Mitsubishi i-Miev - A Great Little EV

[@phyzygy]

Best honest depiction of actual "range anxiety" on KZbin. Real people, no actors used. Thanks, James.

[@Jamesandkate]

No problem, we like to tell it how it is

[@rogerhudson2814]

Looks like it was normal motorway driving, apparently no use of the B or C gear? What a lovely car, Mitsubishi spent a fortune developing them, very well done.

[@toyotaprius79]

Mitsubishi should have kept on going or preserved tooling, it's sorely needed now.

[@geirrustungfryland8187]

Very nice town car who been ranked as one of the most trouble free and cheep to own and use in cold Norway where it must bee and big mistake to live by peoples ,just for polarbeers in the most off the year! Drove this small car allmost tre year now just fill air and el power from the grid at home only and run 12 /8 metric mile summer /winter ! none repair unless brake details ! Its more ekspensive to wear my shoes ! ;-)

[@michaelsummers9579]

I got range anxiety watching that, I need a drink!

[@Jamesandkate]

Michael Summers it was a tad stressful but all self inflicted 😳

[@JB-xu1pm]

James, great video. I got a used 2012 U.S. iMiev. I drive mine in around town. If out on the highways I will take a secondary road where I will cruise at 45 to 50 mph. At 65 with the air conditioning on I estimate about 3 or so miles per kilowatt hour. Never have performed a proper range test with the a/c at 65 mph. Around town with no a/c I can get 70-75 miles. My car does not have the chademo port. Only the J1772. Does not matter since there are no chademo chargers within 50 miles of us. Use it for errands. I used mine to teach my granddaughters how to drive. Excellent car for the beginner. With the rear seats flat an amazing amount of storage. Our primary ev is now a 2017 Kia Soul EV+. Really good range. It is like a limo compared to the iMiev. Both are fun but different.

[@t8polestarcyan22]

Love to see if Mitsubishi can go global its successor EK X EV.

[@ekhaat]

Lesson of the day: Never skip a charge

[@toyotaprius79]

ABC Always Be Chargin

[@TheObsessedGardener]

We are Aussie imiev owners. We love ours. Thankfully, we also have a fast charger less than 2km away from us. Sadly, it's being moved this week so we cant use it at the moment! Alas , free charging will resume shortly!!

[@WaggiesTravels]

I have the Ion, previous to that I had the BMW i3 REX, I never used the Rex and in fact I had several issues with the i3. As a stop gap I purchased the iOn and I have never looked back. I do 70 miles each day to work and 70 miles back, a lot of uphill (I’m in Cornwall) on the way there. I often arrive with either 1 bar flashing or with Turtle Mode. I use the Cambus app which even in turtle mode show 7% and in turtle mode I have covered another 5 miles.

[@toyotaprius79]

Update!

[@TimKirkmt]

Oh my god the tension as you counted down the miles....It just took me back to Sicily in the mountains - I actually started to get sweaty palms!!! - great little car!!!!

[@Jamesandkate]

I think I had sweaty palms too, but all good fun

[@fredericborloo1910]

James on range anxiety = epicly hilarious!

[@407bug]

48,000miles now and our is still going...does the days local driving..

[@gregoryosullivan]

Hi James and Kate, love your channel. I've had a 2012 i-MiEV from new in Australia. I get 120km range (75 miles) in actual use with no heating or AC. You do know there is a separate release for the chademo charge port on the floor by the side of the drivers seat? i-MiEV has about 10km range in turtle mode (6 miles). Fantastic little car. I'd be more than happy to buy another one if they updated with a higher capacity battery pack, alas that won't happen.

[@Jamesandkate]

Gregory O'Sullivan hi, that's excellent feedback. Since the UK government announced that petrol and diesel cars are pretty much finished from 2040 these being the cheapest BEV available have just shot up in price. I did know about the release, but the cable had stretched so I had to improvise, for there in the end. Thanks for commenting 😊👍🏻

[@worldhello1234]

"Since the UK government announced that petrol and diesel cars are pretty much finished from 2040 these being the cheapest BEV available have just shot up in price." Luckily those nutjobs are only interested in short term political gain and will give in if the backlash is fierce enough. :) "... these being the cheapest BEV available have just shot up in price." Yeah, that is some irrational bullshit, because this car is less of a car than a Leaf and disposable cars like this are going to be ancient technology in the year 2040. :D

[@samusaran7317]

@@worldhello1234 Remember outdated and useful are two different things. People to this day still play 1980s video game consoles....

