Mitsubishi EV struck by static

The first fully electric car to go on sale in Australia had its plugged pulled yesterday. But it appears that it was only a temporary glitch.

The boss of Mitsubishi Australia, Robert McEniry, told the Carsales Network last month that the i MiEV electric car would go on sale in the middle of next year following another trial early next year.

But at the Tokyo motor show yesterday, the president of Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, Osamu Masuko, cast some doubt over the car's arrival, saying the export deal to Australia was not yet formally approved.

"I don't think [Australia] will be getting [the i MiEV]. It depends on how electric vehicles are evaluated in Australia," he told a group of Australian journalists during a roundtable interview.

"Also we have to think about the infrastructure ... and the government support.

"If Australia requests [the i MiEV] we can start out with a test vehicle and see how things go, but right now ... we haven't heard about any concrete requests yet [from Mitsubishi Australia]."

These comments are in stark contrast to comments from Mitsubishi Australia over the past 12 months... comments that have consistently said the car is coming.

When made aware of the president's comments, Mr McEniry said: "Certainly our plan is to be the first manufacturer to introduce an electric vehicle in Australia and our discussions with the i MiEV team at [Mitsubishi Motors Corporation] are progressing very positively to achieve that. We are the only country outside of Japan ... to have the car homologated [approved for sale].

"Within our planning horizon at the moment and discussions we've had, we are still on track [for a 2010 introduction]. I've heard nothing to the contrary to suggest that we won't be able to get the car next year."

He said some confusion may have arisen because the i MiEV export deal to Australia is yet to pass through some final internal checks and balances.

How many cars Australia will get will depend on global demand for the car, and the success of a second trial phase early next year.

Mitsubishi is giving preference to countries where there is government support for the i MiEV, including infrastructure and some form of tax incentive.

As with all new ground-breaking technology, early examples of the i MiEV are prohibitively expensive, but the cost of the car is likely to come down as production increases.

Current estimates put the price of the i MiEV somewhere between $50,000 and $70,000 -- about four times the price of a conventional petrol-powered car of similar size and performance.

But the i MiEV has a driving range of up to 130km without using a drop of petrol -- and can be fully recharged in eight hours from a regular power point, or recharged up to 80 per cent capacity in about 45 minutes on a fast-charger.

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