enlarged, has redesigned front and rear bumpers, and includes more features than the Japanese and European versions in order to meet crash standards, government mandates, and the preferences of the U.S. consumers. The American version is longer than the Japanese version, wider, and slightly taller. It also has advanced
airbag An airbag is a vehicle occupant-restraint system using a bag designed to inflate extremely quickly, then quickly deflate during a collision. It consists of the airbag cushion, a flexible fabric bag, an inflation module, and an impact sensor. T ...
s and the mandated
tire-pressure monitoring system A tire-pressure monitoring system (TPMS) monitors the air pressure inside the pneumatic tires on vehicles. A TPMS reports real-time tire-pressure information to the driver, using either a gauge, a pictogram display, or a simple low-pressure wa ...
(TPMS), has an upgraded interior and features more accessories. The entry-level ES trim starts at , the SE trim is at , and the SE Premium version is priced at including an HDD navigation system and better entertainment and audio options. These prices do not include a destination charge. For either of the models, available options include a factory-installed CHAdeMO fast-charging port for and the Cold Zone package, which includes a battery warming system and heated outside mirrors for . The reservation process for the U.S. began on April 22, 2011, and customers were required to pay two deposits: for the car and for a required home inspection. The carmaker decided to waive the fee for the first 2,000 people who placed an order and then buy the car. Mitsubishi is only accepting
PayPal PayPal Holdings, Inc. is an American multinational financial technology company operating an online payments system in the majority of countries that support online money transfers, and serves as an electronic alternative to traditional paper ...
as the method of payment for these online transactions. Mitsubishi began sending order confirmation emails and offering optional accessories by early September 2011. In November 2010, Mitsubishi announced partnerships with
Eaton Eaton may refer to: Buildings Canada * Eaton Centre, the name of various shopping malls in Canada due to having been anchored by an Eaton's store * Eaton's / John Maryon Tower, a cancelled skyscraper in Toronto * Eaton Hall (King City), a conferen ...
and
Best Buy Best Buy Co. Inc. is an American multinational consumer electronics retailer headquartered in Richfield, Minnesota. Originally founded by Richard M. Schulze and James Wheeler in 1966 as an audio specialty store called Sound of Music, it was rebra ...
for sales and home installation of recharging units. Initial availability is limited and the initial roll-out markets include
California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
,
Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
,
Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
, and
Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
, followed by the Northeastern states. Nationwide availability was expected by mid-2012. The first delivery to a fleet customer took place on December 8, 2011, in
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...
. The first delivery went to City CarShare, a non-profit
carsharing Carsharing or car sharing (AU, NZ, CA, TH, & US) or car clubs (UK) is a model of car rental where people rent cars for short periods of time, often by the hour. It differs from traditional car rental in that the owners of the cars are often pr ...
service that operates in San Francisco,
Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay ...
, and Berkeley. The first individual customer delivery took place on
Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the isla ...
, Hawaii, on December 12, 2011. Sales increased from 80 units in 2011 to 588 in 2012, and rose to 1,029 during 2013. Sales fell to only 196 in 2014. A total of 1,893 i cars had been sold in the U.S. through December 2014. Changes to 2014 model year vehicles included driver and front passenger heated seats, CHAdeMO DC quick charge port, battery warming system, heated side view mirrors, rear door speakers, 8A/12A switchable Level 1 charging cable (approximate charge time from near empty to fully charged – 22 hours for 8 amp/14 hours for 12 amp), charge port lamp, leather-covered steering wheel and shift knob, passenger-side vanity mirror with lid, numerous decorative color/trim upgrades, aluminum wheels, front fog lights, new daytime running lights (DRL), black-out door sash trim, US$6,130 lower price before incentives. In August 2017, a Mitsubishi representative confirmed that the i-Miev had been discontinued in the United States.


