Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson (from right); Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources B.C., Blair Lekstrom; and Tomoki Yanagawa, Vice President Sales/Marketing & Corporate Planning for Mitsubishi Motor Sales of Canada Inc., charge a Mitsubishi i-MiEV in Vancouver at an historical presentation of three mass-produced, all-electric, zero-emission Mitsubishi i-MiEV passenger cars to the City of Vancouver and BC Hydro, Friday, November 20, 2009.

VANCOUVER, BC — Mitsubishi Motors Sales of Canada Inc. (MMSCAN), British Columbia and the City of Vancouver made history on Friday when three mass-produced, all-electric, zero-emission Mitsubishi i-MiEV passenger cars were presented to the City of Vancouver and BC Hydro. These three vehicles represent the fulfillment of a promise made by MMSCAN to the Government of British Columbia, BC Hydro and the City of Vancouver on April 6, 2009, with respect to providing i-MiEV cars for testing and evaluation.

"This is a first in every sense of the word," said Mr. Tomoki Yanagawa, MMSCAN's Vice President Sales/Marketing & Corporate Planning, as he presented the vehicles to British Columbia Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources Blair Lekstrom, Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson, and BC Hydro President & CEO Bob Elton during a ceremony held here this morning. "The i-MiEV is the world's first highway-capable, mass-production electric car. It's a first for Vancouver, and a first for North America. This is history in the making."

Provincial and local leaders underscored that the Canadian debut heralds the beginning of a new era of green technology that will further the worldwide goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

"We are very proud to demonstrate our leadership in climate-friendly transportation by having the first Mitsubishi all-electric cars right here in British Columbia," said Minister Lekstrom. "Electric vehicles like these ones, fuelled by clean, renewable energy, will help us achieve a low-carbon transportation future."

Mayor Robertson echoed those remarks. "Vancouver is at the forefront of adopting electric vehicles, and we're very pleased to be debuting Mitsubishi's i-MiEV in our City," he said. "Supporting cleaner, more efficient forms of transportation moves us closer to our goal of becoming the world's greenest city, and we're very excited to partner with Mitsubishi in bringing their new electric vehicle technology to Canada."

This significant event represents the first time that regular production all electric vehicles designed and built by a major international manufacturer have been put into service on public roads in North America. The i-MiEV is also the world's first mass-production vehicle to go into production and on sale (customers were first able to purchase the all-electric vehicle in Japan this past summer).

"As we get ready for the increased use of plug-in vehicles, it is very important to know how the cars will interact with BC Hydro's grid and what their charging requirements will be," said BC Hydro President and CEO Elton. "The i-MiEV will help us answer some of these questions while serving as a symbol of BC Hydro's leadership in the demonstration of electric vehicles."

The i-MiEV, which stands for Mitsubishi Innovative Electric Vehicle, is an all-electric, highway-capable, charge-at-home commuter car. Because the battery, the motor and other items are mounted beneath the floor, out of the way, the i-MiEV seats four adults and offers interior room and cargo space.

The specialized battery can be charged with the standard 110v wall socket or 220v dryer type socket commonly found in Canada. Charge time is approximately 14 hours using household 110v and six hours using household 220v. Collaborative research and development with several power companies has led to the development of a quick charging system capable of recharging the battery to 80 percent capacity in 30 minutes.

At the recent Tokyo International Motor Show (2009), the i-MiEV was presented with the Japanese Car of the Year award for "Most Advanced Technology". The i-MiEV was praised for the manner in which it applied its advanced, lithium-ion battery technology in a full, four-seat, family car and for achieving full production status.

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