i-MiEV for car-share group

MITSUBISHI’S pioneering battery-electric car is now available to more than 15,000 members of Australia’s largest professional car-sharing service, following the launch of a GoGet i-MiEV and ChargePoint EV charging station at The Nicholson, a six-star energy-rated residential and retail development at East Coburg in Victoria today.

The i-MiEV available through GoGet, which is operated by CarShare Australia and has a fleet of more than 600 cars, will be recharged by one of more than 50 network-enabled ChargePoint outlets throughout mainland Australia and New Zealand.

The suburban Melbourne complex’s ChargePoint ‘refuelling’ station, which is monitored around the clock via remote diagnostic checks every 10 minutes, will be powered by ‘green’ electricity from Origin Energy.

Today’s launch was held jointly by GoGet, ChargePoint and several community and government organisations, including the Moreland City Council, Places Victoria (formerly VicUrban) and Urban Communities Limited.

The introduction of the GoGet i-MiEV is part of the Victorian government’s EV Trial, which began last year when the first 110 Australian examples of the MY10 i-MiEV were leased to selected government and corporate customers.

First examples of Mitsubishi’s upgraded MY12 i-MiEV, which gains a number of safety and equipment improvements, became available to Australian individuals from mid-August, priced at $48,800. As we’ve reported, a total of only about five i-MiEVs per month have begun filtering into five selected Mitsubishi dealers in each mainland state capital city, with more to follow in 2012.

“Electric vehicles will take an increasing foothold in the Australian market in years to come and with them will come increasingly sophisticated infrastructure in support,” said ChargePoint CEO James Brown.

“That is where our company comes to the fore. ChargePoint provides clean, efficient recharging that gives electric vehicle drivers peace of mind.”