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PRESS
RELEASE
Wednesday 2nd June 2010
Mitsubishi’s global president confirms
first shipment of i-MiEV electric
vehicles to Australia
Mitsubishi Motors Corporation’s global president, Osamu Masuko,
today announced the
automotive manufacturer would supply i-MiEV electric vehicles to
Australia. At a press
conference marking his first official visit to Australia, Masuko
confirmed Mitsubishi Motors
Australia Limited (MMAL) will be the first company to release
manufacturer produced electric
vehicles in this country.
During the conference, Masuko confirmed the development of the
i-MiEV placed Mitsubishi as the
front-runner in electric vehicle technology.
“The i-MiEV has been attracting a lot of attention in Australia,
and I am pleased to announce that we
can now confirm additional vehicles will be arriving here in the
next few months.”
“This announcement will ensure that we will be number one in
bringing the electric vehicle to
Australia,” Masuko said.
The initial shipments of the i-MiEV electric vehicles are scheduled
for arrival in Australia in July and
August, and will initially include 40 vehicles for Australian
distribution. The vehicles will be offered to
customers under a leasing agreement, starting from July
onwards.
According to MMAL’s CEO and President, Masahiko Takahashi, the
vehicles will find no shortage of
potential owners on local shores.
“Over the last twelve months we have conducted feasibility trials
with potential electric vehicle
customers, such as local, state and federal government bodies, and
major fleet operators, and the
reaction has been overwhelmingly positive,” Takahashi said.
Released in Japan in July 2009, the i-MiEV, which stands for
Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle, is
one of the world’s first truly viable zero drive-time emission city
commuters in volume production.
International interest in the vehicle has been considerable and the
i-MiEV has undergone feasibility
studies in several countries around the world, including the United
States, Europe, the United
Kingdom, New Zealand, Iceland, Canada, and more recently in
Australia.
Utilising a large-capacity lithium-ion battery system and a
compact, high-output electric motor in place
of a traditional gasoline power train (based on Japanese and
European trial figures) the i-MiEV has
some impressive technical specifications for a zero drive-time
emissions vehicle.
Producing 47 kW of power and 180 Nm of instant torque, the i-MiEV’s
permanent magnet
synchronous engine is supported by a revolutionary lithium-ion
battery from Lithium Energy Japan.
The i-MiEV’s electric motor is smaller, produces more torque at low
revolutions and is quieter than a
similarly-powered turbocharged gasoline engine (according to MMC
in-house tests). Most importantly,
the i-MiEV’s engine is cleaner, producing zero drive-time CO2
emissions.
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