TEST DRIVE: Inhabitat Takes a Chilly But Impressive Ride in the Mitsubishi i EV

Inhabitat had a one-day fling with a <a title="Mitsubishi i EV" href="http://i.mitsubishicars.com/miev/charging" target="_blank">Mitsubishi i</a> <a title="Inhabitat: electric car" href="http://inhabitat.com/index.php?s=electric+car" target="_blank">electric car</a> recently, and we were surprised by what we found. The Mitsubishi i is an all-electric <a title="Inhabitat: plug-in vehicle" href="http://inhabitat.com/index.php?s=plug-in+vehicle" target="_blank">plug-in vehicle</a>, which can be charged in your garage using a regular or dedicated charger (22.5 long hours or 7 hours respectively) or with a high-voltage quick charger for an 80% charge in just 30 minutes. We were expecting an urban runabout, since the Mitsubishi i is a small vehicle with a 63-mile estimated range. What we didn't expect was that the i handles itself quite well in snow, since of course it had to snow heavily for the 3-hour period we took it out for a test drive and photo shoot.

The snow fell so quickly while we had the i out for our drive that we couldn't get any photos of the open doors for you. The snow piled up on the arm rests like a Disney cartoon and got in every shot.

The i definitely has the style of an urban EV when seen from the front. Bulgy headlights, a tiny hood, and an overall small size (note the angled windshield wipers).

Just as in a Prius, the Mitsubishi i has a raked windshield for maximum aerodynamics, which requires an extra panel of glass in front of the side mirrors.

We raced the snowstorm outside at sunrise, but it was still too late to get shots of the exterior details without snow piling up on the headlights and mirrors.

You'll see that inside and out the quality of the fit and finish is pretty good, including these mirrors.

If the wheels were any smaller, this car would be pedal-powered. And yet Mitsubishi has fit some serious competency into the handling of the i, as well as regenerative brakes.

The shape of the rear doors is the most noticeable detail on the body of the i, setting it apart from other electric cars.

The i has two different charge ports with separate releases, one for the standard charger, and the other for a quick-charging station.

The standard charger is on one side of the back of the vehicle, while the quick charger is located on the other side of the car.

Here is the standard charger with the top popped open, ready to plug in.

We took our tester to a local scenic spot near a 100-year-old bridge, unfortunately the site of many traffic mishaps. Fortunately no one slid into us during our photo shoot.

Rear wipers are a plus, as is the nicely constructed rear hatch.

Everything about the i is bubbly and modern. If that's your thing, the i is virtually the only car on the road of its kind right now and therefore your best choice for electric runabout.

Here is the quick charger release, mounted under the dash instead of under the seat like the standard charger release.

Here is the quick charger on the other side of the car.

Yikes, that be for high voltage.

What do you do when life gives you a freak snowstorm? Pack a sled and head to grandma's!

Just don't pack anything else, because this sled is all that fit in the i's tiny trunk.

The radio controlled fob on the left can remote start the vehicle, turn the HVAC on or off to precondition the cabin, or time when to start and stop charging the car if it's plugged in.

Look at all that standard car fare. The i doesn't have the cheap interior we expected. It's actually nicer than your average American subcompact on the inside.

First of all, retractable cupholders are a particularly good idea in such a small car.

Here is the cupholder extended to hold a drink.

The instrument cluster shows you if you're driving efficiently or using a lot of power, plus how many more miles you can expect to get out of the car. Why it gave us a snowflake instead of a temperature was a little baffling, however.

The steering wheel is just a little small, but it's leather wrapped and works nicely. No over- or under-boosted steering as you might expect in a tiny EV.

The i also has a display screen with navigation and the whole shebang.

Here are the HVAC dials, should you dare to use them.

The i has three gear modes: Drive, Eco, and Braking. These are for normal or efficient driving, or extra regenerative braking. They don't feel very different from each other on the road.

There's one more thing that fits in that little hatch: a charging cable for the standard charger, stored in a leatherette bag.