Electric cars were never meant to drive across entire countries. Yet Mitsubishi took their i-MiEV (Mitsubishi Innovative Electric Vehicle) on a 28 day tour from Cape Spear, in St John’s Newfoundland, all the way across Canada to Vancouver British Columbia. The purpose of the journey is to allow Canadians to see for themselves that a zero emissions vehicle is a viable reality for all their city driving needs.
“For us, the Clean Across Canada Tour is our way of showcasing the technology and capability of this no compromise urban vehicle”, says Koji Soga, President and CEO of Mitsubishi Motor Sales of Canada. “The i-MiEV represents our values of renewable production, clean air technology, alternative fuel and conservation as represented by our tagline “Drive@Earth”. These are the values that guide our Company and they were the values we held close in the development of the i-MiEV.”
The i-MiEV is expected to travel up to 120km on a single charge with its 16 kwh lithium-ion battery. Upon stopping at one of its many daily events, the vehicle will be recharged using the Eaton quick-charging system before continuing on to its next location.
During the stop in Montreal, on August 24th, 2010, Hydro-Quebec reminded about its grand joint venture with Mitsubishi Motor Sales Canada Inc. The largest electric vehicle pilot project in Canada will be launched at the end of the year. Over a three-year period Hydro-Quebec will be testing up to 50 all-electric Mitsubishi i-MiEVs under various conditions, in order to assess the vehicles’ charging performance as well as evaluate the driving experience and the drivers’ overall satisfaction.
Courtesy of MMSC/Hydro-Quebec
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