I can't hate it THAT much - having one of the ugly things - warts and all, in our garage But that 10k mile / long term iMiev review in the OP? . . . . um . . . it's 3 years old someone should welcome cyclo to 2015. Or maybe because it's a zombie article - it's just in time for Halloween. .
Blah, blah, blah. Takes an EV enthusiast to want a weirdmobile like iMiEV. Bonafide sales flop year in and out.
I don't know, there are tons of Fiat 500 eV around here. What makes them any less weird? They're small, short range, and the Fiat doesn't have DC quick charging. That's a major trade-off in removing weird factor. I have to give kudos to both companies for going out on a limb and making any EV's at all.
the fiat is a hit because they lose money on every one they sell. people are just trying to put them out of business.
So why do you think Mitsubishi didn't sell many? Is it because BEV is a rich men toy, and iMiEV is too plebeian to make the statement?
iMiEV is one of the most hideous looking, bug-like cars available on market. Been a long time I sat in one at a car show, but it was fairly awful, cheepish inside. Have you ever seen the commercial where the husband is giving his wife a tiny Smart-car type electric car as a gift, she's hugging him and looking at the street where a stylish sedan comes driving past (commericial for that car) and she really wants that? People will line up for miles and pay hideous amounts of money (if they can) to buy a hot looking and performing BEV (Tesla S, X). Very few want to pay for a nerdy (and rather unsafe, small) looking Smart, Fiat electric or even less, Mitsu iMiEV.
you forgot one .... Toyota has a limited crackerbox of their own; Calif Lease only - so you'll never see one in the wild. I just happened to get lucky .
1) Initial adopters market. People that want high tech normally don't shop at the bargain basement. This was a problem with japanese group think. Nothing to do with rich versus poor, but if you want a cool tech car, and they skimp on everything, it doesn't look so cool. Gen II prius went more upscale than the gen I, and it helped,even though it was a very affordable car. 2) Range 62 is just too little, people will pay more for more range. Compare Side-by-Side The 2011 nissan leaf was also too small at 73, but they increased it to 84, and now 107. The leaf didn't really increase sales until they got to 84. They are now promising 200+ miles in the gen II. The gen II volt should be good for just about as many electric miles, as you wouldn't take a imev on a 55 mile trip for fear of running out of juice, but that gen II volt with the hybrid security blanket lets you do longer trips without range anxiety.
The iMiEV is just a small car that is meant for daily commuting and that's it. In the US, a person will need a second to support it. Those getting by with such a small ICE car alone, a Spark or Mirage, are doing so because the car was cheap. When a BEV hits parity with an ICE in cost, the iMiEV may have had a chance, but not at this early in the game when it costs twice as much as the ICE. Compared to other small BEVs, it is lacking. The Spark EV is considered a performance upgrade over the ICE version. I think the same can be said about the 500e, which also as a styling that appeals to some, and has great deals on for FCA to get ZEV credits. The smart also has the benefit of a cult following for the brand. Then it, and the rest have a longer EV range than the iMiEV. Really, it comes down to cost vs range. For a little more in price the Leaf gives range and space advantages over the iMiEV.
