Representatives from Mitsubishi found out that Green Idea House is making a lot more energy than we are using. As a result, they very generously gave us a long term loaner of their new i-MiEV electric vehicle to start to make our carbon neutral lifestyle a reality.
Mitsubishi has a long history of making electric industrials vehicles and this car is the same car they have been selling in Japan (save the steering wheel on the other side). Having lived inJapan, the minimalist styling and Spartan interior are familiar to us. As with all things Japanese, the car is very functional. The surprise is that the the i-MiEV handles like a sports car because of the electric motor’s excellent acceleration combined with the battery pack’s low center of gravity.
Vrrrrroom… would be appropriate – but it is really quiet!
Monica with the Mitsubishi representatives Amanda Savercool and Jim Hall
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Some questions about the car:
Is it commercially available?
What is it’s range?
Does the GreenIdeaHouse produce enough energy to power the car and still put power back into the grid?
Thanks!
Gino, Thanks for your questions. Below are some answers:
Q: Is it commercially available?
A: You can buy it or lease it today! The i-MiEV starts at $21,625 for purchase (after factoring in the $7,500 Federal tax credit and prior to any financial incentives at the state level).
Q: What is it’s range?
A: The Range Combined (EPA official label) is 62 miles, however, this is an estimate and the number varies depending on driving style (using D, Eco, or B mode). I prefer the B mode. The deceleration feels like I am driving a stick shift car. Here is a full list of specs: http://mmna.wieck.com/releases/a9431c6d-6ba6-453c-9eb5-03362ef959ae
Q: Does the Green Idea House produce enough energy to power the car and still put power back into the grid?
A: We built the house to the CPUC definition of Net Zero energy which only requires us to harvest as much energy as we use in the house. Nonetheless, given we have cut our energy load by over 80% and don’t do much driving, we think the solar panels will cover the EV’s as well.
Even if we didn’t, nighttime charging would essentially be carbon neutral because the supply on the grid far outweighs the demand. If we did not use that energy it would go to waste anyway.
Hope that helps!
Robert, what an incredible opportunity! I’m so excited for you and the family, and am looking forward to hearing your experiences with this new EV. And hats off to Mitsubishi for recognizing the potential of the Green Idea House. It’s the way of the future!!!
Hi Sona, Thanks for your note. As you know, it is the way of the future – and a lot of fun as well!
In September we purchased an i-MiEV, installed the 220 charger into the garage to charge up at night. Now we are researching solar panels to install in the house to charge up the car and use the extra power for the house. Any extra power would be stored in batteries. I live in Illinois and there is also a $4,000 rebate for this state along with the Federal rebate of $7,500 to file with next year’s taxes. Very Interesting Car. I have done my research on this car and know more than the dealerships I have spoken with. Get up and go power is amazing, and you see people in the rear view mirror scratching their heads.
Hi Bonita,
I’m glad to hear you are liking the acceleration of your i-MiEV as much as we are! It is really fun to drive.
Take advantage of those solar rebates to power the I-MiEV. We went with SolarWorld panels (http://www.solarworld-usa.com/?source=GIH) and are are very happy with them. We can’t say enough good things about them. SolarWorld is: price competitive, great ROI, enviro sensitive (no heavy metals…and will take the panels back at the end of their life to recycle them), great warranty and they do hi tech manufacturing in the U.S.A.
We liked them so much we did a commercial for them: http://greenideahouse.com/news/journal/like-a-ray-of-sunshine-monica-brightens-the-solarworlds-website-and-their-video-segments/
http://greenideahouse.com/news/journal/solarworld-sends-ogilvy-advertising-pros-for-a-video-shoot/
[…] we reported in an earlier post, Mitsubishi is doing a long term loaner of their new i-miEV electric vehicle to help us make our […]