[@JeanPierreWhite]

Use lastpass to remember the login details for the ecotricity app. Lastpass can also save the CVV.

[@sixpence4me]

Hilarious you cracked me up. Best video I’ve seen for a long while. Love your channel keep up the good work.

[@407bug]

Fast charge lever is under drivers seat..I had same issue first time too

[@canadiannuclearman]

you can get 2 I-mev's for the price of 1 Tesla S. if you have one I-mev at work fully charged in the work place you can drive your second i mev to work just as you reach the range limit. then take the first fully charged i-mev home and charge over night

[@407bug]

Great little car , but a town car .Lever for fast charge flap is right of driver seat base.I had same issue first time I chargedWe get 68-71 on the range it changes as to who drivers it. We have covered 5000 in it now and it's our go to vehicle but for town work .We only charge at home on cheap rate via a charger. Cost so far is 2-3p a MileRange drops in winter of if you have heat on by half. We have had many people off th lights !It's like going digital. City car ! Not.a long distance one. Great video

[@RZOCUK]

Awesome to meet you and have the chat.. EV FTW.. We are making an impacted :P keep up the good work...

[@Jamesandkate]

Renault Zoe & ZE Owners Club nice to meet you too Craig. Although watching you drive round Europe with Jan I felt we'd already met 😂

[@themerlin8555]

Many thanks for the recommendation , Sharvedda was an ideal place to stay on the North Coast and Patsy indeed looks after her guests very well , thank you James and Kate !

[@Jamesandkate]

the merlin were you there on Thursday evening when we phoned..??? It's amazing and one of our favourite places. Really pleased you enjoyed it and hope the weather gave you some nice views 😊👍🏻

[@themerlin8555]

James and Kate , yes that was me in a loaner i8 , have looked forwards to visiting that part of the North Coast from seeing one of your earliest Tesla videos , lovely warm welcome from Patsy , my thanks to you both !

[@The_Hero_Is_Back]

Great seeing this. I own an iOn - the Peugeot clone. Mine is much happier on A-roads than motorways, but it will do a motorway if necessary. Did Gravesend to Bournemouth recently, so it can go the distance when it has to.

[@Jamesandkate]

I was hoping to keep this for a few weeks as I really like it, sadly JP has sold it already so it's off to Aberdeen at the weekend.

[@mysurlytrucker7510]

So can i ask what you get in real world range wise , and what is the onbord charger rated at ie 3 or 6 kw.

[@timsmith5339]

Funny how we always make it! Has anyone actually run out and been stranded for real? I reckon all the sphincter clenching and doing everything you can to eke it out, along with a little reserve in the battery that is not healthy to use, but is sometimes vital, mean that the only fails are when the charger you get to is out of action. When the network grows a bit more it will be no problem. At the moment it can be a bit of an adventure though. Tim (22kWh Zoe - several multi hundred mile trips under my belt and not needed the tow truck yet!).

[@computerbob06]

About my only chance at EV ownership, but I would have to keep my Golf diesel for the many long trips I do. I hate driving my golf around town, inefficient and polluting. I could rapid charge it once a week and use it for shopping and work. I would by or let a Niro or 52kwh Zoe, but I can't afford it!

[@Eb3nez3r]

Great video, love my CZero :)

[@407bug]

Our shows 68-74 on a home charger full, does the day running around every day locally. 5800miles - £116 approx in electric, will be a year in Jan, car approx 28,000miles been fast charged once.! had same issue finding catch under the driver seat.The ecotricity app writing is too small! remember ya glasses. Service and mot due soon..good car fun to drive too off the lights

[@MrConor159]

The cable came of the cable puller thing for the chademo port. It's simple enough to put back in it seems likes it's a common issue.

[@canadiannuclearman]

i understand there is a flat bed train one can take from north east US to Florida . This would be great for EV's You should check out if there are flat bed trains in the UK. You could go from London to Glasgo Scotland on a train with a charger. There is an old 80's movie with actor Charles Bronson call "Love and Bullets" it shows cars on flat beds, you should check it out.

