He's electric: but it's no picnic

ROADTEST MITSUBISHI IMIEV:What is life like with an electric car? We took the Mitsubishi iMiev home for 24 hours and discovered 'range anxiety'

THEY ARE the cars of the future, or so we are told. Plugs will replace petrol pumps and batteries will replace cylinders as we embark on the electric car revolution. Is it science fiction or science fact? We have driven electric cars before but always under the watchful eye of a man with a clipboard and a short leash. But for 24 hours things are going to be different. Mitsubishi are putting faith in their iMiev electric car, which goes on sale later this year, by letting us take it home and use it like we would a normal petrol or diesel car.

10.15am

We arrive at Mitsubishi on the Naas Road in Dublin to collect the iMiev. The iMiev has a top speed of 130km/h, seats four and weighs 1,105kg thanks to compact dimensions. Recharging takes six hours on a domestic 240v set-up or half an hour on a rapid charge system. We move off in total silence, much to the amusement of some passers-by, and to the absolute terror of a cyclist.

There is a flashing battery light on the dashboard so we return to Mitsubishi. A disaster? No, it was alerting me to the fact I had left the key fob in the boot.

11.00am

We have silently cruised into town, drawing lots of strange glances, partly because the car looks a little unusual, but also because it is so silent. Students wearing iPods sail across the road in front of me having little or no audible clues that I am coming. If I don’t kill a pedestrian today I will count myself (and them) lucky.

11.15am

We drive to the ESB charging point on Fitzwilliam Street. The spot in front of it is occupied by an Audi A6. I am pretty sure it doesn’t run on electricity. I decide to recharge myself instead by going to Starbucks. I get quizzed by passers by.

“Is that an electric car?” asks a motorbike courier.

“Yes, it is,” I say.

“Hope you have a long enough lead to get you home,” comes the Benson and Hedges-flavoured guffaw. I expect more of these as the day wears on.

12.45pm

We are on Fitzwilliam Street again, having returned 45 minutes ago. The Audi A6 is in the same spot but the car next to it has moved so that will do. After much head-scratching, I realise the charging post isn’t a fast charger but a regular three-pin plug socket. My plan to fill up quickly before heading for home is scuppered. With a three-quarter charge left, it’s time to head home to Drogheda. By the time we travel to Whitehall on the northside of Dublin, about 40 per cent of the charge has been used. It is another 46.7km home.

1.30pm

The iMiev has a top speed of 130km/h but, on the M1 motorway headed north, we travel at an “Eco” 80-90km/h, angering lorry drivers and get abuse from angry pensioners in a Toyota Starlet. Even at this speed it all feels a little strained. Anything faster and the power gauge will drop quicker than you can say “range anxiety”. Plus, the high-sided shape of the car and the narrow front track give it kite-like properties on a windy overpass. I’m now starting to sweat a little, but I dare not turn on the air conditioning in case of further power loss.

1.45pm

Now I am worried. I have reached the Drogheda M1 toll and the car is warning of impending doom. The gauge is now empty and there is a flashing plug on the dashboard. Unlike the regular orange petrol light in a car, which acts as a gentle reminder to get to a service station “sometime soon, but sure whenever you are ready”, this is more like a nuclear fallout warning light.

I am 10.4km from home and as I gently accelerate away from the toll, I am genuinely fretting. I am on a busy motorway and if I stop I can’t call out the AA to recharge me; they can just to tow me away to the nearest plug.

Earlier that morning I had checked in with Conor Faughnan from the AA to see what the options are for electric car breakdowns.

“AA will always be able to recover, obviously, so no electric cars will be stranded. We are making arrangements with the ESB so that all electric cars will be covered by AA. In the meantime, we are developing specialist electric rescue equipment. It’s exciting stuff. There are projections for 2,000 electric car sales in 2011, 6,000 in 2012. By the time these become evident on the road the AA will have the specialist resources in place to deal with them.”

By the time I get to the driveway of my house, I have driven 69.9km, with probably 5km left before the iMiev shuts down. It is amazing what a short distance 70km is, and how long six hours of charging can be.

1.56pm

Things change when you have an electric car. Especially one that has run out of electricity. I was supposed to collect my dad to bring him for a drive but it’s time to charge the car, so I pull out the cord from the boot and feed it through the window at the front of the house and plug it into the sitting room. My cat starts to gnaw at the cable. I remove him for his own safety.

Now I just have to figure out what to do for the next two hours, which is how long it will take to charge the car, based on its earlier performance. When fast chargers arrive, 25 minutes should be enough to charge a battery by 80 per cent. But at the moment this isn’t an option – and won’t be for most domestic users.

While waiting for the car to charge, you may ponder jumping on the bike and pedalling to your destination. After a few hours, you may end up musing on whether you need to go at all, and abandon the trip altogether. Perhaps that’s the grand plan:after all, if you can wait for the time to recharge the car, was the trip really that urgent? If all these questions don’t dissuade you of your desire to travel, all you can do is sit and wait.

4pm

The car has been half charged and, away from the perils of the motorway, the iMiev is fine. I’m no longer thinking of this as anything other than a car. It is comfortable enough, easy to park, as spacious as any A-segment car and a doddle to drive. My father is impressed by the iMiev, although he thinks they need to add some sound to it as we almost run over a fellow septuagenarian who doesn’t hear us.

6pm

After another 30km, it is time to get home and plug in the car again. Before retiring to bed, the charge has to be cut short. Leaving the front window wide open with a car attached to it would be a burglar’s dream. Mitsubishi had called to say they needed the car for a Government minister in the morning. They are sending a truck; if I drive it back they will have to charge it up again, and that takes about six hours at least. Can’t keep the minister waiting.

10am

It is day two and the photographer has arrived. After an hour of panning shots and motorway runs, the iMiev’s charge is starting to show the strain so it is just as well the truck has arrived.

11.19am

Our 24 hours with the iMiev is up. I drive it onto the back of the recovery truck and wave it goodbye. Yes it has brought me lots of anxiety but I can see its potential.

Around town it is ideal but away from the urban environment, and the vicinity of a plug, it gets a little scary. Sure enough, this will change when fast charging points arrive in numbers, but you can’t drive this car like a normal car in a variety of conditions and expect much range. For a short trip or two with a plug close by it is fine, but with an expected price tag close to €38,000, there won’t be too many private buyers. Retail examples of the car will be available at the end of this year, at which time there will be more certainty on price. The electric car is without doubt the future, but it has a way to go.

Factfile

Mitsubishi iMiev47kW AC permanent magnet synchronous motor (max power);

Max Torque:180Nm, 1-speed fixed gear;

Features: ABS (anti-lock braking system) with EBD (electronic brake-force distribution), brake assist, ASC (active stability control);

Top speed:130km/h; Range: 130km (EU combined mode, estimated); Warranty: three-year warranty and pan-European accident and breakdown cover; Annual Road Tax: €104; CO2 Emissions: 0g/km; Price: TBA, likely to cost around €38,000

Running Costs:ESB estimates it costs €2 for a full charge. Based on 19,000km per year and if you got 100km from a full charge, it would cost €360 per year in "fuel" charges. Annual road tax remains at €104: tax band A is 0-120g/km so road tax still needs to be paid.

Compare this to a standard petrol supermini. A 1.2-litre Fiat Punto will cost €50 to fill and has a range of about 700km so 19,000km will cost €1,350 in petrol. This makes the iMiev 3.75 times cheaper to run per year, but you could have three Puntos for the price of the iMiev.