Those folks in America wanting to buy an all-electric Mitsubishi i MiEV sometime in the future now have a reason for increased optimism. The company has just announced agreements with both Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG & E) and Southern California Edison (SCE) to test how the vehicles fare under California's driving conditions. Amongst the quotes that accompanies these sorts of press releases lies a hint that at least one of the utilities is already considering charging infrastructure for the state. Behold the statement of Andrew Tang, senior director at PG&E: "Partnering with automakers like Mitsubishi is vital to developing compatible infrastructures." Sounds promising, no?

MiMoCo has already partnered with seven different utilities in Japan for testing which must have gone quite well as they are planning on retailing the car there in 2009. Although the EV may be sold in England as early as 2010, according to an earlier statement by Tohru Hashimoto, the kei car may be slightly up-sized before it comes to America although the powertrain should remain the same. Press releases from both Californian utilities await your scrutiny after the break.



[Source: Reuters / Mitsubishi Motor Co.]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Mitsuibshi i MiEV

Once again showing how important automakers see the lithium ion battery is an announcement from Yuasa and Mitsubishi that their joint venture battery plant needs to be much larger than originally planned. In fact, the two companies have quintupled planned output before a single battery has even been manufactured. Mitsubishi is expecting high demand for its upcoming i-MiEV electric car, which should go on sale in Japan sometime in 2009. We wonder how much impact Japan Post's plan to use an all electric fleet had in this decision.

At the outset, the plant will cost about 4 billion yen ($36.94 million) and be able to produce enough packs for 10,000 EV's. By 2012, an additional 10 billion yen ($92 million or so) will have been spent to double that capacity. In order to make room for a plant this large, Yuasa is said to be searching for a new site in Japan.


[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

We got word a couple of days ago that Mitsubishi had pulled ahead its retail sales plans for the iMiEV electric car from 2010 to mid 2009. Now we have some information about the pricing for the diminutive electric car. The little four seater will reportedly carry a sticker price in its home market of about 4 million yen or US$37,496. That would put it in a similar range to the expected price of the Chevy Volt which will hit the market a year later. Tax breaks for low emission cars in Japan should chop the end price by about one quarter to somewhere around $28,000. Now if Mitsubishi would just bring the iMiEV to the US market it would satisfy a lot of American fans.

[Source: Trading Markets]

While we've featured many alternatively-powered cars on AutoblogGreen, this may be the first one that is fueled by the imagination. If you've been perusing the iMiEV microsite we told you about the other day you may have noticed a paper craft section. It's a special place that fans of the Mitsubishi iMiEV (other Mitsu models are also there) can go to and download a PDF file containing a magical pattern that was conjured up by Akira Mizorogi. This can then be printed out, cut out, folded and glued to become a mini version of the micro electric car. Although the cutting may be achieved with scissors, an exacto knife and cutting mat is recommended. Small, childlike fingers and a grandparent's patience may also come in handy.

Because of the inexpensive properties of paper automobiles, we were able to get our hands on three of these little beauties, instead of the usual single model, to put through their paces. The cars were pretty much identical with each having unlimited amounts of power and speed. A few runs through the cones revealed handling that was superb as long as you kept a gentle grip. One car had a little better fit and finish which was chalked up to assembly by a different team. We expect the electric versions to be more uniform and also more silent, since the vehicles we had were for some reason equipped with some sort of sound effects device that reproduced the noises of a gas-powered car.

The trio were driven across varying terrain including a redwood forest (pictured above), a grassy savanna, as well as the usual concrete and asphalt. A word of caution. It's a dangerous world out there for paper cars so beware of puddles and large furry beasts who might mistake your iMiEV for a mouse. Check out the gallery of our paper iMiEV adventures below. Many thanks to Yanquetino for the tip!


[Source: Mitsubishi]

Mitsubishi has been showing off and field testing its iMiEV electric car this year in preparation for a limited production launch in 2009-10. To help spread the word, the Japanese automaker has launched a new micro-site dedicated to the battery powered micro-car. On the site, Mitsubishi explains some of the technology choices made for the oddly named car. The iMiEV uses a lithium ion battery pack mounted under the floor to provide a range of about 100 miles. The i that the iMiEV is based on features a rear mounted engine which is replaced with a permanent magnet motor driving the rear wheels. The batteries are coming from a new joint venture between Mitsubishi and GS Yuasa. The site also features videos about the car and a paper craft version that you can make for yourself. Domenick is evaluating that one in the AutoblogGreen garage right now and will have a full review shortly. Thanks for the tip Yanquetino!

[Source: Mitsubishi]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Mitsuibshi i MiEV (22 photos)

I drive a Ford Mustang GT; I'm Autoblog's resident HUMMER aficionado; and I think my favorite car in New York this year is a Japanese-market all-electric kei car. What is going on?

My dirty little secret (if you could even call it that) is that I'm also very much into kei cars. Often endearingly wacky-looking, the little city cars are packaging marvels, boasting roomy interiors despite their compact footprints -- and I love them. This year, the New York Auto Show is home to keis (the Mitsubishi i and Subaru R1e) as well as another JDM favorite, the Nissan Cube. What's interesting is that each one is on display as an all-electric vehicle. What was especially interesting to me is that Mitsubishi's electric i MiEV (it's pronounced "eye-meev", incidentally) was actually available for journalists to drive. So I drove it. Read on and watch video after the jump.



All "live" photos Copyright © 2008 Alex Núñez / Weblogs, Inc.

In a follow on to Mitsubishi's previous announcement of their intent to begin selling a battery powered electric car in the Japanese and American markets, the company is showing a new battery powered research car. The new "i" MiEV (now there's a name that rolls off the tongue, almost as good as the Sony NW-HD-A1) is based on the "i" mini-car. Mitsubishi will be doing field testing of the cars in conjunction with a pair of Japanese electric power companies, to collect data on the the usage of the vehicles.The power companies have been very interested in promoting electric vehicles, but they also want to better understand the demands that wide-spread electric vehicle use would put on their infrastructure. Mitsubishi plans to begin the field tests in the fall of 2007. The rear engine layout of the "i" makes it well suited to EV conversion. The research cars will use lithium-ion batteries (hopefully not sourced from Sony) and a single electric motor. Readers who are in the vicinity of Yokohama, Japan between October 23-28 can see the car at International Battery, Hybrid and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle Symposium & Exposition (EVS-22) at Pacifico Yokohama. The Mitsubishi press release is after the jump.

[Source: Mitsubishi]