When the kind bods at Mitsubishi lent me one of their new electric cars for a weekend, at first I couldn’t help but worry “how do I charge it?” and “how far can I go with it?”. The answers turned out to be so straight forward I was sure they were pulling my leg – you charge it by plugging it into the mains and a full charge will take you quite a distance – roughly 80 miles. Perfect for staging a fun-filled, green weekend. So, we got some friends over and took a day trip in our new “space car”, as our intrigued pals called it. Getting four adults in this compact (electric) motor was no problem at all. It’s something of a tardis, with plenty of leg room all round and a boot that holds several bags of shopping or one fat dog very nicely.
Touch the fob to the little pad where y
ou would normally insert a key and the car chimes to let you know its ready, though it took a moment to realise it was ready to go – it makes the same sound when it’s on as it does off – none at all. Having never driven an automatic in my life I had the typical odd sensation of trying to press my left foot on a pedal that wasn’t there but within a minute I was used to it and surprised by how much punch the little thing could give you if you put your foot down.
Quiet, clean, rechargeable electric moped scooter is economical transportation that requires no license, registration or insurance. Legal in all 50 U.S. states. Travels up to 35 miles on one charge at speeds up to 20 mph powered by a 500-watt electric motor.
The i-MiEV is a joy to drive. Smooth and quiet and comfortable and I swear you get more looks from passers by than you would if you were in a Porsche.
My friends and I headed into the country to make the most of the sunshine. Little Mievy (getting quite fond of it now) ate the hills and glided round the bends of the Cotswolds. As we drove through some little towns, busy with their Saturday shoppers I switched to ‘eco’ mode (which drops the power to preserve the battery) and I almost gave in to the urge to wave at the people watching as I undertook the single easiest bit of parking in my life.
After a stunning walk along some ancient ruins we headed back into town for the local farmer’s market and surrounded by sustainably grown vegetables and organically produced cheese, pondered the state of green technology and hoped that more developments like this are coming because we really do need them.
On the way home we stopped into a petrol station for snacks and I couldn’t help take a picture of the car next to the pumps and smile at this little fossil-free wonder parked in front of something it might one day make obsolete.
Did you find this information helpful? If you did, consider donating.
