Mitsubishi i News

Mitsubishi Recalls i-MiEV For Faulty Brakes

Nick Kurczewski — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 20:20:37 +0000

Mitsubishi has issued a global recall of the i-MiEV due to problems related to the car's braking system. The i-MiEV has struggled to find an audience, especially here in the U.S., where only 688 were sold in all of 2012.

Problems continue to mount for the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, with news that the Japanese automaker’s electric-powered sedan is being recalled due to a flaw with its braking system. The problem has been traced to an electrical pump that feeds air to the brake booster. Should the pump malfunction, it would take considerably more force on the brake pedal to bring the car to a stop, and stopping distances would subsequently be far greater than normal.

A Week with the Mitsubishi I-MiEV: Cute Car Provokes Range Anxiety

Jim Motavalli — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 21:57:05 +0000

A bargain price helps, but don't expect to make long trips. (Jim Motavalli photo)

Most of the time I borrow test cars from the carmakers, but the battery-powered and budget-minded Mitsubishi i-MiEV came to me by way of my local dealer, who thought I ought to drive it. So it’s been at my house for a week, giving me a fairly accurate picture of what it would be like to live with this particular electric car.

Is the Mitsubishi i Running on Empty?

Nick Kurczewski — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 15:33:07 +0000

Sales of the Mitsubishi i have never kicked into gear. Only 33 were sold in July.

European Police Battle Crime, and Global Warming, with Electric Cars

Laurent J. Masson — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 23:53:08 +0000

Electric Renault Fluence Z.E. for the Berlin police force

Movies show police cars doing all kinds of high-speed stunts, but the daily routine of police vehicles is much less exciting and energy consuming. The average day is more commonly spent cruising at 30 mph, or at even lower speeds. That's perfectly suited to an electric car. Some private security services have been using low-speed EVs for few years in fairgrounds or industrial areas, but several Europeans police forces are now officially experimenting with electric cars.

Discovery Channel to Air Making of Mitsubishi i-MiEV

Eric Loveday — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 11:31:46 +0000

How's it made? That's the question Mitsubishi hopes to answer in its "Birth of a Mitsubishi i-MiEV Electric Car" special presentation, which will air first on Canadian TV via the Discovery Channel on August 4.

We expect that the special presentation will eventually make its way to US television and hope that the Discovery Channel's website will make available video of the show that airs in Canada on August 4.

Why Canada? Well, here's Mitsubishi's clever and comedic explanation:

Thousands of Canadians across Canada have a fear of electric cars. But the Electriphobia Research Institute is here to help. Watch our highly scientific therapies below, then head to electriphobia.com to cure your Electriphobia permanently. And for good.

Mitsubishi Now Leasing i Electric For $249 Per Month

Eric Loveday — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 20:58:54 +0000

Consumers can now lease a base-level 2012 Mitsubishi i ES equipped with the Quick Charge Package for $249 per month.

Mitsubishi Unveils Blackout-Inspired i-MiEV power BOX

Eric Loveday — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 14:10:47 +0000

Mitsubishi's power BOX turns the electric i-MiEV into a mobile electricity-generating unit.

Mitsubishi hopes to soon transform its electric i-MiEV into a mobile generator.

Mitsubishi Motors will soon offer the power BOX as an option to i-MiEV owners over in Japan. The MiEV power BOX is a compact white box that plugs into the i-MiEV's quick-charge outlet. The power BOX then pulls electricity from the vehicle's 16-kWh lithium-ion battery pack and converts from DC to AC. Up to 1,500 watts of juice flow through the power BOX, making it capable of powering multiple electric appliances for "five to six hours," according to Mitsubsihi.

Mitsubishi will offer the power BOX through dealers in Japan for 149,800 yen ($1,788 US at today's exchange rate). The power BOX will officially launch in Japan on April 27. Mitsubishi has not said if the portable electric unit will make its way to the US.

Mitsubishi i Electric Vehicles Arrive on East Coast

Brad Berman — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 13:01:32 +0000

The first batch of Mitsubishi i electric vehicles are now on their way to dealerships throughout the eastern US.

In Sea Change, Electric Cars Top Greenest Vehicle List

Brad Berman — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:47:06 +0000

Mitsubishi i electric car

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy today announced that the Mitsubishi i electric car was rated the greenest car in its 14th annual environmental rankings of cars and trucks. The small EV unseated the Honda Civic Natural Gas car, which held the top spot in ACEEE’s green car rankings for the past eight years—and represents a sea change in green car technology. In this year’s rankings, the all-electric Nissan LEAF came in second place. This year's impressive showing for electric cars likely establishes future dominance for EVs in green rankings from ACEEE and other organizations.

The Challenge for Plug-In Cars

Michael Coates — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:48:33 +0000

The automotive landscape is changing. More choices are coming and that promises to be the watchword for the coming decade. Buying a new car will no longer be: What engine do you want? What model do you want? What options to you want?

The options will be the focal point of choice. And the options will be the type of powertrain and fuel you choose for your new ride. I took a tour in January through some of those choices and came away with a new appreciation of the challenge that plug-in vehicles are facing and will continue to face in the marketplace.

The event was called "Future Cars: Future Technology"; it was organized by Western Automotive Journalists, a 20-year-old group of auto writers (and photographers and videographers) based in Northern California. During the day, panelists discussed the long-range future of automotive technology--one panel talked about whether automated cars like the ones Google is running are likely to take over our highways; a second panel of engineers from the auto companies explored the variety of options they were researching for future cars.