Australia Leads The World; All Electric Car Gets The Thumbs Up

Australia has become one of the first countries in the world to give a factory built, all electric vehicle approval to drive on city streets.

Today I can announce that the Mitsubishi i MiEV - a plug-in electric car - has met all the applicable Australian Design Rules; has been certified by the Australian Government; and can now be registered for use on the nation's roads.

To mark this significant milestone, today I had the pleasure of taking the first vehicle available in Australia for a drive on the streets of Melbourne. This test drive comes just three months after I had the opportunity to inspect the vehicle at Mitsubishi's Tokyo headquarters.

The Mitsubishi i MiEV's represents a revolution in car design, bringing us a major step closer to 'emissions free' driving. The vehicle's 47kW motor uses no petrol, and as a result produces no emissions while on the road.

At present, the transport sector contributes 14 per cent of Australia's total greenhouse gas emissions.

The Mitsubishi i MiEV uses a bank of lithium ion batteries which can be charged from a normal household 240V power supply in little more than seven hours.

Fully charged, the vehicle has a range of up to 160 kilometres. Given that 85 per cent of Australians drive less than 100 kilometres a day, this vehicle would suit the lifestyles of most in our community.

The four-seater, rear wheel drive i MiEV is speed limited to a top speed of 130Km/h and has three 'speeds': Drive, Eco and Brake.

The vehicle is expected to go into volume production in Japan in June.