And, if you could keep that idea in your head, you could learn to love it. It was a terrible, awful, no good, rattly little death trap of a car… but it was an absolutely spectacular golf cart. When a truck – heck, a car passed you, you felt its wake. On I-290 outside of Chicago, the little Mitsubishi felt every inch a death trap, transmitting every expansion joint, surface irregularity, and cross wind directly through the cabin. I know, I drove an iMiEV for a few months in 2011 and again in 2014.
In the early, early days of the e-mobility revolution (read: before Tesla proved otherwise), most people thought of electric cars as glorified golf carts – and that’s kind of what the iMiEV was: a golf cart that would just touch 80 mph.Īt that 80 mph top speed, it felt just like a golf cart. Inside, the rear space of the little van folds fully flat for a bed, while the cabin can be configured with a low table, chair, and a rug to enhance comfort for dining and/or remote working (because of course you still have to work).Īlso interesting is this line from Mitsubishi’s release that reads, “the Minicab-MiEV B-Leisure Style is equipped with the MiEV Power Box, which can use the power from the drive battery to power electronics and appliances such as an electric kettle, a coffee maker, or a laptop, making outdoor leisure and work even more comfortable and convenient.” That sounds an awful lot like Mitsu’s been reading up on Rivian’s “camp kitchen”, doesn’t it?įrankly, that couldn’t hurt. It’s equipped with a laundry list of camping basics like roll-out awning, integrated camping table, and folding cot. Mitsubishi claims the Minicab-MiEV is fit for “solo camping” (though I’m sure you could get two people in there for an overnight golf outing). The second EV from Mitsubishi’s Tokyo Auto Salon portfolio is this pint-sized overlander, the Mitsubishi Minicab-MiEV B-Leisure Style. Minicab-MiEV B-Leisure Style Image courtesy Mitsubishi. Nissan’s version of the NKMV-built car, foreshadowed by 2019’s IMK concept car, is also expected to bow at the Tokyo show. Mitsubishi’s new electric runabout will have less than or equal to 63 hp… because that’s the maximum hp “allowed” in the kei car category.Mitsubishi will follow in Nissan’s footsteps and abandon the CHAdeMO charging standard for the more universal CSS standard.
The iMiEV delivered 160 km (99 miles) of range on the Japanese cycle and 62 miles on the US EPA cycle, which is pretty solid in densely packed cities.