Farewell iMiev | Fully Charged

My last drive in the Mitsubishi iMiev.
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Fully Charged is an online show hosted by Robert Llewellyn (Red Dwarf, Scrapheap Challenge, Carpool), which looks at why we need to change how we think about energy consumption now. From looking behind the myths of renewable energy, to seeking the truth about electric cars, Robert Llewellyn demonstrates what the future could have in store for us all.

[@MrMatte0000]

Before watching your videos I was 98% against ever owning an electric car. But after watching your videos, and doing my research, I can honestly say I would 100% own an electric car. For the longest the range is what bothered me, you hear 80 miles and think "oh that's not far at all" but in reality it's going to cover 99% of the trips you make and then some. I have family that lives about an hours drive away by freeway, and even then that's only 50 miles. Drive all the way to their house, have the car charging while visiting, and have plenty enough to get you home. 99% of the people that are against electric cars have never sat down and done their research on the subject. They are cheaper to maintain, "fuel" is infinitely cheaper, taxes are cheaper, etc etc.

[@steviewonder65]

same argument for range can be applied to utility; Nissan Leaf has enough range for 95% of trips; subcompacts have enough utility for 95% of trips, so a subcompact EV will have enough range and utility for at least 90.25% of trips. Of course, a 150cc scooter (*) has enough utility for probably 50% of trips for those living in urban areas and a 250cc motorcycle (*) for outside of rural areas * and EV equivalent

[@Metal-Possum]

For small trips in urban environments, I'm all for bicycles or electric bicycles. They help against the traffic flow problems we have in densely crowded areas.

[@JChang0114]

MrMatte0000 You must live in Europe or some coastal city.

[@The8BitGuy]

I think if I lived in an apartment I would make sure that my electric car had at least double the range I really needed for a daily drive. That way if somebody took my spot or unplugged my car, I would still be able to get to work the next day. Or perhaps a plug-in hybrid would be a better choice.

[@bigviking0001]

Robert, For many years I was a hot rodder and drag racer in the states. I lost most of my vision and had to stop. As a result of not being allowed to drive, I started work on a bit of personal transport. It evolved into an electric powered trike chopper with two 500 watt wheel motors and 36 volt 7 AH battery packs. It was great to get me out of my "Petrol" mode and start me thinking about power as a basic entity. We need power to make things move. Petrol/ diesel stores power in liquid form, batteries stor power in electrical differential form, but both are power. I must say that I have found electrical power much easier to deal with. I can charge at my home and don;t have to bother going to the petrol station and getting smelly. When people ask what I do when the battery goes flat, I ask them what they do when the fuel gauge says "empty". Thanks for making us think. PS, have followed you for a long time. Miss Red Dwarf. Off to pick up some Chicken Vindaloo. LOL.

[@zapfanzapfan]

Rewatching old episodes, we really have come a long way.

[@fullychargedshow]

@polpotsdog There will be some very normal looking electric cars coming out in 2011, so you'll get a wider choice very soon.

[@c33r0k33]

Robert, thank you so much for sharing your experience with so many of us. It would have been neat to have had you interview both your wife and son about having the i-MiEV in the family the past year. ..teenagers!... I continue to look forward to seeing more fullycharged in the future. Best regards...

[@ayebrow]

I love returning to watch the early videos, which appear now to be incredibly prescient. Is this (09:11) where the sign-off began to take shape? “If you have been watching Fully Charged for the last year, and I know there’s not been that many episodes, thank you for supporting it…”

[@lawnmowerdude]

I will defiantly keep watching, I love your videos. They are very informative. I wonder what your next electric car will be?

[@fullychargedshow]

@greyareaRK1 We do indeed refer to a brush cutter as a strimmer, a zimmer is a walking frame for the elderly or infirm, and a plimmer I believe is a slang term for a plimsole, a now outdated Brit term for a flat soled trainer.

[@zapfanzapfan]

I was wondering what you were talking about there. Loose the"s" and you get the Swedish word for it :-)

[@dlittlester]

I'm starting to watch the old ones now. Used iMievs are coming up for sale, I hope.

[@zlozlozlo]

Finally someone addressed the issue of pranksters messing with street chargers. It's been my main concern with getting an electric car (other than I can't afford one and they won't be selling any in my country for about 2 more years) There is kind of an obvious solution to this, but it would get a bit pricy. I'm sorry for your loss. I love the show, I'll keep watching as long as you keep making it. Keep up the good work.

[@bilstonjay]

Thank you. You made me aware and interested in electric cars and sustainable driving. Without your channels I'd probably just see the petrol/diesel option as the best. Thanks for making me think about issues that I'd otherwise never consider.

