While Rock’n August festivities are celebrating classic cars this week, St. Albertans also have a chance to see a car of the future.
The Alberta Motor Association’s Drive Green team was at the St. Albert AMA location on Thursday morning to give motorists a sneak peek at the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, an electric vehicle that could be hitting the North American market as early as this fall.
Dan Huang, a communications specialist with the AMA, said he thinks electric vehicles will be front and centre at the classic car shows of the future.
“We sure hope so,” he said. “Electric vehicles are pretty new right now on the market, but there’s a lot of interest, and we think something like this appeals to a lot of different segments.”
The car is also going to be part of the Rock’n August show-and-shine Saturday afternoon at Lions Park.
From the outside, the i-MiEV — which is expected to retail for $32,900 — doesn’t look terribly big, but without a bulky engine taking up space and the wheels pushed right out to the corners, the interior has as much space as some small to mid-sized vehicles already on the market.
The car is powered by a 330-volt lithium ion battery that is located under its floor. It can be charged either from a quick charge station — of which about 13 have been deployed across Canada in the last year, although none yet in Alberta — or from a household outlet. It will take six hours to charge from a 220-volt outlet, or 22.5 hours for a 110-volt outlet. The battery is covered by an eight-year, 160,000-kilometre warranty.
Huang got behind the wheel himself for a test drive Wednesday, and was very impressed, comparing it in size and feel to his mother’s Honda Fit.
“It was actually cool to feel like you’re driving it,” he said. “I was really impressed by the power and how well it ran. … I think it compares favourably to a regular car.”
The i-MiEV reaches a top speed of 130 km/h, and has a targeted cruising range of 135 kilometres on a single charge. The AMA estimates the operating cost of the car at just one cent per kilometre, with zero emissions and minimal maintenance, considering it doesn’t require oil or other engine fluids.
Aside from the lithium ion battery, the i-MiEV also has a 12-volt battery that powers the starter, seat heaters and auxiliary systems like lights, windshield wipers, power windows and air conditioning — all of which will be standard on the base model.
By the year 2020, according to research by J.D. Power & Associates, electric vehicles will comprise seven per cent of the total number of cars on the world’s roads. Huang said he is confident that appetite will carry over into Alberta, especially as gasoline prices continue to rise.
Aside from the Mitsubishi model, the Green Team notes that every major auto manufacturer has an electric vehicle — along with either an extended range electric vehicle or a plug-in hybrid — scheduled to come to market by the end of 2012.
While the AMA isn’t trying to push the i-MiEV or any specific electric model, Huang said they are trying to educate drivers about the available options and ways they can make their commutes more environmentally friendly.
“Electric vehicles are part of the future, and we’re just trying to let people know that these types of cars are out there for people to look at and get more information about,” Huang said.
For more information on electric cars like the i-MiEV and tips on reducing your environmental impact while driving, visit www.ama.ab.ca/greendriving.
