Mitsubishi Sport Air is i MiEV’s Cooler Sibling

[SVOboy]

For a few months, the Mitsubishi i MiEV electric car has been one of the new vehicles about which I have been truly excited. The i MiEV itself is being rolled out by the company over several years around the world, including in the United States. However, one of the biggest complaints about the i MiEV [...] Related posts:

1. Here’s Your Chance to Tell Mitsubishi How to Make its i MiEV
2. LA Auto Show: Mitsubishi i MiEV Test Drive
3. Mitsubishi Will Make 2,000 iMiev Electric Cars in 2009

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[Daox]

I'd drive it!

[MazdaMatt]

I love the giant glass. I'd like it if that was the "shape" of things to come

[NeilBlanchard]

Hi,

I wonder if the rear shape is right for good aero? It certainly is better than a VW Bug, but it may not be "enough". A truncated rear fascia would probably be better?

And boy, some "designer" went ballistic on the dash in particular, and the "circuit board" motif fails to work for me...


VIDEO: i MiEVs flog Mitsubishi's Drive@earth message

[MazdaMatt]

Just like my new blender, blue LEDs make everything cooler.

I agree about the PCB motif. Tacky for a "daily use" car.

[Rokeby]

Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard

I wonder if the rear shape is right for good aero? It certainly is better than
a VW Bug, but it may not be "enough". A truncated rear fascia would
probably be better?

I think that I've posted this somewhere else on EM, but it fits real nicely
here:

http://www.craigvetter.com/Movies/Streamlined_test.mov

It looks to be a very aerodynamically clean shape indeed. (And strangely,
looks somewhat like a Prius going backwards!!!) I will note that the body
has gotten quite a bit shorter than in the initial artist's conceptions from
some three years ago.

In a virtual world of proposed EVs that are butt-ugly, I really like the
shape of this car. It may not be all that practical out in the real world
-- too much glass, only 2 seats, etc. --but it screams it's function:
"LOW DRAG. And oh by the way, I'm ALL ELECTRIC too."

I'm waiting for a user-friendly-to-me EV. I'll get this one should it not be too
much delayed beyond the Nissan Leaf, BYD, etc, just to make folks sit up
and wonder out loud, WTF was that?

Not quite the befuddlement factor of the Aptera, but close.

[MazdaMatt]

If I had the money, absolutely I would buy this thing. However, it WILL be priced far out of the range of reasonable for "Joe Commuter"... just a case of early adopter syndrome... give it 5-10 years after full-scale release and we're set. 2 seats and 120mi (193km) range is all i would need. The g/f and I commute together anyways and we have a 50km round trip. 190km would get us to our home town which we visit often.

[NeilBlanchard]

Hi,

The "regular" iMiEV is rear wheel drive (yuk!) -- what wheels are driven on this version?

For an electric car to be rear wheel drive means that you would give up any meaningful regenerative braking.

[MazdaMatt]

Neil, i don't know if you should jump to that conclusion. Rear braking could certainly be an option in "typical" conditions, but when stomping the brakes, certainly you'd want the front to provide the vast majority. The only issue with rear braking is the rear wheels locking up. Lock up the fronts and you slow down to a stop. Lock up the rears and you spin and die. (or at least crash side or rear-on instead of front-on with airbag protection... liability thing). However, if you're not applying enough braking force to lock up the rears, there is no risk. Since it is clearly a computer controlled thing, it could be safely modulated.

The question is... did they do it that way? Or, the question is... with 120mi range, does it even matter? Get the cars onto driveways and start the technology shift, I say.