Two-Year Ownership Reflections

[JoeS]

Since a number of us early-adopters are now celebrating the two-year anniversary of our i-MiEVs, I thought I'd start a separate thread to enable each of us to commemorate this event as it occurs.

First, the raw data:
Today marks two years and 23,750 miles (38,000km). This does not account for the timeouts of about six weeks total that we were away from home, so I can readily say our average is over 1000 miles(1600km) per month.

The only significant expense incurred is a new set of tires at 23,000miles (37,000km) at $487.51. Our own energy costs have been zero (due to solar panels providing all the electricity, and they are now already amortized), with maybe about $25 electric use at public charging stations over the last two years. The only other cost has been for a cabin air filter (under $20, thanks jjlink), which I forgot to replace and just did this week (the old one was surprisingly clean).

Inspection of all the car's vitals this week revealed no fluids needing topping up at all, as has been the case for the last two years. Truly zero maintenance.

The five most-appreciated aspects of the i-MiEV:
1. Manually controllable regeneration (in addition to braking regen)
2. Small outside, huge inside with flat aft floor able to carry tall items easily. Utilizies available space very efficiently.
3. Super-tight turning radius - really appreciated, especially in suburban parking lots
4. Peppy, handles well, and simply fun to drive
5. Applicable to all EVs: zero-emissions, silence, and convenience of home charging

The five least-liked aspects of the i-MiEV:
1. Obtrusive vision-blocking headrests (happily, they're easily removable)
2. Although I'm now used to it, I still would like better rear-view mirror coverage, especially on the driver's-side mirror
3. Tires needed replacement at only 23,000miles (37,000km)
4. Having to spend an inordinate amount of time keeping the windshield and rear window clean (compared to my previous cars).
5.

Most-pleasant unanticipated feature after purchase:
1. Ability to very easily control range by simply adjusting driving style
2. Ideal charging port location, needing only to use 3' (1m) of charging cord in my garage (clean and no coiling)

Problems:
1. Remote compatibility with SPX Xpress L2 EVSE

Personal regret for option not purchased:
CHAdeMO

What I would like to see in future i-MiEVs:
1. Fingertip control over regeneration coupled with a zero-regeneration 'shift' position for highway driving. Smart ED, VW, and Cadillac already have variants of this feature,
2. Option of larger battery, as inability to access public charging has now become a problem in the San Francisco Bay Area. CHAdeMO should help mitigate this problem.
3. Better aerodynamics
4.
5.

What causes me to grouse: the lack of appreciation of this wonderful vehicle by most of the motoring press. They simply don't understand its superb utility in everyday life.

Summary: both my wife and I love our i-MiEV Mitsi dearly and are very happy we purchased her when we did and didn't wait. Two years of bliss.

Anyone else?

Edited

 

[fjpod]

I'll be at two years in May.

My favorites:
1. small exterior size, large interior.
2. simplicity, low cost.
3. durable seat fabric (compared to my Prius)
4. Great mileage in good weather.
5. Large windshield and windows in general giving good visibility (again, you should compare it to a Prius)

My dislikes:
1. Heat guzzling too much energy.
2. Hitting that darn button 7 times to run through the displays. Why they hid it so deep behind the steering wheel I'll never know. You have to be a contortionist to use it. Temp, RR, and a few others should be all separate displays. How much more would it have cost? $10?
3. You have to take your eyes off the road too far and for too long to adjust the heat and AC. Also, the seat warmer switch is in an inaccessible place making it hard to see if it is on or off and it can be easily hit with ones knees.
4. The fact that front and rear tires are different sizes.

Overall, I am very happy with my purchase and would buy another one.

 

[peterdambier]

"Snowwhite" will be two years the end of summer, so two winters, yes.

Insulating doors, front lid and back lid did improve radio, heat and outside noise dramatically. It is not frozen today but we used full heat and A/C to keep the windows clean. It does cost energy but not that much and heat comes much faster than in an ice car.

There is one downside from insulating. I have got my first ticket for speeding. I dont hear any longer how fast the car goes.

Our 2010 i-MiEV does not have clock or thermometer. I have added a livingroom instrument with digital clock, calender, barometer, hygrometer and thermometer for inside and outside. Looks like it belongs to the car.

There is a lot you can DIY in an i-MiEV compared to an ice or a Tesla. That is part of the fun.

Cheers
Peter and Karin

 

[Malm]

Ok, again not my place here. Three-year ownership in April and I think you know my story. I bet you don´t see any degradation at the end of two years, and I understand why. Maybe now you can find it at 10% of SoC. Happy for us all, sure we can keep them for many years.

https://www.dropbox.com/sc/niyzligi69md0xg/A_pJCV5SZz

 

[Don]

Since a number of us early-adopters are now celebrating the two-year anniversary of our i-MiEVs, I thought I'd start a separate thread to enable each of us to commemorate this event as it occurs

Anyone else?

