I’m on holidays with the kids at the moment and last week I left them with my parents and traveled down to Melbourne to attend a really exciting event and spend two child free days in the city.
My husband loves cars and my brother is a mechanic so they were a little jealous when I said I would get to test drive the i-MiEV. My brother started talking about all the features it’s suppose to have and I just couldn’t follow along when he started going on about the advantages it will have on our environment and all the specs it is suppose to have. When this happens I just seem to teleport myself to another universe and totally zone out of the conversation.
I don’t know how to change a tyre and a few months ago I locked the steering wheel in my car and had to call my husband to explain how to take it off. Oh boy, that was a little embarrassing. Now I’ve gone and told the whole world so I guess we have no more secrets.
I’m a simple girl. I’m not fussed about what I drive. I’d like to drive a safe and reliable car and being cute doesn’t hurt but at the end of the day a car is simply a tool used to get from A to B.
Put your hands up if you agree with me?
I went to the event not really knowing what to expect. I prayed to the car gods that they kept it simple, I didn’t crash the car and I went home with a clear knowledge of what they were talking about and with something positive to tell you.
So what did I learn you ask?
The i-MiEV is Mitsubishi Motors ultimate eco car. It is driven and powered using electric power and has zero drive-time emissions. It is designed for people who live in urban environments and travel no more then 150km a day. The car is charged using a standard fifteen watt outlet and can be charged over night in your garage.
Electric cars aren’t anything new, in fact they have been around since the 1970s and they are used in other countries all over the world. It’s only now that they are really starting to make a mark in Australia and it won’t be long before were seeing them everywhere.
The i-MiEV is the car of the future and I feel really excited about the concept of the vehicle, lowering our carbon emissions, lowering my husband’s budget and shaping a better environmental concept for my children.
There were so many things I loved about the i-MiEV. It looked just like any other car, it was sexy on the inside with all the mod cons including heated front seats and usb connections for all of our modern addictions like iphones and dvd players for the kids,
The dashboard was easy to navigate and easy to understand and it is so smooth to drive and fast, really fast. What I loved most was that it had enough space for four adults or you could make it into a family car with car seat attachments in the back.
Like I said earlier in this story I went into the event not knowing much about cars and I still don’t know a lot about cars but I feel I came out a little wiser and really excited.
Right now the i-MiEV retails for $48,800 and there is only a limited amount in the country but as production grows and the prices comes down I see this little car being the perfect solution for a second family car and one day the car I hope my children will be driving as their first car.
I unofficially popped my vlog cherry last week so this is my second go at a vlog {be nice} so why don’t you sit back, relax and enjoy a few of the highlights from my day with Mitsubishi.
To top off an awesome day. Mitsubishi has a little something for you too. A beautiful Mitsubishi gift box filled with wonderful goodies valued at $200 and how do you win you ask? Well all you have to do is answer this simple question.
What do you think about the Mitsubishi iMiEV? Is it really the car of the future?
Share your thoughts {good and bad welcome}. This giveaway will be open 28/10/2011 and all entries must be also include an your e-mail address so I am able to contact you.
Terms & Conditions
Alisha
on Oct 11th, 2011
@ 8:52 am:
I would say yes – this car has everything that the modern urban dweller needs. We care more about design and the environment than specs and want a car that reflects this. I love it. You lucky thing!
[Reply]
Alisha
on Oct 11th, 2011
@ 8:54 am:
I would say yes – this car has everything that the modern urban dweller needs. We care more about design and the environment than specs and want a car that reflects this. I love it. You lucky thing!
[Reply]
Natalie
on Oct 11th, 2011
@ 10:07 am:
Is it the future no. Well maybe the next 10 years for sure, Electric cars are an amazing concept and I am all for it. But I think as far as the future for cars and the future for our environment I want/hope to see more.