[@theden0minat0r]

Overtake your Tesla in an i-Mev, hilarious! I bet Kate was thinking, what is he doing!? LOL. Another awesome video.

[@Jamesandkate]

All I'll say is, she shook her head and called me a child....

[@theden0minat0r]

James and Kate LOL. That just made my day. Fantastic.

[@BTin416]

Does it have a display option that simply shows the kWh left in the battery, instead of a range estimate? That could be useful.

[@michaelowen7694]

Good to see the James and Kate "winging it" tradition is alive and well! Good point about the App. Shell are going to have an App for their first dedicated charging station. I genuinely don't get it. I do pay at the pump, credit card in the slot, PIN and away you go. There must be some reason for this but I can't see it.

[@danielfearns7125]

Michael OWEN Probably cheaper for them.

[@toyotaprius79]

Petrol is up to the 1.80s now

[@MarkGaudie]

Can’t beat a good old bit of range anxiety 👍😂

[@Jamesandkate]

I've not had it for a while :-)

[@stevencorrea7982]

I get it when I don't have money for gas no range

[@TRYtoHELPyou]

Great video half way in, I will have to finish it later. Speed timelaps behind tesla in autopilot would be very interesting to see.... Gratz to tye baby's parents. We are having #3 this week...

[@Jamesandkate]

Congrats to you and your family, Number 3, I can't even think about that :-))) Glad you're enjoying it

[@fineartz99]

I was so worried for you, James.

[@Jamesandkate]

Daniel Murray all in a days work Daniel 👍🏻

[@SripalTAD]

I miev is a lovely car. It has character. A city runabout.

[@pault5179]

Looking forward to Model 3 with long range battery 😀 Plan to keep the car and stay between 80% and 30%, or narrower for best battery life

[@ScottishEVOwner]

James, you drive like me. 55mph then get fed up and then horse it!!! Your turtle lasted longer than mines on the Leaf, got about 200 meters at 20 mph.

[@Jamesandkate]

Yeah I like to get there. The turtle, apparently from am owners prospective will give you 5 miles which is pretty good, Didn't experience any loss of power either

[@benbrown8258]

I know you charged up to 80%. But if you were just completely stop unplugged and then start the charge again you would get up to 100% on several different types of chargers.

[@407bug]

Ours does Balldock 34m with 4-5 bars left, haven't been further yet. Love ya range anxiety in this video lol Do you know how to get to the southcoast in one, as it wont get to winchester services m3, and the earlier one doesnt have a fast charger? Locally its great but not a distance car, as 80% of 62m is not a lot! especially when it may have lost a bit too over the years.

[@tomredman5411]

In the city for the purpose they were designed for ..UNBEATABLE !

[@koziat66]

Ecotricity please change the login issue for Touch ID for iPhone and take out the card number security check thumbs up

[@Jamesandkate]

Artur Bardo absolutely 👍🏻

[@m1aws]

And I'd like to charge to 100% too, just for that occasional time its required.

[@RWBHere]

Even better, get rid of the app and let anyone who wants to use their chargers pay by credit or debit card. Maybe input an additional code number if you're a customer. Simpler and no faffing around. Petrol stations do it, as does almost any retailer or wholesaler, so why can't electricity suppliers stick to accepted payment methods?

[@jur4x]

Apparently there are few charger manufacturers that do make ones with optional debit/credit card readers. It's just a shame that non of the charging networks in the UK use them.

[@jamesknightreading]

How fast had you been going, when you nearly ran out, James?

[@sleekitwan]

Just caught up with this video - nicely done, a genuine review. Anxious?! No James, that's when you have your little one in the car with you, and no following vehicle. One Ion owner denegrated it as flimsy and couldn't wait to get shot (of it). I have reluctantly come to the conclusion that by the time you have the correct motorcycle or car for motorways, you have all the issues that are problematic in town, or less useful on A-roads. In the city, it's multi-storey parking bays that get me with big cars. I came away from this, impressed the little vehicle did so much with it's 18.4kWh battery. No, it's not the reassuring size you might want on M-ways, but if the percentage of the time you are on those big roads is 5% say, and you are a capable driver, not intimidated, it's not in practice an issue. As I said to our daughter today, despite fog, rain and dark, I nearly rear-ended a car I could see perfectly well just 3 feet in front of me at a junction - he went to take away, then abruptly changed his mind (with good reason) and I had done that thing of looking to the traffic coming, and just turned back in time to slam-on. Conclusion I said to the young one, was that for me at least, accidents seldom happen when I expect them - it's most often left-of-field. Not a pile-up on the motorway, when I might expect and be driving defensively and alert for it. More likely a stupid prang borne of an unexpected confluence of events.