Our two year anniversary will be May 6th. We're approaching 15,000 miles now . . . . and I pretty much agree with everything you said

So far, I don't regret not having the ChaDeMo socket - We are so far behind you guys on the west coast that our first public charging facility of any kind is probably still a couple years away. I read yesterday, that of all the states when it comes to purchasing EV's, Mississippi ranks 51st . . . . we're even behind Washington DC!! But no matter, when I went looking for an iMiEV to buy, I was able to get one just 15 miles from home

Don

 

[DonDakin]

Well 2 years will be in August for me so it's still a little ways off but I can share a few thoughts.

Firstly this car will surprise you. You will get more out of it then you think. Maybe I just started with lower expectations but the car has not let me down yet.

Second having L 2 charging really helps in the winter. It also opens up more utility of the car. But there are times when it's just too fast and not needed. The car is really all about balance and awareness. Once these things become second nature it's pretty much smooth sailing.

If chargers start popping up at work so will ev's.

Championing charging at work is very frustrating. I'm too far ahead of the pack on this one.

The car needs a fossil fuel heater for my area. It should come as a winter option. No debate about emissions or classification or pure or impure. It should just be there.

You guys already hit all the pros and cons so I won't list mine.

Here is a quote from my better half:

"It's cute and fits anywhere and it's quiet and it's zippy. I really like that little car."

As for me:

Ditto....

Don.....

 

[Barbagris]

These days we completed the first year, 18500 km / 11500 mi

"Pelotillo" (Little ball?) is the car we all take as first choice at home.

Pros:
- Very good citizen. Agile, easy to drive, turns very much. Good control and visibility.
- Good performance, always silent.
- Very usable space inside compared to how small it is.
- Low cost of use and maintenance.
- Acceptable charge speed (at 230V), often a recharge of one or two hours solve me a problem.


Cons:
- Very hard suspension. Here we have many speed bumps, is more uncomfortable (and have to go lower speed) than any other car I've had.
- Too sensitive to wind. Here we have often crosswinds (visual example) and sometimes I really have trouble keeping it on track. Probably the US-spec behave better than my Euro-spec, narrower. Again, behaves worse than any of the other cars I've had.
- Small size of the tires, I worry about breaking one in a hole.

I would like to: :roll:
- A 20% increase in battery. My usage is very demanding, many mountains and high speed traffic drinks the battery too fast.

It makes a great service and I hope that will be with us for many years.

 

[MLucas]

More of a thread about 'where are we now' than two year anniversaries. Sorry, JoeS - best intentions, huh. But, it's great to see this checkup and how most of us are doing. I'm at 41k kilometers and 18 months - no complaints. I find my hatred of gasoline so great that I don't mind going slower and having less heat in the car than I would with an ICE. It's given me a different perspective on personal transportation. I feel we all drive too fast, going really no where in a hurry. The car has exceeded all my expectations and when I read about the other EVs and their complaints, I feel glad I bought the I-MiEV as I have none of those concerns with my vehicle even though it has a small battery capacity. I've learned to live with it and enjoy driving it immensely. Looking forward to my 2nd anniversary on June 29th of this year.

 

[olagon]

Just coming up on a year of ownership so I don't have two year reflections. I do have one surprising reflection. Although I have an upgraded EVSE and a dryer plug to kick up charging to L2 at home, I have never used it once. Never needed it. Overnight charging and a 60 mile or so range has been more than plenty for me. I usually charge the car ever few days. I average about 700 miles per month of driving.

 

[jray3]

Ditto on all of the above, I really want to do that insulation job now..
No regrets in upgrading to a CHAdeMO-equipped car. It pulls up to 118A on the Nissan DCQC- yup, that's 47 mph recharging!
Hey Joe, maybe you could find someone in flyover country to trade cars with.....

Regretting that Mitsu won't talk to owners. Nissan has even flown focus groups of owners to Japan!

Regretting that Mitsu didn't offer an 80% charge option or crank up the motor power to 60 kW in B mode, as with the Outlander (or put a red devil button on the shifter for momentary 80 Kw output).
:twisted:
Wishing Mitsu would produce an EVO version with dual 60 kW drives. (Hey, if the Outlander 12 kWh pack can put out 120 kW, no reason an i couldn't for brief spurts.) My Ghia with 160 kW is very traction-limited. I'd trade that for 120 kW of AWD.

 

[Barbagris]

Off Topic.

(Hey, if the Outlander 12 kWh pack can put out 120 kW, no reason an i couldn't for brief spurts.)

The Outlander battery (and/or the inverter) only put out 60 kW.

