Australian and New Zealand based i-Miev Owners.

[iMiEVNZ7]

Hi, I would like to start a thread for the NZ and Aussie owners. There haven't been a lot of i-MiEV's sold here in NZ, and there are now none on the sales yards that I know of. I understand it may also be similar in Aussie.

It would be cool to have a thread where we can talk about the things that are unique to owning a i-Miev in NZ and Australia, like the no Road User Tax, RUC, in NZ for electric vehicles until 2020, and proberbly no public electric charging stations until then too !

We hope to import a Chademo charger, the Coffee and Charge model, and base it on our Country property, near Sheffield, NZ, so we can charge the car on trips out there, and for others to use, providing the Solar is topping it up enough.

I am still looking for a good imiev to buy, think I may have found one on trade me, but it is increasing in price each time I see it listed, must be an appreciating asset ! I am considering getting one from Australia and shipping it over here.

I test drove a Nissan Leaf, but found the car was not as nimble as I expected, and due to the start / stop work we were using it for, did not have the range we required, and we think the imiev which we did testing on for 800 kms, would be better due to being lighter and more nimble.

So, all you NZ and Aussie imiev owners, lets hear of your experiences, both the cool and the problems faced so we can share good ideas and find solutions to any problems there are.

iMiEVNZ7

 

[WyVern]

I'm Australia-based. Bought an electric blue iMiev mid 2013 and have put 22,000kms on it. It has all but replaced our ICE car which is now used for lengthy trips only or if wifey and I are heading in separate directions.

Our kids and their friends at school love the novelty of our "Teapot". I'm starting to plan for replacing the ICE long term but a lack of choice is pi**ing me off. All Leafs in Australia are 2011 models and have the older battery chemistry. Also the range is not significantly better than the imiev to be worth the premium.

The outlander PHEV could be an option but I'd prefer it to have a genuine 100km range than a "possible" 50km to be worth its price. In addition I'd prefer not to have the maintenance of the ICE components.

There are a number of 2010 imievs for sale on www.carsales.com.au ranging in price from AU$15,000 up to around AU$30,000. Not sure how that compares to NZ or if importing is an option for you.

Personally I'm interested in how Teslas plans pan out over the next 5 to 10 years as I doubt the major manufacturers will bother to bring their full electrics here.

 

[Malm]

http://forums.aeva.asn.au/mitsubishi_forum49.html

 

[iMiEVNZ7]

Hi, and thank you Malm for the link, it was really good and I spent some time there looking.

There are some non listed iMiEVs available I think directly from Mitsubishi in NZ, but only 1 that I have seen listed on a dealer site and one private one on a www.trademe.co.nz site.

I aim to approach our bank as the interest rate there at 7 % is better than the dealer ones at 11 % .

 

[iMiEVNZ7]

Hi WyVern,
Thank you for your reply also.

I looked at the pricing on the link you mentioned and after factoring in shipping and exchange rate, the pricing is about the same as in NZ.

So I think buying here is going to be best.

Hoping to push for buying the before winter here.

Merry Christmas to everyone, I am thinking of you , here in nz.

 

[carnut1100]

I bought a 2010 in late 2013, my wife bought a 2012 in January 2014.
I have done over 20,000 km on mine, my wife did over 15,000 on hers before it was squeezed in a five car pile up....
We are working on a deal where we keep the wreck, and the plan is to swap the entire drivetrain into an EJ Holden.....

 

[nicoffnz]

I have just imported a 2011 iMiev from Japan. It is in immaculate condition and has 14267 k's on the clock.
It ended up costing me $NZ13,498.91 with 6 months rego.
I am most impressed with the level of accessories it has and that it takes off like a scalded cat.
I was not impressed with having to pay $301 for 6 months rego. But I understand the cost of car rego goes down this July.

 

[iMiEVNZ7]

Thanks, everyone, for the cool replies.

I have found three here on trademe.co.nz, search for i-miev and you will find three currently on there. Best price is $ 20, 000 NZ.

I wonder if I should follow you and import one instead.?.

Ideally I am looking for five cars, so the cost per each is best if reasonably low.

A firm in Australia did build a few Holden Aclaim models, with electric motors and batteries, and we asked if we could buy one, but they would only sell it without the batteries and BMS.

Ideally, it would be cool to have an Adventra with a good sized motor and battery, as we love the car but the 15 liters per 100 km is a but high !.

Where can I import an i-Miev from please.

 

[WyVern]

Regarding imports:

Take a look at http://www.autotrader.co.uk
Second hand vehicles in general in the UK suffer massive depreciation, electrics even more so, be careful with Leaf and Fluence pricing however as some models are priced without the battery ownership (its a lease via Nissan/Renault).

Not sure about NZ import rules/costs although I understand it is easier than Australia where the rules are designed to prevent imports wherever possible.

Given the lack of popularity of the Oz PM at the moment one way he'd shore up support would be to open the doors to the wealth of electric cars available from foreign shores rather than leaving us to the whims of the manufacturers while offering no incentives for cleaning up our air.

 

[WyVern]

By the way carnut1100, sorry to hear of the accident, hope everyone walked away.
How did the iMiev perform? I drive mine predominantly on motorways in rush hour so it's always at the back of my mind given the size (or lack thereof) of the car.

 

[carnut1100]

I was stationary as was the car behind me. 4x4 behind that hit the row of stopped cars at around 60 kmh pushing the car behind into me and me into the car in front. A Jeep then hit the Nissan 4x4 to make it a 5 car pile up.
No airbags went off, chassis rail bent, quarter panel, boot floor, tailgate, bumper, shock mount (shock was wrapped around the axle) and up front most of the damage was from the tow bar of the car in front.
Some whiplash for me.

















We have decided to put the wreck up for sale. It is repairable, or could be used for a conversion. With a new baby and the work I am doing I just don't have the time or money or workshop space to do a conversion right now.....

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/new-...tric-hatchback-damaged-conversion-/1080784852

 

[JoeS]

carnut1100, thank you for posting the photos. Sad ending. Was this the only i-MiEV in Tasmania?

 

[iMiEVNZ7]

I saw a white Imiev with blue EV stickers in Christchurch, NZ today. Cool as, .!. I wound down the Prius C S Tech Window and gave a grin and a Thumb Up and the driver drove past smiling..