[@407bug]

Did you see the video on the tesla power wall recently on another well known ev bloggers site?

[@craigevans6156]

Johnathan lent me the Peugeot version of this car for ten days in January during a cold spell and for me the real issue was the range. Otherwise a brilliant little runabout.

[@Jamesandkate]

This one actually managed 62 miles on the motorway which i was very impressed with. I think 70 miles is possible but they are really a town/short distance BEV. Also the heater is a resistance type which is largely inefficient in comparison to modern heat pumps. Still a fun car though :-)

[@worldhello1234]

It is derived from a keicar. Mitsubishi turned a keicar into an EV.

[@blueyedboymrdeath]

Here in cold New England, I use a 12V travel blanket and heavy wool socks in winter, to minimize power consumption. I do think the iMiev's defroster is a bit inadequate though, and have had a few nervous moments driving while peering thu a small clear patch of windscreen (no good place to pull over until it cleared.)

[@crashbox7130]

I live on one of the remotest of the Scottish islands and I don't pay anywhere near that much for petrol. Think it's around 125p/litre. Filled up on the neighbouring island last week, for 122p/litre.

[@Jamesandkate]

Crash Box first of all, I'm jealous. I'd give my right arm to live up there but the other half isn't having any of it. With regards to fuel, It's been creeping up slowly but surely, as it always does. However £4 for 120 miles is a winner.

[@crashbox7130]

I can definitely agree that £4/120 miles is a winner. I was down in Worcestershire in early September and I can also definitely say without any exaggeration that I'm in a perfect place. My four-mile commute sees one Post Office van and two cars going the other way. The tailbacks on the M5/M6 interchange ATM are horrific. Another thing that struck me on my first day in Worcester was the (mainly diesel) fumes. I felt like I should have been wearing a face mask to protect my lungs. No exaggeration there either.

[@Jamesandkate]

Hopefully the diesel fumes will fast become a thing of the past :-)

[@robsmith1a]

Always enjoyable to watch your videos. That is scary range, I've never been below 30 miles range (yet). What would you have done if the chargers had been down? Ecotricity aren't allowed to keep the code on the back of the card but direct debit would work more easily in my opinion, easier still fitting contactless card readers on the pumps. It would probably be a good second car though.

[@Jamesandkate]

I think a direct billing system would be great as you say, and it's 2017 so this should already be in place. I'm always pretty happy with Ecotricity, only twice have they let me down and that was years ago. LFE has 4 rapids so pretty well catered for. Hows are you getting with yours? was chatting to a local guy last week with a Q90 for his wife and a R90 for himself, he thinks there under 15 mins difference in charging speeds :-/ i think you made the right choice with yours!!!

[@robsmith1a]

James and Kate I got a steady 22kw when I charged and at home I get 7kw so it charges relatively quickly. The car seems to have loosened up now I have had it six months and seems a little more responsive. I had a steaming up issue cured with gel sacks under the seats and I upgraded the headlight bulbs too, really pleased with it and now that I know that other cheaper EVs won't be better on range for a few years I am extra happy. Hope your new addition to your family is bringing you both joy.

[@samusaran7317]

@@robsmith1a Gel sacks??

[@robsmith1a]

@@samusaran7317I bought couple of silica gel sacks on Ebay to help keep the cabin dry. I have since found that setting the climate control to 22 degrees seems to be the magic temperature for keeping the windscreen mist free in damp weather. I've had the Zoe 3 years now, been great though recent weather really makes me want a convertible. Th only electric one seems to be the Fiat 500 and that's way too expensive.

