[ausev] From EV World.com

[Marc Kohler]

i EV Resurrection
The big news this past week was Mitsubishi's announcement that it has 
entered a joint venture with five Japanese electric power companies to 
develop and test an electric vehicle powered by lithium ion batteries and a 
new, light-weight electric motor. The company chose its "i" model minicar 
for the test platform, removing the gasoline engine and replacing it with 
electric drive components.
The vehicle seats four, has a top speed of 80 mph (130 kph) and a range in 
Japan's 10-15 driving cycle of between 75-100 miles (130-160 kilometers). 
Recharge times can be as short as 20-25 minutes using a 3-phase, 50kW, 
200-volt fast charger. Home recharging using 15 Amp 100-volt household 
current can be up to 11 hours.

The company will be debuting the car at EVS 22 in Japan later this month. A 
spokesman for the company indicated that while the current model "i" can't 
be sold in North America or Europe because it is only available in 
right-hand drive, the next model change may incorporate left-hand drive, 
which suggests that if performance, reliability and costs are acceptable, we 
could see a Mitsubishi i MiEV available outside of Japan in the 2010-2011 
time frame.