Original URL: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/09/20/miev_in_iceland/
Mitsubishi electric car to get Iceland test run in 2009
What the Heckla?!?
Posted in Science, 20th September 2008 21:18 GMT
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'Leccy Tech It's not just New Zealanders who'll see Mitsubishi's electric i MiEV [1] gently humming its way around their roads next year - Icelanders will too.
Representatives of Iceland's Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism this week shook hands with the Mitsubishi executives on deal that will see "fleet testing" of the zero-emission cars next year.
Iceland claims to get almost all of its electrical energy from hydroelectric and geothermal sources - since the the volcano/island is sitting slap bang on top of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, we'd hope so - so it's naturally as keen as mustard on renewable resources.
Mitsubishi's i MiEV: Bjorked?
Shifting to electric motoring would allow the country to reduce its need for fossil fuels even further - a move it's "aggressively" eager to make. Since it has to be shipped in, petrol's none too cheap in Iceland.
That said, according to guide book series Lonely Planet [2], gas is only 79p a litre - 132 Icelandic Krona, so the locals pay a lot less to run their cars than the Brits do.
It cuts both ways, though - we pay less for a pint of beer, which sets your average Icelandic boozer back just over £3.60. Bottled water - while we're at it - costs £1.50 a litre. Iceland's answer to Starbucks - actually, the Seattle chain's probably colonised this island too - want £1.68 for a cup of coffee.
Here endeth the Register Hardware geography lesson.
Back to the i MiEV (Mitsubishi Innovative Electric Vehicle) - it's due to go on sale in Japan next year.