Mitsubishi Motors' new "i-MiEV" is the world's first mass-produced zero-emission minicar. It runs on a motor charged with electricity and emits no carbon dioxide. The i-MiEV reduces the "original sin" of automobiles that have polluted the environment and contributed to global warming.
A car that has neither an engine nor a muffler will debut on the Japanese market next month. Developed by Mitsubishi Motors Corp. the "i-MiEV" is the world's first mass-produced zero-emission minicar that does not need an internal combustion engine because it runs on a motor charged with electricity.
The car may usher in a new age of driving that does not require petroleum fuel.
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Mitsubishi's sales target for the i-MiEV in fiscal 2009 is a modest 1,400 units. The company will sell the vehicle only to corporate and government customers until April 2010, when the general public will also be able to buy this green car. The company hopes to sell 15,000 units during fiscal 2011.
The i-MiEV's per-kilometer cost of electricity is only 3 yen, considerably less than the price of gas for the same distance. However, the car itself is certainly not cheap--about 3.2 million yen if the buyer qualifies for a government subsidy for green-car owners.