Other countries

;Chile The i-MiEV was launched in May 2011 at a price of CLP27,7 million (). Initial availability is limited to 25 units. The first public quick
charging station A charging station, also known as a charge point or electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE), is a piece of equipment that supplies electrical power for charging plug-in electric vehicles (including electric cars, electric trucks, electric b ...
in the country was opened in April 2011 in preparation for the arrival of the first i-MiEV electric cars. , only 10 units have been sold. the dealer is no longer selling the i-MiEV, it has been replaced by the Outlander plug-in hybrid. ;Costa Rica The i-MiEV was launched in February 2011 at a price of . Costa Rica does not have any government incentives for electric cars. According to Mitsubishi, Costa Rica was selected at the first market launch in
the Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with th ...
due to its environmental record. Initial availability will be limited to 25 to 50 units. Sales are oriented to supply mainly fleet customers including government agencies and electric companies. ;Hong Kong In December 2009, the
Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...
Government and other corporation began testing the i-MiEV, totaling 30 vehicles tested until May 2010. Sales to the public in Hong Kong began in May 2010 at a price of (~). ;Malaysia The i-MiEV was released in Malaysia in March 2013 at a price starting at (approx ), becoming the first electric car sold in the country. Mitsubishi expects to sell more than 50 units during its first year in the market. The Penang Second Bridge highway patrol unit, JKSB Ronda using i-MIEV for patrolling and to provide assistance to commuters on the bridge. Seven charging stations were also set up at the toll plaza on the mainland, two of them being rapid chargers which are able to give an 80 per cent charge in 30 minutes. ;New Zealand Between January and March 2009 the i-MiEV was brought to
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...
as part of an electric vehicle trial, during which the i-MiEV travelled the entire country, testing infrastructure and demonstrating the vehicle to the public."Mitsubishi and Meridian launch electric car trial"
, Mitsubishi Motors NZ press release, February 10, 2009
As of March 2011 there were 8 i-MiEV in use in
Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by ...
, as a field trial sponsored by the
Wellington City Council Wellington City Council is a territorial authority in New Zealand, governing the country's capital city Wellington, and ''de facto'' second-largest city (if the commonly considered parts of Wellington, the Upper Hutt, Porirua, Lower Hutt and ...
,
New Zealand Post NZ Post ( mi, Tukurau Aotearoa), shortened from New Zealand Post, is a state-owned enterprise responsible for providing postal service in New Zealand. The New Zealand Post Office, a government agency, provided postal, banking, and telecommuni ...
,
Meridian Energy Meridian Energy Limited is a New Zealand electricity generator and retailer. The company generates the largest proportion of New Zealand's electricity, generating 35 percent of the country's electricity in the year ending December 2014, and is ...
, The Wellington Company and Mitsubishi Motors. Sales to the public are scheduled for July 2011 at a price of (~), and the number of units will be limited. ;Russian Federation The i-MiEV was launched in June 2011 at a price of (~). The price would be sat at (~) on 1 February 2014. There were 211 cars sold in 2013, many of them bought by government organizations. As of 2013–2014 i-MieV is the only electric car sold in Russia. ;Singapore In November 2010 Mitsubishi signed an agreement with the Singaporean government to introduce electric vehicles in the country. Mitsubishi will supply 25 i-MiEVs in 2011 to the
Economic Development Board The Economic Development Board (EDB) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Trade and Industry of the Government of Singapore that plans and executes strategies to sustain Singapore as a leading global hub for business and investment. Hi ...
, the Energy Market Authority and the
Land Transport Authority The Land Transport Authority (LTA) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Transport of the Government of Singapore. History Incorporation of Land Transport Authority Land Transport Authority (LTA) was established on 1 September 1995, f ...
, which are part of a multi-agency EV task force. This agreement is part of a three-year test program that will deploy charging infrastructure for electric vehicles and evaluate the cost benefits of EVs for future adoption. The delivery of the first batch of 10 i-MiEV electric cars is scheduled for May 2011. ;Thailand In December 2010, Mitsubishi Motors and the government of Thailand agreed to start fleet testing electric vehicles for a possible launch of i-MiEV. In July 2011, a new agreement was signed to begin the trials with the participation of the Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA) and PEA ENCOM International (PEA), two of Thailand's electricity distribution companies. ;United Arab Emirates A test fleet of 10 i-MiEVs was deployed in
Masdar City Masdar City ( ar, مدينة مصدر, Madīnat Maṣdar, lit=Source City) is a planned city project in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates. Its core is being built by Masdar, a subsidiary of Mubadala Development Company, with the majority ...
in
Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dha ...
in 2011 as part of a one-year pilot to test a point-to-point transportation solution for the city as complement of its sustainable public transportation systems, the
Personal Rapid Transit Personal rapid transit (PRT), also referred to as podcars or guided/railed taxis, is a public transport mode featuring small low-capacity automated vehicles operating on a network of specially built guideways. PRT is a type of automated guideway ...
(PRT) and the Freight Rapid Transit (FRT), both of which consist of automated electric-powered vehicles. Additionally the Dubai Mall was owns a small fleet of Peugeot iOns, intended to be delivery vehicles.