[@samusaran7317]

@@robsmith1a Thank you

[@bfbf3342]

79p per KW now at the public"fast🤨" chargers....So that's 22p per mile for my 10 year old C Zero .. my Diesel was giving me 17p per mile go figure?

[@stevemccormack9948]

The iMiev is a fun little car. Been around a long time. Its curious how they never upgraded the battery to give it a bit more range. Also, I believe they have now stopped making the car and seem to have no replacement, now that the EV market is getting busy...

[@Jamesandkate]

Absolutely spot on on both counts. I think the battery upgrade was never an option. if you could see the space it fits in that will explain :-( They really do need to bring another model to market very quickly or they may well find themselves in the shelf.

[@samusaran7317]

@@Jamesandkate Even a small bump in capacity could do the car wonders.

[@canadiannuclearman]

i live in Thompson Manitoba Canada. it was minus 40c today. How does EV handle (range?) in low temps like that? Here in Manitoba electrical power is only about 7cents per Kwhr. because of all the Hydo dams.

[@LesRadwell]

I think the fact that you both wanted to drive the Tesla home says it all lol

[@Jamesandkate]

I think most people would take the Tesla, but genuinely I like to get a feel for all the cars and then i'm best placed to offer advice. This one actually isn't as bad as people think, its pretty capable for it's designed usage :-)

[@TheObsessedGardener]

Not a fair comparison. We didn't pay $100 000 for our electric car. You can't park the Tesla where we park our imiev. They're also rarer now in Australia. We did all the sums and got rid of our petrol powered vehicle for our imiev. Best move ever.

[@aac6563]

I have one and I love it

[@samusaran7317]

Me too. Sadly I think the on board charger needs replacing.

[@aac6563]

@@samusaran7317 I'm sorry. Hope you find it and at a reasonable price

[@kopasznyaku]

Mitsu : you double the range Mitsu : you go halves with production cost /retail price Me: visit the shop to buy one

[@midwestslim]

thank you....

[@Jamesandkate]

My pleasure

[@t1ghe]

The M6 service fuel prices are just down right disgusting tbh. How can the same company charge 20p less a litre back in the town centre?

[@jur4x]

I thought it is all the same at all motorway services? Way more expensive then in a town nearby

[@t1ghe]

jur4x It is I just mentioned the M6 because I noticed it in the video.

[@Jamesandkate]

The 49p a kWh that they'll be charging is also disgusting. It makes it about the same cost as running and ice car. There is a positive though, the higher the price the more will resent and hopefully change :-)

[@t1ghe]

James and Kate what is the price usually?

[@andrewgage6942]

Range anxiety and using apps to use a charger is the only things that put me off owning and driving an electric vehicle especially as I can only have a small vehicle due to where I live and as I have a round trip of 70 miles of mostly motorway driving, I am still very dubious about buying an electric vehicle. I'd ideally like a Smart EQ as it is just the right sized vehicle for where I can park, at present I own a Smart diesel, not as cheap as an electric vehicle to run, but no range anxiety

[@vladzis]

Just recently been in the same situation as you were, only then I’ve noticed how hilly it is between Donington and LFE 😃 and I had 650kg cargo inside

[@Jamesandkate]

The thing is, you're a hardened EV ninja, if you ran out it would be more embarrassing. I agree, it's uphill for 5 miles :-( not great, especially with that payload. Will you be upgrading to the new ENV when it arrives????

[@vladzis]

James and Kate hard to say. I wish to, but I’m changing my occupation at the moment and if everything is going to be ok - will try to get Tesla. Aiming at out of lease 85 model with AP1, colour white or red, wheels can be 19 to get more range. 40kwh would be good, but if it would be 60kwh for like extra £2-3k, would go for that instead of 40:) And I really hope they improved battery chemistry as mine is at 85% after 89k miles, in 18months

[@JohnDunkley]

Your comment about fuel prices is funny as it's now 2022 it's spool much higher.

[@Trades46]

I'm not even sure if Mitsubishi sold any in Canada for the 4 years it was on sale here. Our charging infrastructure is piss poor and half the year is below freezing temperatures. Add to the fact it costs ~$28,000 brand new (the Leaf was ~$32,000) I'm honestly not surprised.

[@craigbrown5667]

Like the Zoe, does the i-miev have a few kWh's redundancy?