If you push the pedal and demand more power, the ICE must turn on and provides another 60 kW through the generator, and up to 120 kW can go to the wheels (60 ICE + 60 Battery) (Series mode)

If the OT is inadequate, moderators, feel free to delete the post. Just wanted to clarify the matter.

 

[jennrod12]

It's been a little over two years now, but still loving our i-MiEV!

I changed jobs, so my commute now uses about half a charge. My new job is walking distance from the train station, and I feel a little badly about not taking the train, but it's a $4.00 r/t ticket and my round trip commute is only $.75 when I drive! Not only that, but we have solar on our house, so it's even less (you could say free - we make enough to power the car or the house, but not 100% of both). That line of reasoning also helped convince one of my co-workers to buy an EV!

Now I wish there were a setting in the car to charge to 80% because I usually plug in when I get home and between the garage and the living room, completely forget to set the stop time with the remote. (The remote lives in the living room, where I can use it to turn on the heat before going to work if needed.)

Biggest drawback of the car, I think, are the small front tires. I worry about potholes. Other than that, I love just about everything about it!

Jenn

 

[PV1]

Hi, Jenn. Haven't seen you on for a while. Glad to hear you still love yours after 2 years. I passed 1 year about 2 months ago, and mine's been doing great. I spent about $45 in new wiper blades, which is the sum of my yearly maintenance. My dealer doesn't charge for the yearly maintenance, so I get a free fill of washer fluid when I go.

I would also like to have the 80% charge function since my drive is 22 miles, and I rarely go under half a charge. In some of the tech talk threads on here, we seem to have come to the conclusion that leaving the car sit at a full charge (especially at high temperatures) is what harms the battery. Going to full charge, then driving a couple of hours later doesn't affect the health of the battery, since the i-MiEV doesn't fully charge the cells by default (each cell goes to 4.1 volts, and their max is 4.2, which is more of a difference than it sounds). Except for the balancing done at full charge, an 80% charge would be better for the pack.

I've hit some bad patches on potholes on the roads, and I am astonished that I haven't blown my front tires yet. Some of them were so bad that the back tires jumped clear off the ground when the rear of the car hit. I think what makes the i-MiEV ride over most smaller potholes and cracks in the road are the slow-drop shocks. I cruised over a couple of small holes in the road on the highway and didn't feel them hardly at all, it just floated right over them.

 

[olagon]

Now I wish there were a setting in the car to charge to 80% because I usually plug in when I get home and between the garage and the living room, completely forget to set the stop time with the remote. (The remote lives in the living room, where I can use it to turn on the heat before going to work if needed.)

How about using a mechanical timer on your outlet? These 20 amp timers are cheap http://www.ebay.com/itm/Tork-24HR-Security-Wall-Timer-20-Amp-UL-Approved-1350-Watt-Tungsten-1-HP-New-/301167047148. You can easily configure to run for any number of hours.

This one offers one click to add time by the hour http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sylvania-SA160-20-Amp-Dual-Mode-24-Hour-60-Minute-Digital-Auto-Shut-Off-Timer-/360744245970.

 

[jray3]

How about using a mechanical timer on your outlet? These 20 amp timers are cheap http://www.ebay.com/itm/Tork-24HR-Security-Wall-Timer-20-Amp-UL-Approved-1350-Watt-Tungsten-1-HP-New-/301167047148. You can easily configure to run for any number of hours.

This one offers one click to add time by the hour http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sylvania-SA160-20-Amp-Dual-Mode-24-Hour-60-Minute-Digital-Auto-Shut-Off-Timer-/360744245970.

I also found this website quite useful for researching timer options...

http://waterheatertimer.org/Countdown-timer-horsepower-ratings.html

 

[Don]

Two years today!

16,584 trouble-free miles . . . . other than the blown front tire caused when I hit a chunk of asphalt a dump truck was spreading all over the I-110 Back Bay bridge - I checked the mirrors to merge with traffic and missed seeing one piece of the obstacle course :lol:

To celebrate, I gave her a full charge (which I now do only once every 2 or 3 weeks) and the RR was 87 miles, which is within one mile of the best ever RR we've seen since we bought it. Most of the time, the RR still reads '40' when the fuel gauge is at 8 bars, just as it always has. I guess if we've seen any battery degradation at all over the first 2 years and 16K, it's probably too small to measure at this point

Being an early adopter, we paid quite a bit more for the car than some of you who bought them later on, but we don't regret the purchase one bit - To put it simply, the car has exceeded 95% of whatever expectations we had for it the day we brought it home. Without a doubt we'll be driving this same car 10 or 12 years from now, barring any unforeseen 'circumstances'

We're eager to see what the 5 year owner experience looks like!

Don

 

[psyflyjohn]

A little over two years in May.

