The Mitsubishi iMiev, the world’s first mass produced electric car, will be in Australian showrooms within two months. A pair of iMiev electric hatchbacks have been touring Australia for VIP test drives and to round up some government support. But soon, anyone will be able to get behind the wheel of one.

Mitsubishi’s global boss Osamu Masuko visited Canberra in the first week of June to make the historic announcement at Parliament House. The initial shipments of the i-Miev are scheduled for July and August. About 40 cars will be offered to customers under a leasing agreement. More will follow later in the year.
But there is a costly catch to driving a car that doesn’t use a drop of petrol: it is available for lease only at a rate of $57 a day, which is $1,740 per month or $62,640 over three years. And then you must hand the car back.

One more thing: so far, there is only one public recharging point (in the Sydney inner city suburb of Glebe).

The iMiev can be recharged from home or work but it needs a 15 amp socket (instead of the 10 amp sockets typically used in Australia). These can be fitted by an electrician for less than $200. It takes up to 8 hours to charge the iMiev from empty and it has a driving range of between 100km and 160km – enough to cover the daily commute of more than 80 per cent of motorists.

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