2013 Mitsubishi I Suggestions

[Vike]

Another big improvement would be to put the button that cycles through the displays on the radio or center console. I don't know how many times I have bumped the wiper lever reaching to push the button on the instrument cluster. It's so awkward.

Steve

Absolutely - the current button location is just plain dangerous, forcing you to reach either through or around the steering wheel to access different bits of information that would be useful on the road. Since this is purely electronic, the current setup is hard to explain or justify.

 

[Vike]

I'd suggest some changes to make the SE trim level a more attractive option for North American buyers - looking around, those seem to be a large share of the unsold i-MiEVs out there, so I'm guessing that's what Mitsu pushed into dealer inventories (or maybe that's what dealers wanted to stock, figuring they'd be more profitable - hard to say). The more SEs buyers opt for, the more profitable the line will be for Mitsu, which can only help.

Most important would be a significant upgrade to the interior trim for SE models, along the lines of what Mitsubishi UK does with their "Tamashii Pack". If you haven't seen that, you can take a 360 gander here (remember to select Tamashii):

http://www.mitsubishi-cars.co.uk/imiev/interior-360.aspx

Amazing how different the car can look with a little sprucing up, isn't it? The "just like ES, but browner with some chrome accents" interior of the American SE doesn't feel like much of an upgrade; multiple reviewers have griped about their SE Premium review cars' plain-Jane interiors (and jumped to unwarranted conclusions as to how awful the ES must be, probably just as damaging a comment in terms of the effect on readers).

I'd also recommend offering CHAdeMO QuickCharge as a standalone option for the SE (as it is with the ES), instead of forcing buyers to upgrade to the SE Premium. With a nicer interior and QuickCharge, I'd have seriously considered the SE, but I really wanted CHAdeMO and didn't want to spend near-LEAF money on the SE Premium, so the ES was my only choice.

 

[Don]

I agree 100% that CHAdeMO should always be a standalone option and not a part of ANY package - Putting it in as standard with any other options can only hurt sales. The $2700 SE Premium package would only be $2K without it and that might make it more palatable to many buyers

I have no idea why a quick charge port costs so much, but since it does getting stuck with one can be a deal breaker for some buyers. Having a $20 intermittant wiper option which you might never use added into the price is one thing, but being forced to spend $700 for something you don't want and would never use is quite another - That sort of marketing forces people to make buying decisions which cannot be good for Mitsubishi

Ideally, the quick charge port should be a last minute, dealer installed option and not come from the factory on any car, IMO - Lots of people would love to be able to add it to the 'otherwise perfect' car for them and I suspect an equal number would be thrilled they aren't getting stuck spending $700 they don't want to

Don

 

[Ozimiev]

1) CHAdeMO is of course part of the answer to faster charging of EVs that consumers always ask about.
Think about it from a salespersons position....
This vehicle (iMiEV) can charge in 14 hours (110V), 7 hours (230V 10A), 5 hours (230V 3.3kW) or 25 minutes to 80%.
Thus options covered. Most consumers only hear the 25 minutes. Leave out the CHAdeMO and they only hear 7 or 14 hours.
EVs are hard enough to sell without telling people they will take ages to charge (even if they wont be fast charging anytime soon)

2) Fast DC charging is not a simply installed connection if not already part of fusing/wiring harness and waterproof connector.
I'd prefer the factory to install the high powered DC bits rather than a dealer !

3) iMiEV comes from Japan where there are 1318 CHAdeMO stations already. Just 'cos the rest of the world is behind doesn't mean Mitsi should take bits out for other markets.

 

[Don]

Fast charging could (and should) be designed so as to be a 30 minute installation at the dealership - Much better than sticking it in every car and charging $700 for something many will never use. By the time fast EV charging shows up in most neighborhoods, CHAdeMO may not be the industry standard any longer . . . . think BetaMax. Found a replacement player to watch your old Beta movies anywhere lately? Glad you paid $1K to buy your original machine? Having any luck with your eBay sale of the dusty pile of Beta movies you found in the attic?

Part of what's wrong with the way this car is marketed by sales people (IMO) is that some are attempting to sell it as a replacement for an ordinary car to an uneducated populace. If your best sales tactic is to lie to them that it only takes 25 minutes to charge, you're setting yourself up to have a TON of unhappy customers in the very near future

It is a VERY practical car just as it is with no fast charging capability for the large majority of the population which A.) Can recharge it at home in the garage, and B.) Who usually make several trips totaling 50 or 60 miles or less each day or C.) Who live within 50 miles of their workplace and can recharge it at work. If you don't fit one or more of the above categories, this might not be the ideal car for you and the sales people should be preaching that, as opposed to fixating on '25 minutes'

I think most of the multitude of bad reviews the car regularly receives are written by people who incorrectly thought it might be a replacement for a 'normal car' (it could sit out on the curb at night and be refueled somewhere other than where they live) or people who had bad experiences driving it someplace and then having trouble getting back because they couldn't recharge it when/where they needed to - They quickly get the opinion that this isn't a very practical car. If any new buyer leaves the dealership thinking '25 minutes' they're in for a terrible shock

