Mitsubishi i-MiEV – First EV to go on sale in Malaysia
If there is to be a new age of electric vehicle motoring in Malaysia, today shall mark the dawn of that age as the Mitsubishi i-MiEV is officially launched for the Malaysian market at SAG Star (Chan Sow Lin), an official Mitsubishi Motors Malaysia (MMM) dealership that is also serving as the company’s first EV centre.
The i-MiEV’s launch today marks the culmination of a long-running awareness programme that included key milestones such as the first registration of an electric-powered vehicle in the country in October 2011 followed by various campaigns and road shows, most notably a collaboration with Four Seasons Langkawi in February 2012.
Since its global launch in July 2009, the i-MiEV has found its way to 31 countries throughout Europe, U.S., Canada, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Singapore and other markets. Some 33,000 examples have been built to date, and besides being sold to private customers, many units have been used for various testing and educational activities for partners in public and private sectors around the world.
The i-MiEV’s electric motor produces 67hp and 196Nm, allowing it to hit a top speed of 130kph. Like the i minicar which it is based upon, the i-MiEV’s motor is rear-mounted, and its juice is supplied by a 330V lithium-ion battery. Tested in the New European Driving Cycle, the i-MiEV has a rated cruising range of 150km per full charge, which can be attained by an eight-hour charging cycle on 230V. A quick-charge system allows an 80% recharge to be completed in 30 minutes, but that facility is currently available in Malaysia.
It goes without saying that any potential owner of the i-MiEV must have a dedicated socket to charge the car at home, and the good news is that you can plug it in to a standard three-pin socket without modifications provided that the socket’s wiring is properly done and remains in decent condition. The use of extension cords and splitters are not encouraged. According to MMM personnel we spoke to this morning, the i-MiEV charges of 10A of current, which is comfortably below the 13A which our sockets are rated at, and thus well within safety limits.
Equipment-wise, the i-MiEV comes standard with a 2-DIN GPS multimedia touchscreen system, tinted glass, auto climate control, auto LED head and tail lamps, leather wrapped steering wheel and ‘gear lever’, and six airbags. The charging cable and its control box, needless to say, is part of the standard equipment as well.
The i-MiEV is priced at RM139,888 with insurance and it comes with a five-year warranty and free maintenance package to cover for after sales concerns. MMM targets to sell 50 units of the i-MiEV for the fiscal year ending March 2014, and it plans to expand its EV sales and service network in the country by opening another four EV centres to join SAG Star within the next one year.
The mechanical simplicity of electric vehicles versus combustion engine vehicles mean that actual maintenance costs for the i-MiEV, even if it was borne by the owner, is minimal. Service intervals are at 20,000km and the only wear and tear items are your air-con filter, brake pads, and brake fluid. Diagnostics of onboard electronics are naturally drafted into the maintenance regime.