I am currently about to buy a new car for myself and my tween. Were downsizing and upgrading to a small economical car and right now hybrids are the top of my list. Perhaps if I lived in a major city I would consider the i-MiEV, but there is one thing that worries me. As a car you get 150km before you need to charge which will take 7-8 hrs at least. As a consumer with the cost of living going up has there been any research done on the effect this will have on the household electricity bills? Perhaps maybe it will not be as much of an issue as more and more people upgrade their homes with solar/wind electricity
I think the car of the future to be solar powered able to plug into wind/solar/water (powered) stations. As a country we need to encourage using natural resources. I definitely think it's the right first step in many for the car of the future
[Reply]
Zoe
on Oct 11th, 2011
@ 10:54 am:
I would have one as a second car, but I would need somebody to remind me to charge it.. Im bad enough with my iphone!
[Reply]
Danielle309
on Oct 11th, 2011
@ 3:40 pm:
Natalie, depending on your electricity costs it is roughly $4 per charge. If you plan on using for city driving it can only do around 100kms not 150kms like they are advertising. So if you charged every second day it would be $16 per week…so in that respect it is probably cheaper than filling a car. But, for a tiny, tiny car the money you save on petrol is probably miniscule compared to the ridiculous outlay of over $50,000. Plus, if you ever wanted to travel (ie, any distance greater than 150kms) you would need a different car anyway. Also, the car and its parts are all shipped from overseas and I'm pretty sure the method of getting the car to Australia is not at all environmentally friendly. Also, I see the guarantee of the battery is not that great…I think 5 years and they cost $10,000 for a new one. They say that after 10 years the battery 'should' be working at about 80% efficiency. Production of the battery and the environmental aspect of production would be interesting as opposed to a petrol/diesel engine. I remember reading about the Prius and the parts of that car (hybrid) are shipped from all over the world, Germany, Asia etc, most probably on big diesel operated ships polluting the oceans. I think the only environmentally friendly mode of transport is riding a bicycle or walking! If you want to reduce your carbon footprint, I don't think buying one of these cars is of much benefit.
Just my opinion.
[Reply]
Kellie
on Oct 11th, 2011
@ 3:47 pm:
I think eventually, yes. To me there still needs to be a lot done to make electric cars suitable for everyone.
My partner travels over 100km each day just to and from work, so it would be impractical for him. For me, it would be perfect because I wouldn't need to go far at all.
Maybe one day
[Reply]
Talia
on Oct 11th, 2011
@ 4:52 pm:
I think it has a lot of good features. Like you say- when the price goes down, this could be a pretty nice second family car!
The USB function sounds pretty cool!
[Reply]
Amy
on Oct 11th, 2011
@ 8:55 pm:
I think it's cute (and only one windscreen wiper blade to have to replace? Hell yes!) but I don't think we could afford the initial outlay when we'd still have to keep our second car for long distance driving.
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third room studio
on Oct 14th, 2011
@ 5:23 pm:
hmmm, I think it's definitely A car of the future, perhaps not the ONLY car of the future. It's pretty sharp looking and I can see myself driving it!
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bardie
on Oct 16th, 2011
@ 5:53 pm:
I could see a lot of celebs driving these little babies. They look cute. They're practical and fast enough to zoom pass all those papparazzi lenses
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MichVee
on Oct 18th, 2011
@ 8:55 pm:
I like the appearance and some features but I'm just not convinced that this is the way to go in the future. The whole 'charging' of the car, I mean, what if you forget and then there's an emergency?! I've only just recently got my licence (aged 32!) so for me I will stick to my beautiful new car that my proud hubby bought me!
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Car City
on Oct 22nd, 2011
@ 10:11 pm:
Nice car.
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sapna
on Oct 24th, 2011
@ 11:13 pm:
I liked the car and its features. I feel at present the car is expensive but if we go by supply- demand rule, if the supply of the car increase,then price will definitely come down and middle class families can afford this and can use it for their day to day travel.i love it and would buy it as soon as it coems in my budget…
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