2012 Mitsubishi I Review
Mitsubishi i is a light weight, rear-wheel Drive and an instant torque electrical vehicle. The model is being looked at as an affordable electric vehicle designed for the US market. Do read on to understand this model a little better.
2012 Mitsubishi I Features
Technical Specifications
Mitsubishi i’s engine is based on AC synchronous permanent magnetic motor. The engine has a single speed transmission. The motor supports a horse power of 66 at 49 KW. The maximum speed that Mitsubishi i could reach could be 80mph.
Photo Credit: Houseofjapan.com/auto-moto/mitsubishi-i-miev-canada-price
Drive Modes
Mitsubishi i comes with three drive modes – Eco, D and B. In Eco mode, the electric car focuses on the vehicle’s efficiency in terms of covering a little more distance at a specific power. In D mode, the car behaves just the way a regular gas car would. This mode is also ideal for climbing an upward slope. The B mode is the regenerative brake mode.
Motor
Mitsubishi i has a motor which is a 101 pound maintenance free motor. This motor is cased in a water proof and dust resistant casing. The maximum rpm of the motor is 9,900. The best part of the motor is that it offers instant torque. This means that the moment the accelerator is pressed, the motor is ready to give full thrust to the car to get it rolling!
Battery
Mitsubishi has got a 300-volt – 16kwh – 600 pound battery. This battery consists of 88 3.7V cells arranged into 22 modules. With respect to charging and recharging of the battery, in case the battery is completely drained then it takes a good 22.5 hours to get fully charged when put on a 120V outlet.
Photo Credit: Newcarinovation.com/2011-mitsubishi-i-miev-in-los-angeles-auto-show/2011-mitsubishi-i-miev-rear-side-view
However, the time span of 22.5 hours changes to a mere 7 hours in case the battery is charged on a 240V outlet. A fully charged battery could make this electric vehicle run for around 85-98 miles non-stop. The battery does come with a security in the sense that it has a warranty of 8 years or 100,000 miles, whichever comes first.
Caveats
No matter what, one needs to be extremely careful about the battery handling, particularly, with respect to its temperature. Apparently, the daily quick charging of the battery should not be an issue; however, the same might raise the battery’s temperature to up to 86 degrees Fahrenheit which should not be ignored.
So, is there a mechanism for cooling the battery in case it gets heated up? Well, the manufacturers have certainly taken care of this by providing a battery cooling system that is based on forced induction. This means that there is an exhaust fan that pulls the hot air out of the battery pack.
When the temperature reaches a 68 degrees Fahrenheit, the fan blows air through the battery to cool it but when the temperature touches 86 degrees Fahrenheit, car’s air conditioning is automatically switched on to circulate cool air through the battery system.
Miscellaneous
Mitsubishi i has curtain airbags for safety purposes. The car offers good leg room for taller people. This electric vehicle comes with a remote for setting both, the temperature of the car and the charging process. The remote works within a specified range. The dashboard of Mitsubishi i is pretty simple and clean in the sense that it displays only a few things like the battery state-of-charge meter, a gear indicator, the speedometer, the eco/regenerative indicator and the odometer.
Photo Credit: Gadgeticworld.com/2011/07/07/2012-upcoming-100-electric-cars
Availability
It is scheduled to be released in early 2012 in California, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii. It might be available to the remaining states by the end of 2012.
Price
The low end could cost $29,125 whereas the top of the line might be priced at $33,915.
Why should one consider buying it?
At any point in time, there could be, at least, two reasons for one to consider buying a Mitsubishi i – firstly, since it is an electric car, it will help one save a lot of money that is spent on gas cars (in buying fuel) and secondly, it is an environment friendly car.
