Look back a year, and you’ll probably remember the hype surrounding the first 2011 Nissan Leafs and 2011 Chevrolet Volts to be delivered to retail customers in the U.S.
For the 350 or so lucky Volt and 10 Leaf owners, it meant they were among the pioneers: the first people to own one of a new wave of mass-produced electric cars.
Now it’s the turn of Mitsubishi, which is trickling out 2012 Mitsubishi i cars in select states.
Earlier this month, the first production 2012 Mitsubishi i was delivered to City CarShare - a 10-year-old nonprofit car-sharing service based in San Francisco. Then just over a week ago, Mitsubishi delivered a 2012 i to its first retail customer -- Bryson and Bridget Nishimura of Waipahu, Hawaii.
Officially ranked by the EPA as the most efficient electric car currently on sale in the U.S., the 2012 Mitsubishi i is also the the cheapest highway-capable electric car on sale, with the base-specification 2012 Mitsubishi i ES costing $29,125 before state and federal incentives.
2012 Mitsubishi i
With an EPA-approved range of 62 miles, the 2012 Mitsubishi i benefits from the same direct current rapid-charging capabilities as the 2012 Nissan Leaf, enabling it to recharge from empty to 80 percent full in around 30 minutes.
We already know that there are already several Mitsubishi i cars on the roads of Hawaii, but what about the other states where sales of the i have already started: Oregon, Washington, California and Illinois?
We know there’s at least one in Oregon -- we drove it back in October -- and selected dealers in the five launch states should now have demonstration cars, but have you seen one yet
Perhaps you’re on the waiting list. And if you are, do you know when your car will arrive?
Let us know in the Comments below.
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