[@harveybirdman74]

Hi, Bob. Surely Nissan would have to tee you up (pardon the golf buggy pun) to do a yearly review of the Leaf. You would have to be the most qualified EV media personality in the UK to do this? BTW we call Strimmers, 'Whipper Snippers' down here in Australia.

[@bestfrogs247]

Thank you for posting the video!

[@mysurlytrucker7510]

I have a E bike , and the distance I get is approx half what they say it will do , I still like using it , but feel it's high time some thing was done about the drivel talked, about what you are supposed to get , and what you do get ,my E bike is fab, it has changed my thoughts on them for the better, sadly it's still the age old range problems , as there's no speed charging for me , thanks for all the info most interesting .

[@zlozlozlo]

@fullychargedshow I drove a Citroen C-ZERO today (which is basically an iMiEV) and I got a good look at the standard charger plug. There is a circular hole under the button on the handle. If you put a padlock through that hole, people can't press the button which means they can't unplug the charger from the car. The people from Citroen had it locked in the car this way.

[@alexjenkins1079]

Have you heard of Bombardier's "Primove" inductive charging system?

[@DLonergan]

I'm dying to have an electic car all because of you keep up the good work :D

[@tannerbeverley26]

Hey fully charged! Looking at a 2012 imiev, are they comparable to this?

[@lucasskywalker]

Simply a great show.

[@angelorestrepo]

Hello, I will be looking at three used electric calls tomorrow and really need advise. There is an 2012 iMiev with 25,000 miles on it with for less than 6K. Nissan Leaf 2011 with 43,000 miles for 6k dollars and a Smart fortwo for 5k that has 20,000 miles. Which one of these three calls would someone recommend for me? I kind of dislike the idea of paying $80 a month for the smart fortwo battery program. I heard that the Nissan Leaf has better range and less costly battery then the iMiev. How long would it take to charge these cars on a Standard 110V?

[@K22MDL]

Looking at buying one of these tomorrow. Any usres with any info please?

[@azispratama92]

is it safe to drive in tropical area like Indonesia?

[@TobyMichaelPortableTechReview]

I'm in the US and my local Mitsubishi dealer has a 2012 with 8000 miles for less than $8000. I also recently purchased a Nissan leaf which I love. It is a 2013 with 28,000 miles which I paid $12,000. From your experience would you recommend purchasing the Mitsubishi I as a second commuter car in a two-person family?

[@sleekitwan]

'Back-catalogue-ing' still and it's really interesting and enjoyable. 7:20 'expressed some of that emotion to him' over the unplugging of the electric charge lead. Like it. It's like a little potted history of the quite rapid change in the electric vehicle market in the years 2010 to 2016 (so far!), and in that time, it's gone from Priuses being the most ugly boring cars on earth and expensive, to Nissan LEAFs now going for about £6000 used, with only a handful of years and middle-aged mileages on them. Starting to gain some momentum now, and some traction pardon the pun. As I ponder fitting the 3 replacement radiators to my 5-cylinder turbo diesel Volvo circa 2003 you can imagine the maintenance comparison between ICE cars and electric now weighs considerably on my mind!

[@eldictator1]

How was it in this snow and cold temps?

[@srfrg9707]

The paintwork reminds me the 2CV Charleston's one.

[@stevenslough1515]

STILL driving "Mi-EV" Still LOVING it after almost 8 years !! Thinking about a Chevy BOLT as a eventual replacement. Perhaps a 2 year old ( 2017 ) See you in Austin in a few days !!

[@samusaran7317]

How many miles is on it?

[@samusaran7317]

I purchased a 2012 Imiev with 31,000 about 5 months ago

[@samusaran7317]

Im interested in something like a 55 kwh Zoe

[@samusaran7317]

Sadly it wont ship to the USA

[@samthomas1457]

@@samusaran7317 How's it been?

[@timaustin2000]

Okay Rob; are you getting a Leaf? Its at the very top of my Christmas list, personally!

[@greendude96]

How it was to drive the iMiev in the snow?

[@Boodieman72]

So what are you going to replace the iMiev with?

[@dennisrichards2540]

updated building regulations would be an important step in the adoption of EV's. They should make all housing come with at least one parking space or a garage (that can be updates with charging points in needed). Even if a buyer doesn't have an electric car I think its normal in the 21st century to own motorised transport. If someone lives in an apartment block the architect should incorporate parking (and EV provisions) as standard.

