Quick and convenient

Rapid charging points are going to start appearing in locations in and around major conurbations. Conveniently located in places such as shopping centres, supermarkets, and public car parks, rapid charging points will allow an 80% charge from empty in just 30 minutes.

Charging from a 13A 240V supply is already widely available in key urban areas and is of course how most users will charge i-MiEV from their household electricity supply. The network of charging points in urban areas is rapidly expanding to meet the demand of EV driver, you can locate current charging points by going to www.ev-network.org.uk or www.pod-point.com

i-MiEV comes with an on-board charger ready to accept a 13A 240 volt supply so it's just a case of connecting i-MiEV to the power source with the charge connector cable supplied with the vehicle. When charging from a 13A 240 volt supply i-MiEV will charge itself from completely flat to 100% in approximately 7 hours.

Energy Management

The dashboard layout is as you would expect with many of the normal functions and display you would recognise. The only difference is that the combination meter gives you relevant information for an electric vehicle rather than petrol/diesel:

• Energy usage - allows you to see the consumption of electricity. The dial shows you power usage, when the indicator is in the “Eco” zone you are extending your driving range and the “Charge” zone shows when the battery is being charged during deceleration (regenerative braking)
• Energy level gauge - shows you how much charge is available
• Cruising range - shows remaining distance range, this is calculated by the consumption of electricity for the last 15 miles driven and the usage of the air conditioning usage
• Low energy warning indicator - will flash when the battery energy level becomes low and the car needs to be charged
• Power down warning lamp - will light up when the battery energy level becomes zero

When you release the accelerator pedal, deceleration torque will be generated to stop the rotation of the motor and this will perform the role of the engine braking. With downhill driving, this deceleration power allows the motor to generate electricity to charge the main battery.