Government agencies to receive all-electric cars

Three federal government departments, four state governments and industry groups will be among the first Australian recipients of Mitsubishi's innovative all-electric car.

The company on Wednesday announced the 28 members of its i-MiEV foundation group that had successfully applied to lease one of the cars when they arrive later this month.

The group includes the federal departments of climate change, environment and transport, state governments in NSW, Victoria, South Australia and Queensland, and capital city councils.

Businesses to receive an i-MiEV will include Google, Energex, LeasePlan and Carsales.com.

Mitsubishi Australia chief executive Masahiko Takahashi said demand for the vehicles had been high.

"The last 12 months have seen Mitsubishi conduct Australian trials of the vehicle with hundreds of potential owners, including local, state and federal government bodies, and major fleet operators, and the feedback from these test drives has been very positive," he said.

"However, the proof of Australia's acceptance of the electric vehicle comes down to whether people are ready to purchase the vehicle and there is no doubt that they are.

"We have three times as many applicants as vehicles at this point."

Mitsubishi announced 40 vehicles would initially be available, prompting applications for more 100 vehicles from 40 companies, it said.

The i-MiEV was released in Japan in July 2009. It uses a large-capacity lithium-ion battery system and a compact, high-output electric motor in place of a traditional petrol engine.

The motor produces 47 kilowatts of power and boasts a top speed of 130km/h and a range of about 160km.

It has zero emissions and based on current electricity prices will cost between $2.50 and $4 to charge.

Charging takes seven hours using a cable that plugs into a standard electricity socket, although the car also features a special high-speed charging outlet to allow for an 80 per cent charge in 30 minutes using a special fast-charge station.

An early production version was brought to Australia last year for the motoring media to drive and apart from the lack of any engine noise, performed just like a conventional vehicle of similar size and configuration.

Its dash was a little different, featuring a digital speedo and a gauge that showed how much power was being used or, under braking, being returned to the car's batteries.

Mr Takahashi said with 85 per cent of commuters in urban Australia travelling fewer than 100km each day, the i-MiEV was an excellent solution to reducing a driver's environmental footprint.

i-MiEV foundation members

Federal Government

* Department of Climate Change * Department of Environment * Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government * State Governments * New South Wales Government * Queensland Government * South Australian Government * Victorian Government

Local Councils

* City of Adelaide * City of Brisbane * City of Gold Coast * City of Marion * City of Sydney * Automotive Associations * NRMA * RAA SA

Organisations

* Better Place * Carsales.com * ChargePoint * Energex * Energy Australia * Ergon Energy * ESCO Energy Solutions * ETSA Utilities * GE Custom Fleet * Google * Hume Building Society * Leaseplan * Mitsubishi Australia Limited * Ozgene * Rock Constructions * Roche Products * St George Bank * Western Power

Additional reporting by Georgina Swan

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