[@lmlmd2714]

This. It would certainly help a lot, and in many countries such as Australia it is trivially easy, since almost all homes come with at least a carport, if not a full double garage anyway. In Britain the main problem is the massive legacy of poorly designed terraced housing, so for European countries I think whilst the building codes definitely need to incorporate parking and charging from the get go, there also needs to be a big effort to develop a standardised system for "roaming" on home utility bills installing basic poles by all kerbside parking in residential areas with basic 220v charging that is billed to the user as part of domestic usage, with the costs of the maintenance built into the residents parking permit.

[@deejaydoubleyoo]

2:16 I thought I received a text message on my iPhone! LOL

[@Beanoraa5]

I can buy a 2011 Citroen c zero at 11.990 with 800 miles on the clock would this be a good buy

[@Octamed]

Any chance of a Volt review on the show? As of right this second it's the only EV I could safely recommend to my parents. Which for me is the true test of mass market acceptability :) Their smallest common journeys are between 60 and 110 miles, so if EV's came with an optional generator trailer it'd be fine, but until then an onboard one is the only option, which only Volt and plugin Prius seem to be doing oddly. The Volt looks quite nice all round I think.

[@Octamed]

@advandermeer they do that already :) They can also sms you if you don't have a smartphone. It also tells you charge level and where the nearest points are. Look up 'chargepoint' who are one of the big players in points.

[@t8polestarcyan22]

Hopefully you'll say hello to Mitsubishi's new EK X EV.

[@fernsemer]

"Induction charging pads",, might work well at parking spots. But batteries have already proven sufficient for local driving. So I think they're real value would be in building them into freeways and open roads for additional range. Charge as you drive,, As range extenders. And not every stretch of highway like some silly person would think,,but where they do make sense! Such as an upgrade or 20 mile stretch of highway!

[@pcdeflopes]

congratulations; next Tuesday I'm drive an electric car for the first time, the Nissan Leaf; can't wait; did some math on the numbers you refered, 120 £ for 8000 miles, and it turns out to be 1.10 euro for each 100 Km, and that is amazing!

[@eldictator1]

@polpotsdog There'll probably be an electric golf in 2012/13 or the Eup VW in 2012-13 amongst a handfull of others, like volvo, honda jazz etc

[@Octamed]

@DingoBabyEat one plus of Australia though is we've got 230-240 volt as standard with optional 3 phase fairly easy to install. That gives an 8 hour charge for over 160k's Also look up 'Better place Australia' they're currently kitting out Canberra with charging infrastructure so for once we aren't the last place to do something cool ;)

[@DanFrederiksen]

thank you

[@Yahgiggle]

why dont they install induction charging pads under carparks and even parts of roads so when your say driving your car its charging at the same time they could use a system that talks to your car and then bills the owner for the power used ? they wouldint need to do every street but when they redo a road install this system at the same time over time all roads will charge your car

[@ThalassTKynn]

Hopefully your iMiev won't be crushed! So what happens now? Will you try and acquire a Leaf, perhaps? I'm planning on buying a Tesla Model S when they come out, but until then i'm converting a motorcycle to electric power. Long live the EV!

[@AndrewBryantPianoTuner]

R.I.P. Top Gear!

[@toyotaprius79]

@megamidget24 Can you! I thought GT5 only introduced the Tesla Roadster.

[@thinfourth]

I'm sure i saw you on countryfile following adams tractor unless there is another white icar in the area.

[@oilerlord6513]

I'm deciding between picking up a used i-MiEV or a Leaf. As quirky as the Mitsu is, I'm leaning toward it because it's lighter, is rear wheel drive, and the cargo space is more usable. I like the minimalist design too.

[@lmlmd2714]

Did you get it? I'm just about to get one and am really looking forward to it. I was drawn to it for the same reasons - plus the ease of parking and driving on the narrow congested roads that Britain seems so fond of.

[@t8polestarcyan22]

Wouldn't be nice for Mitsubishi to give an full EV program another go? But this time on Eclipse Cross and Outlander cause so far you only have either of them as PHEV.

[@cosmotippy]

I found a 2012 model with about 9k on the odometer for about 9k. Is it worth it or not? I am sure you will say it is, but I live in the middle of the U.S. in a small city on the Mississippi river. It has one Tesla fast charge station, but other charging stations I do not know about. Maybe for me a hybrid is the answer. What say you? Thanks

[@chamaeleotube]

+Dusty Life with an electric car is brilliant but (1) you will probably want a gas car for longer journeys unless there are public rapid chargers on your long distance routes (2) the range is cut in the winter, although I guess Mississippi isn't ever that cold (3) Pretty sure Tesla Superchargers only work for Telsa cars. The MiEV has a range of 70-100 miles so for your daily ride it could be great

[@cosmotippy]

chamaeleotube Thanks for your input, I have considered the perils of electric in my area, and have decided that a hybrid could be the answer.

