Frankly I never thought I would see the day when a drive in an electric car would generate all the enthusiasm normally dragged out of the more exotic petrol or diesel engines.
This all-electric vehicle is a joyto drive- Hugh Arnett
This all-electric vehicle is a joy to drive. Four people are wafted along on a suspension set up composed of MacPherson struts at the frontwith a three-link De Dion Tube at the rear.
The car is most easily brought to a very quick halt, partly because ventilated discs are a good way of ensuring vehicles stop quickly and matched to drums at the rear the whole package is decidedly ‘Cool’, and the twiddly bits are firmly kept under control by a superb electric assisted powered rack and pinion steering.
She comes with low rolling resistance tyres and handles like any other nicely made conventional car. Corners can be rounded with aplomb, straights are an invitation to use the accelerator, especially if the car is being test driven for enjoyment rather than cruising and I was particularly chuffed as we went into Naxxar using the stee-pest hill, the one with the tempting and rather odd bend adjacent to a pharmacy.
This little electric vehicle accelerated all the way up the hill and seemed to be pleading for more of the same. Truthfully however, if hills are going to be driven hard and fast the range may well be quite severely dented.
The kerb weight of the car is 1,100 kg and she develops 49 kw of power from between 2,500 rpm and 8,000 rpm. It is the torque figure that provides for even more fun. 180 Nm of pulling power developed at 2,000 rpm is equivalent to the normal two-litre torque curve of a conventional saloon.
So, although the I-MiEV has nothing but electricity to keep her going she leaves traffic lights like a mosquito aiming for the kill. Acceleration is brisk to the point where the driver feels the pull. Our maximum of 80 km/h comes up surprisingly quickly, 95 km/h is a bit of a doodle, and I would hazard a guess that the whole thing peaks out at about 110 km/h.
The automatic transmission is great and the power input is smooth and seamless. The lightweight permanent magnet synchronous motor works to perfection powered by a 330 volt lithium-ion battery rated at 16 kWh.
When driven at cruising speed the range is 150 km, probably a week commute for most working types in Malta and considerably more for those living in Gozo, and when you recharge the MiEV the plug lead is simply attached to the domestic supply overnight. However ifyou get caught, forgot to chargethe car 80 per cent charge can beinputted in only 30 minutes sothe lucky owner is not seriouslyinconvenienced at all.
This car is 3,475 mm long, only 1,475 mm wide and 1,610 mm high so it can be parked most easily even in our overcrowded conditions.
Standard features are always interesting and the package comes with a regular charging cable and Control Box with a quick charging function. There is a very important energy level gauge, rather like the conventional fuel gauge. She also has a regenerative brake system, which invites people to use the brakes to keep the charge rate high.
ABS, anti-lock brakes ensure the wheels don’t lock under braking and there is also electronic brake force distribution [EBD]. Surprisingly for one so small the car comes with Active Stability Control [ASC], which will help keep the occupants happy in less than ideal road conditions.
The body is equipped with all the normal safety features and apart from seat belts there are six airbags. 15-inch wheels help to provide a comfortable ride, heated front seats might not be of great importance to us in Malta but the projector type halogen headlamps are, and interestingly this car had permanent lights on during daylight.
There are colour keyed door mirrors, a nice leather wrapped steering wheel and shift knob the MiEv remote system, acoustic vehicle alerting system, and I noticed that although not listed as standard, my car had air-conditioning.
Unlike the old milk-floats that I grew up with which made their extremely slow approach audibly heard by the constant noise of milk bottles banging around, this I-MiEV is so quiet on approach that various pedestrians had the shock of their lives as they were going to blindly step in front of the car. I admit this scared me as well, and of course as town speeds are more often reverting back to the legal 50 km/h maximum a quiet electric vehicles approaching at anything over 30 km/h is a daunting prospect for all the protagonists.
Verdict
Comfort
Everything one needs is on board.
Performance
This sets my benchmark for all electric vehicles to step up to.
Cool
How cool can you get, and it is functional as well.
Quality
Twiddly bits kept under control
At a glance
Top speed
110km/h
0-100km
15 seconds
Economy
150 km between charges at cruising speed.
C02
No normal emissions unless the occupants are smoking.
Engine
Electric.
Power
Power 49 Kw from 2,500 rpm-8000rpm.
Maximum torque
180 Nm of Torque at 2,000rpm.