The Mitsubishi i-MiEV electric vehicle has been on sale in the UK for almost a full year, but only at select dealerships. On the heals of an announcement made last month by Renault touting how many dealerships had their new electric vehicles, Mitsubishi is starting a training program to get the Mitsubishi i-Miev into all franchised dealerships in the UK by March 2012.

In a slightly confusing press release, Mitsubishi UK states that all franchise dealerships will have the Mitsubishi i-MiEV by March 2012. A few paragraphs later, Mitsubishi says that approved dealerships will be set up for electric vehicles by the end of March. Either way, Mitsubishi plans on rapidly expanding it’s Mitsubishi i-Miev sales network to include as many dealerships as possible in a move to make Mitsubishi the largest electric vehicle dealer in the UK.

By the end of March 2012, the Mitsubishi dealerships will have 2 fully trained electric vehicle sales personnel as well as aftersales technicians. All of the Mitsubishi i-Miev sales centers will have an i-MiEV demonstrator vehicle for customers to try out over ‘a prolonged period’ to help people make an educated decision about whether or not an electric vehicle is right for them.

Mitsubishi UK’s managing director, Lance Bradley, says “Our dealer network will provide excellent service and be able to offer the best advice to our retail and fleet customers.” Dealership staff will undertake extensive training to ensure they have a clear understanding of the demands and requirements of potential Mitsubishi i-Miev customers. “Their after-sales departments will also comply with compulsory manufacturer training and require specialist tools to enable the service and maintenance of electric vehicles.”

There are no plans to install level 2 quick chargers at the Mitsubishi i-Miev dealerships, and it sounds like there’s some level of disappointment already amongst consumers. The dealerships will have standard 3 prong plugs to allow charging, but that seems like merely a consolation compared to the quick chargers installed at the Nissan Leaf dealerships.