Plus: We do 90% of our driving with the Miev, saving 20K miles in gas. Our solar system provides free electricity.
Very nimble in traffic, with excellent visibility.
Extremely quiet

Minus: Poor access to heat / cooling controls
No speed controller
Harsh ride
Poor dealership support

Overall, we love the car. I'm now a lifetime electric car owner. I'll likely go with another electric car manufacturer, though. Possibly the new Tesla model due to be released in the near future.

 

[jray3]

ditto to psyflyjohn- 90% of our driving for 10% of the cost.

Regarding the harsh ride- the progressive springs from H&R really smooth out the ride nicely, and only the front tire spats will hit a 6" curb (though I can no longer climb 8" curbs) but it seems that the 1.5" drop is too much for the CV joints. I've spaced my rears back up 3/4".

Factory progressive springs at the right height would make a big difference for a very small marginal price.

 

[sandange]

As stated before
This may not be pretty but it is what it was.
This is in no way intended to harm or discredit Mitsubishi or the Miev
Just an honest recount of events.
And in sharing, trying to better and advance the EV movement forward.
Note: I replaced this car with a new 2014 Miev

My Miev 2 years review
1 July 2014, marks the 2 year anniversary owning our 2012 Miev

My views/experiences
Reads like a Spaghetti Western

My Situation (The Client)
24 monthly payments for the EV
22 months of use and
Incurred losses
Close to 2 months of warranty & depreciation lost on the EV
Other costs,-
gas, maintenance, mileage - our gas vehicle, ( Fortunately we have a 2 nd car)

The Good

The Car
· is pleasure to drive
· is quiet
· has excellent visibility
· seating is high for easy entry & exit
· ample head room for tall people
· Simple to use uncomplicated controls eg. starting, shifter
· Spacious cargo area capacity
· Compact exterior for parking
· Unique styling
· Economical to operate
· Quick crisp acceleration in the city 0-50 kmph, (0- 30 mph)
· Selective regeneration levels /drive modes.
· Does not emit any smells of exhaust, oil or gas
· No maintenance to speak of
· Performs as expected in the cold climate of Quebec, Canada.

The Dealer
· Sales people were very thorough explaining the cars design and performance capabilities.
· Allowed us several test rides
· Connected us to the electricians for home Charger installations
· Informed us of Local charging station services,
· Helped us process government grants/incentives applications
· The service department had some stock (cabin filter, fuse)
· They have servicing equipment needed for the Miev.

The Bad

The Car
· Different/non standard tire sizes front and back
· Front suspension does poorly on rough roads.
· Remote interface is hit and miss.
· Missing drivers arm rest.
· Missing a light for the charging port
· Climate controls could be simplified to avoid confusion.
· Finishing paint clear coat is easily scratched.

The Dealer
The service department technicians training for the Miev is limited. They rely heavily on technical advice from Japan.


And the Ugly

1) First Incident

The Car
63,xxx km the car stopped functioning - towed to the dealer
The car needed the OBC (on board charger) & the AC unit replaced. It took the service department, (relying heavily on communications with technicians from Japan,)
1 month to diagnose & repair.

2) Second Incident

The Car
65,xxx km (three weeks later) the car would not accept a charge. It would operate just fine but not charge - towed to the dealer.
OBC they changed was defective and a new one was shipped from Japan.
3 more weeks without our car

3 rd incident
Car was picked up by me on a Friday and returned to the dealer 4 days later, with the same problem the OBC was not working.

The full story here
http://myimiev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=2144


Suggestions

The Car
Climate controls could be simplified to avoid confusion
Better insulated heating system and passenger compartment
Offer an optional factory installed auxiliary heater - propane canister, diesel, ethanol
Electric Seat heaters on all seats each with variable control
4 standard & same sized wheels/tires
Add a light to the J1772 plug connector.
Up grade the Supplied EVS to variable voltage /amperage
Cell phone app to replace remote control
Larger wind shield washer fluid reservoir
More individual gauges not requiring toggling
Head rests could be donut shaped to help improve visibility
Suspension could be improved.
Optional better quality interior trim levels
Drivers arm rest with storage
Better quality paint finishing

The Dealer
Have better training for technicians servicing EV's (the Miev)

Have a quicker direct communication with EV service support
from Japan's head office.

Have an EV Courtesy car available for your EV Clients.
They paid big Bucks and have allocated their past vehicles
monthly gas budget towards their EV purchase price.

When the client loses their EV for servicing for more than a month.

Offering them a courtesy gas car at a $ 7 a day plus gas
is not a courtesy.
It's a car payment on top of their EV car Payment

Mitsubishi
Have better training available to dealers and their technicians
Put together a mobile EV "Top Gun Tech Team" to help dealers
get to the bottom of complex situations quickly.

 

[JoeS]

Sandy, thank you for your extensive recap. I admire your tenacity in getting another i-MiEV and hope this new one will serve you better.