North Lanarkshire Council purchases fleet of Mitsubishi electric cars i-MiEVs

“As a council we are committed to working sustainably”, said Councillor Helen McKenna, Convener of the Environmental Services committee.

“We have a carbon management plan, developed with help from the Carbon Trust, in place, and we’ve been signatory to Scotland’s Climate Change Declaration since 2007.”

Councillor Helen McKenna went on to say:

“The pioneering technology that has brought these cars will help us make even more difference to our environment, and will hopefully demonstrate to others that there are workable alternatives to petrol vehicles out there. I look forward to seeing them in operation.”

The Mitsubishi i-MiEVs are also, compared to petrol cars, extremely inexpensive to operate. There’s no road tax, and it costs as little as £1.05 to charge the car overnight, which gives it enough juice for around 93 miles. With petrol prices in the UK at a record high, that’s potentially an enormous saving. In fact, mile for mile, the cost is 6% less than the cost of a comparable petrol vehicle, and the council is anticipating substantial savings as a result of their introduction.

“We expect to generate savings of more than £150,000 in the next 18 months through our pool car scheme as a whole” said Kenneth Wilson, Head of Land Services at North Lanarkshire Council.

“The Mitsubishi i-MiEVs will contribute greatly to the scheme as they cost significantly less to run than petrol or diesel vehicles, and are a far better option for air quality and the environment. Even the cost of buying the vehicles has been substantially funded by a grant of £215,000 from the Sustainability Carbon Trust.”

Mitsubishi’s EV Sales Centre based in Edinburgh, Phoenix Mitsubishi was delighted to hand-over all 12 pure-electric vehicles to North Lanarkshire Council. With a top speed of 87mph and an acceleration of 0 – 60 in less than 13 seconds, the Mitsubishi i-MiEV is the perfect urban transport pool car, and in fact has already taken the Electric Vehicle of the Year award at the 2009 and 2010 Greenfleet Awards.

“The Mitsubishi i-MiEV is revolutionary, innovative, fun, environmentally-friendly, agile, exciting and economical”, said Lance Bradley, Managing Director of Mitsubishi Motors in the UK.

“It’s perfect for urban driving, deliberately designed as a small, compact, city car with the ability to nip in and out of traffic and park in the tightest of spaces, thanks to its instant electric power delivery and compact, nimble driving style. With an electric vehicle like the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, customers need not compromise in any area.”

www.mitsubishi-cars.co.uk