Mitsubishi iMIEV – Real world experience

By Guest Blogger and Mitsubishi iMIEV owner Ben Faiola
Yes, it really works and it’s easy on my wallet, but most of all it feels good to know that I’m doing the right thing for Mother Earth and all the creatures that live on it.
I had done my research on electric vehicles before they even came to Canada. I looked for any information I could find on electric vehicles from all different countries: such as other EV owners experiences in hot and cold weather climate, battery range and what to expect from an EV in a real world driving routine. Imagine doing all this legwork without the internet?

Finally, in the fall of 2011, Mitsubishi announced they would make the iMIEV available in Canada. At the first opportunity, I went to the nearest Mitsubishi dealer to test drive the car and the first thing I noticed, was how quiet it was inside while driving and how smooth the acceleration was.  A few days after the test drive I decided to purchase the iMIEV, since it had enough range to take me back and forth to work on a single charge. My daily commute to work is approximately 75 kms round-trip and I can plug-in at work if I need to.
I went from $8.00 a day of gasoline to $1.20 in electricity use. The electricity costs are a little more in winter and summer months, since heating and cooling the car requires more energy.
There are four of us in the family, so the car fits perfectly for our lifestyle. We use the iMIEV for 95% of our driving needs, but for long distance travel we use my wife’s gasoline powered car. It has been one year since I purchased the iMIEV and it has been a very pleasant and enjoyable experience.
Ben has recently launched a website to help raise public awareness on plug-in vehicle availability and their environmental and economic benefits. Visit www.co2roadent.com for more information