[@Octamed]

@giantquesadilla would be pretty easy for car manufactures to add that without breaking the standard

[@banpowel9784]

It's not a positive experience for those living in apartments, this is 2021 now, and Still no progress, some charging posts on the streets, but, always occupied by non EVs. Still paying membership charges using public chargers. So far a bad experience, now considering a small engined petrol car.

[@greyareaRK1]

@fullychargedshow Thank you. My education is now complete. ;-)

[@gerbre1]

I wonder if this iMiev still exists.

[@Prodigious1One]

No one has ever unplugged my cars. But the Nissan Leaf has a lock for the charge port.

[@manoman0]

You'll only cut the cord of a charger once. lol.

[@Simon-dm8zv]

2019

[@Yahgiggle]

they should just have your car key ulock them or it locks when your cars locked

[@mrnexus8seven949]

Your headrest is not elevated... in a rear shunt that force will snap back and risk breaking your neck where the top of the headrest sits. It happens and is also forms part of the driving theory test... raise the center of the head rest so your ears are in the middle point for maximum safety.

[@Planet_Brent]

Incidentally, Chris Paine is now saying a U.S. gallon of petrol takes 4-7 kWh of electricity to refine, this in an organicconnectmag (I guess Google it?) interview. Like always, I don't know what his backup data is.

[@backwoodsbungalow9674]

It would be interesting to trace this car and find out if it is still in use.

[@chrismarshall25]

I've just checked and the car is MOT'ed and TAX'ed. When it was last MOT'ed Oct 2021 the cars mileage was very low - 15,798miles.

[@JohnCBriggs]

I can't believe it has been one year already. Seems like only yesterday that the trial started. I get a sick feeling in my stomach when EVs get taken back from their owners. Of course I know in this case that it was part of the plan from the beginning.

[@rahuldevcp6780]

👍

[@greyareaRK1]

Strimmer? I thought all the rhyming words in The Rimmer Song were made up. So what, dare I ask, is a Zimmer? Plimmer?

[@russiandrivers9986]

Wow, how times have changed. All of this seems so quaint now.

[@samusaran7317]

It does have a charm huh?

[@mtty1988]

Petrol strimmer

[@LoriCiani]

Sorry to hear that you are losing your iMiev. Of course I'll keep watching, how else is this non tech person going to keep up with things? : ) My youngest son has recently got his driving licence and I know that if EVs were more affordable that he'd love to buy one.

[@aminorjourney]

Is it really a year? That's so sad. Thanks for helping to wave the EV flag this year. And here's hoping you'll get a new EV very soon!

[@zlozlozlo]

Guess they hadn't thought that far back then. Newer cars like the Tesla Model S do this.

[@johnbenton4488]

At least we still have a choice. When the oil becomes prohibitively expensive or no longer available, that choice will be taken away. So to postpone that day is most important. Yes, I know electric cars are not as fast, as easy, as convenient as ICE driven cars, but pretty soon all cars (while they are made) will be electric. Hydrogen fuel has so may disadvantages, primarily that of cost, that it will never be a viable alternative (unless you want a single-seater that weighs three tons and does 4mpg.)

[@timaustin2000]

Okay Rob, here's the big question; will you be buying a Leaf? I would!

[@samusaran7317]

I wouldnt

[@DanFrederiksen]

oh btw, should you tire of defending EVs on range limits then perhaps embrace the idea of a small range extender generator onboard. could be a 2 cylinder. it only need to provide the average motorway cruise power. a decently aerodynamic car, even one made with crude steel, needs no more than 15kW to move along. then you have best of both worlds. EV most of the time and ICE if you should need it.

[@teslawizardvvv3]

Sorry to see the miev go. well maybe a vw up! ev. Or a Focus EV. As have a locking and system when the car is charging. It will start in the cities and move out to country. But trollies could work with EV's. Good show.

[@toyotaprius79]

So...what are you going to drive now. That Land-Rover or are you going to buy a Leaf

[@bored1980]

Strangely enough, EV owners' wives always seem to drive them more than the EV nuts.

[@Octamed]

@zlozlozlo well people could also slash your tyres so there's some minimal faith in human nature going on :) Plus charging points can sms/smart phone app/email you when unplugged prematurely so the little bastards won't get too much satisfaction ;)

[@lifter1000]

I wasted so much electricity to watch this ):