Global sales

By the end of April 2019, the combined sales of the i-MiEV and Minicab MiEV had reached over 31,000 units. Including the rebadged Peugeot iOn and Citroën C-Zero sold in Europe, by the end of February 2018 a total of 46,827 i-MiEV family passenger cars had been sold worldwide since 2009. The following table presents total retail sales by year since deliveries of the i-MiEV began in July 2009 for the top selling national markets by variant (Mitsubishi i-MiEV/i, Peugeot iOn and Citroën C-Zero) through June 2014.


Awards and recognition

* "2009 Japan Automotive Hall of Fame Car Technology of the Year" award in October 2009. * "Japanese Car of the Year Most Advanced Technology" awarded during the 41st
Tokyo Motor Show The is a biennial auto show held in October–November at the Tokyo Big Sight, Tokyo, Japan for cars, motorcycles and commercial vehicles. Hosted by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA), it is a recognized international show ...
in October 2009. * "Ecobest 2009" by AUTOBEST in January 2010. * "Environment Special Grand Prize" awarded during the 25th International Automobile Festival,
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...
,
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
in February 2010. * The i-MiEV was one of the five finalists to the 2011
Green Car Vision Award The Green Car Vision Award is an annual award granted by the ''Green Car Journal''. In contrast with its Green Car of the Year award, which only considers production vehicles that make the most significant environmental advancements, the Gree ...
. * The 2012 model year American-spec i-MiEV was one of the five finalists for the 2012 Green Car of the Year. * The American-spec i-MiEV was rated first in the "2012 Greenest Vehicles of the Year" list elaborated by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. * The 2012 model year American-spec i-MiEV ranked first in
United States Environmental Protection Agency The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it ...
’s (EPA) 2012 Annual Fuel Economy Guide, and between November 2011 and June 2012 ranked as the most efficient EPA certified vehicle in the U.S. for all fuels ever, until it was surpassed by the Honda Fit EV.


See also

*
Government incentives for plug-in electric vehicles Government incentives for plug-in electric vehicles have been established around the world to support policy-driven adoption of plug-in electric vehicles. These incentives mainly take the form of purchase rebates, tax exemptions and tax credits, ...
*
List of electric cars currently available This is a list of battery electric vehicles that are mass-produced, formerly produced, and planned. It includes only vehicles exclusively using chemical energy stored in rechargeable battery packs, with no secondary source of propulsion (e. ...
* List of battery electric vehicles *
List of modern production plug-in electric vehicles This is a list of battery electric vehicles that are mass-produced, formerly produced, and planned. It includes only vehicles exclusively using chemical energy stored in rechargeable battery packs, with no secondary source of propulsion (e.g ...
*
MIEV MIEV (Mitsubishi In-wheel motor Electric Vehicle) or MiEV (Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle) Tetsuro Aikawa">"Interview With Managing Director in Charge of Product Development and Environment Affairs Group Headquarters, Tetsuro Aikawa", Mits ...
– Mitsubishi in-wheel motor electric vehicle * Mitsubishi Concept PX-MiEV (
plug-in hybrid A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) is a hybrid electric vehicle whose battery pack can be recharged by plugging a charging cable into an external electric power source, in addition to internally by its on-board internal combustion engin ...
) *
Mitsuoka Like The Mitsuoka Like (雷駆) is a five-door hatchback electric car produced by the Japanese automaker Mitsuoka Motors between 2010 and 2012. It is based on the Mitsubishi i MiEV The Mitsubishi i-MiEV (MiEV is an acronym for ''Mitsubishi i ...


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mitsubishi I Miev
I MiEV The Mitsubishi i-MiEV (MiEV is an acronym for ''Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle'') is a five-door hatchback electric car produced in the 2010s by Mitsubishi Motors, and is the electric version of the Mitsubishi i. Rebadged variants of ...
I MiEV The Mitsubishi i-MiEV (MiEV is an acronym for ''Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle'') is a five-door hatchback electric car produced in the 2010s by Mitsubishi Motors, and is the electric version of the Mitsubishi i. Rebadged variants of ...
Production electric cars Cars introduced in 2009 Electric city cars Rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive vehicles 2010s cars ANCAP superminis Euro NCAP superminis