Rather than ever mentioning CHAdeMO stations at all (which many people may never EVER see available in their neighborhoods) dealers should be asking a few questions of the prospective buyers to try and determine if this car will actually 'work' for this buyer - Many times, it just won't and trying to sell them one is not going to do the EV industry ANY good. One terribly unhappy customer can easily outweigh tens of satisfied customers when you're pushing a new technology to uneducated customers who don't know what to expect

There may be thousands of CHAdeMO stations in Japan (and maybe you have them all over Australia too?) but the jury is still out as to whether we'll ever see many of them stateside - There WILL BE quick stations here for EV's one day, but I really doubt anyone has any certainty of what they'll look like and which cars will be able to use them. If you have to install a new $1K port in your old iMiEV to be able to use them, you're not going to be too happy yanking out your old $700 plug to fit the new one in it's place

Don

 

[MLucas]

In Canada, the Quick Charge port is standard on both trim levels. I'm glad to have it no matter what the outcome of the quick charge connector. Its only a connector, which I'm sure can be changed out or adapted since the rest of the infrastructure is in the car.

 

[Don]

Perhaps . . . . but the charger still has to 'talk' to the car and what eventually comes down the pike may be incompatible with what's offered now. We don't even know if our current battery technology will still be the norm in 3 or 4 years, so charging may wind up being a different process altogether - I think things are going to evolve really quickly once the EV idea really begins catching on and there is finally a prospect for tens or hundreds of thousands of cars in the market - J-1772 may not even wind up being standard

My point was simply that (for 2013 and beyond) it makes lots more sense to find some way to leave this decision up to the buyer, because it's not a $20 accessory - If it was designed as a 30 minute dealer install, you could go back 3 or 4 years later and get it if it turns out you'll need it

Don

 

[Ozimiev]

OK, so spend hundreds of millions of dollars developing a 30 minute fit DC fast charger option and just add that development cost to the selling price of the vehicle. I think you get the point.

I'm always told never to say never. Let alone never ever.

Looking at the J1772 signalling protocol and the CHAdeMO protocol, they are soooo simple yet functional. There will be no issue making/buying any form of converter/adapter for charging from/on any system. It is just a battery after all !
Ebay lists little boxes for both ends of J1772 at less than $50 already. Folk are fitting these to home conversions and making their own EVSE etc.

If any other charging connector takes of it will be political not technical, though we have seen that before.

Agreed that the 25 minute charge is perhaps just a feelgood but where it has been used it is impressive.
In Oz we are planning a few charging highways to allow EVs to be used on longer routes. I will use these and my EV is ready.

 

[MLucas]

All valid points, Don. We are still in a shake down phase. What you are saying is we shouldn't forget that. I don't know why its standard here in Canada on both trims when there are very few Quick Chargers in the whole country, if any. Public 240v charging stations are rare enough around here.

 

[tonymil]

In Canada, the Quick Charge port is standard on both trim levels. I'm glad to have it no matter what the outcome of the quick charge connector. Its only a connector, which I'm sure can be changed out or adapted since the rest of the infrastructure is in the car.

I'm confused, my dealer told me the MiEV can be equipped either with the quick charge or the level II but not both. Do you have both?

 

[Don]

ALL cars come with a 120/240 charger built into the car which will charge at either Level 1 or Level 2 - No adapters or options necessary . . . . it's already in the car, you just need the EVSE of your choice to charge the car which you can buy from various aftermarket sources . . . . or you can even build your own

The bigger door on the opposite side of the car is for the quick charge outlet - Any car *could* come with the quick charge port as well. It appears every car shipped to Canada does come so equipped. In the USA, it's either a $700 option on the base ES model, or it's standard equipment on the fully decked out SE Premium package with the Nav, BlueTooth and the back-up camera and those are the only 2 ways we get it - You cannot add it to a standard SE package and you cannot delete it from the Premium package

Don

 

[MLucas]

I'm confused, my dealer told me the MiEV can be equipped either with the quick charge or the level II but not both. Do you have both?

Well, that's a load of horse pucky! :lol:

Yes, all Canadian cars have both the Level I/II and the Level III/CHaDemO adapters. The I/II are on the right side of the car and the Level III is on the left side of the car. Maybe he's confused about something he half heard in a dealer demo seminar about the car. You can't charge the car using both ports, the Level III takes precidence and cancels the Level I/II charging if an operator tried it.

 

[MLucas]

Different item on the wish list - bigger Windshield Washer resevoir. I just ran out of fluid this morning and know that I don't use it that often during the summer and its been hot and dry here this year, not much to use it all.

I opened the hood and saw this tiny plastic resevoir about the size of a small milk carton. I'll have to figure out how to put a bigger resevoir in there. Winters here are brutal and downright dangerous without ample supply of windshield washer fluid onboard.

 

[tonymil]

Well, that's a load of horse pucky! :lol:
Yes, all Canadian cars have both the Level I/II and the Level III/CHaDemO adapters.

Well, it is possible I misunderstood him; also possible that he misspoke. But why would Mitsu stress that you can't simultaneously charge ChaDemO and Level II? Would anyone really try to do that? Strange.

