Tokyo, June 15: The world's first mass-produced zero-emission minicar, the "i-MiEV", is all set to debut in Japan next month, which promises to usher in a new age of driving that does not require fossil fuel.
Developed by the Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, the car has neither an engine nor a muffler and does not need an internal combustion engine because it runs on a motor charged with electricity.
The i-MiEV can travel 160 kilometers on its lithium-ion battery pack, but it will take 14 hours to fully recharge the battery from a 100-volt household power outlet.
It emits no carbon dioxide. Even when taking into account CO2 emissions at the power plants that generate the power needed for charging the car, it emits only about one-third of the CO2 of a gasoline minicar.
Bureau Report
First Published: Monday, June 15, 2009, 09:51