Test Driving an Electric Vehicle

At the recent Opportunity Green Summit 2012 in Melbourne, I had the opportunity to test drive a Mitsubishi iMIEV all-electric vehicle. As these are on the market for around $50K, driving an electric vehicle is not likely to be a common experience. Everyone who drives an electric vehicle talks about the quietness – this fooled me to, because when I took off I wasn’t sure if I was driving or rolling! I went around the block at Albert Park, in heavy traffic. Once moving with the traffic flow, there was some noise from the tyres, which was strangely re-assuring. Apart from getting used to the sound and the controls, it was very pleasant to drive, with a good, high seating position. The gauges clearly showed when the driving style was in the eco range or beyond; and when slowing, it showed the charging from the regenerative effect. As a leading edge technology for inner-city driving, it has lots of potential. Thanks to Tony from Chadstone Mitsubishi for letting me go for a spin.nImage: Matthew Parnell with Mitsubishi iMIEV and matching shirt

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