[@Jamesandkate]

Craig Brown it does, but not many. It only has 18 to start off with 😂😂😂

[@craigbrown5667]

18? A Twizy could give that a run for it's money 😄 😄 😄 😄

[@worldhello1234]

I'd like to drive the intelligent stink, i-Miev, but you get a used Leaf for the price of a used Leaf, and the later is a better car.

[@Kallenator1988]

It not uncommon for a decent Miev or it's siblings to cost about half of a Leaf in Norway, making it the most bang for your buck for journeys between 60-100km in my personal opinion. But keep it of the motorways, its completely out of its element there.

[@Jamesandkate]

i'd agree and say this is probably more suited to town life

[@blueyedboymrdeath]

I think my iMiev does just fine on the motorways, feels stable up to around 70 mph (113 km/h), although I'm happier at 55-65 mph (88-105 km/h). That said, I've switched most of my travels (driving to music gigs) to the most direct routes on back roads, and discovered they're more fun to drive. The distance to travel is less, scenery is nicer, more relaxing and less road noise going a bit slower. The range gauge after a recharge from these jaunts is typically 80 miles (129 km) , but I take that with a grain of salt.

[@407bug]

James also check out new Leaf Nismo and Zoe Renault sport ;>)

[@richardsedorski1206]

Well done exciting.

[@Jamesandkate]

Richard Sedorski nerve racking 😂😂

[@jur4x]

Yeah, but I think M25 is the worst when it comes to midlane hodgers :( Recently had to undertake one that was doing barely 50mph in the rightmost lane!

[@Jamesandkate]

It's a real hate of mine and in some circumstances, dangerous

[@karkitty202]

The I-MIEV, the ev that makes you switch to the imperial system

[@NiklasSchnelle]

You guys really should give your show a name. You do the same "Welcome to a new episode" Robert does on Fully Charged but it really misses that name.

[@Jamesandkate]

Niklas Schnelle Hi Niklas! It is something we've been considering! 👍

[@theden0minat0r]

Awww the i-mev. It was the car that could, but was just overtaken by the Leaf. Listen to that electric motor.

[@worldhello1234]

Yeah, and used ones go for about the same price as a use Leaf. It is a no-brainer to chose the Leaf instead, unless you live in a confined area.

[@theden0minat0r]

Hey Phoenix, so true! Plus the fact that they are no longer manufactured anymore says something. A generation 2 i-Mev could have fixed a lot of issues that existed on generation 1. Sad to say it was not to be. Europe got the Outlander plug-in hybrid instead. I hear it's FINALLY coming to the US. I really have to hand it to Mitsubishi though, they did give a fully electric car a try when so many other OEM manufacturers still thought electric cars were an anathema. Good on them!

[@harveybirdman74]

Also known as the Jellybean

[@shawncell1247]

wind noise made the video to hard to watch . It would be nice if you could redo . thank you

[@RJrigges]

Must admit was split on this liked that you made it with everything telling you got nothing left in the battery but would of been so funny you having to ring Kate for help sorry dude.

[@Jamesandkate]

It would have been a divorce if i'd broken down, maybe next time :-)

[@RJrigges]

James and Kate - that would of been harsh you need help she hands you divorce papers 😂

[@407bug]

Ps I now won't worry when we get low lol

[@Jamesandkate]

407bug we have been lower than low in a lot of EV's!! It definitely gets less scary the more you do it! 😂😂

[@m1aws]

James, same problem. I cannot for the life of me get more than 80% charge at an Ecotricity pump. Says the usual, "charge stopped by car". Absolute nonsense!

[@Jamesandkate]

I reckon if you take a type 2 to 1 cable with you, you could top up the rest on the 22kw post if available, although this is a tad slow. You can start the charge and it will top up to over 90% if you have time

[@Georgatzis]

At this car mitsubishi you must change the charger after 9 to 10 years or so because they tend to go bad. Cost 4000 Euros. After 10 years of driving you get 80km out of it and at 15 years the battery must be changed and cost 10.000 Euros ! At this car everything is vin coded so you can not replace parts from other cars , thanks to mitsubishi !!!!

[@toptobottom247]

No. Ugly car. No.

[@Jamesandkate]

It's not that bad. I used to think that of the Leaf but not now.