 

[Vike]

Fast charging could (and should) be designed so as to be a 30 minute installation at the dealership - Much better than sticking it in every car and charging $700 for something many will never use. By the time fast EV charging shows up in most neighborhoods, CHAdeMO may not be the industry standard any longer . . . . think BetaMax. Found a replacement player to watch your old Beta movies anywhere lately? Glad you paid $1K to buy your original machine? Having any luck with your eBay sale of the dusty pile of Beta movies you found in the attic?

Part of what's wrong with the way this car is marketed by sales people (IMO) is that some are attempting to sell it as a replacement for an ordinary car to an uneducated populace. If your best sales tactic is to lie to them that it only takes 25 minutes to charge, you're setting yourself up to have a TON of unhappy customers in the very near future

Wow Don, you really must have it in for Beta!

From what I've read about the fast charge, dealer install is not an option, since it's only practical to do all the heavy duty wiring, etc., during manufacture. To make it dealer installable, you'd either need to put so much of the prep (hence expense) into every car it would defeat the purpose of making it a dealer option, or the dealer would have to partially disassemble and rebuild the car, a process so expensive it would, ah, defeat the purpose, again. Given present-day constraints, the car's charging system is set up for DC fast charging or not; I'm betting the external interface matters less than all the internals, so I'm inclined to think of buying CHAdeMO today as a way of keeping my options open in the future.

I completely agree about the bad behavior of salesmen. They need to understand that the disclosure documents that Mitsubishi provides for review by serious buyers needs to be part of the customer qualification process, not a surprise to be sprung as papers are being signed (my experience, though I already knew most of what was in there). The disclosures are for the protection of all concerned, and less-informed buyers who vaguely like the idea of an EV need to be presented with the realities of the trade-offs inherent in current technology. I think Mitsubishi gets right up to the line of "truthiness" in the marketing messages at their web site to start with, and if the dealers play fast and loose as well, the results could be bad.

I went in with my eyes wide open, certain the car meets my needs as is, and pretty sure the battery will retain enough range for enough time to make the purchase worthwhile. I understand that quick-charging and lead-foot driving can permanently erode battery capacity, and that both the cabin heater and going 65mph down the freeway will shorten range in real time. I get that, I've worked out how we're going to use the vehicle, and I think it's going to work quite well for us. But customers deprived of the opportunity to make an informed decision could well give Mitsubishi (and unfortunately EVs in general) a serious black eye

 

[MLucas]

Well, it is possible I misunderstood him; also possible that he misspoke. But why would Mitsu stress that you can't simultaneously charge ChaDemO and Level II? Would anyone really try to do that? Strange.

I hope you don't take it that I was trying to make fun of you. I was poking fun at the dealer for not knowing their cars better. Which isn't surprising, since I have found over the years of buying cars that most dealers and salespeople don't know much about the cars they sell. I'm usually more informed about the product than they are.

As far as trying to use both charge ports - I'm a software engineer and I see the strange behaviors of my clients everyday. That is why debugging software is so difficult, we can easily catch many of the items but our clients will try stuff we never ever imagined. If Mitsubishi didn't come up with this item in their risk analysis, it could be quite catastrophic!

 

[NeilBlanchard]

Yes, my brother's i MiEV has Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 charging.

 

[evcar]

here official Mitsubishi iMiEV 2013 improvements:

The changes are as follows:
- A new, lighter and more efficient electric motor delivers 196 Nm (up from 180 Nm)
- The range is increased by 10 km (EU test standard) from 150 km to 160 km
- LED front light, requires less energy, stronger, whiter light
- El. seat heating elements in both front seats now in the seat back (not just seat cushions), provides higher comfort

source:

https://www.facebook.com/Mitsubish.iMiEV.Norge
(this is Norway site - I translated info to english using google translator)

this is for european version but I think same will be to US model


pictures:

 

[alohart]

here official Mitsubishi iMiEV 2013 improvements:

That's very good news because it indicates that Mitsubishi hasn't stopped updating the i-MiEV. These new features are also included in a press release on the official Mitsubishi Norway Website (Google Translate is your friend). The press release also mentions additional regeneration capabilities ("B" driving mode?) and the ability to heat the interior while charging. These 2 features sound similar to those already on the 2012 North American version, so let's hope that the remaining new features will be offered on the North American version soon.

I have just returned from 12 days in Norway visiting towns along the coast from Bergen in the south to Kirkenes near the Russian border in the arctic north. I saw i-MiEV's (or maybe their Citroen or Peugeot cousins) in many of these towns. This isn't surprising because Norwegian i-MiEV sales have been double the U.S. sales despite Norway's population being only 1.5% of the U.S. population. So let's hope that the relative success of the i-MiEV in some non-North American markets will encourage Mitsubishi to continue i-MiEV development which will lead to improvements in the North American version.

 

[NeilBlanchard]

I hope they can make big improvements in the defroster as well. And they should offer smooth and flat wheel covers, and the entire underside should be smooth. The taillight lens and the bottom edge of the rear bumper can be modified to form the beginning of a Kamm back to lower the aero drag.