Premier John Brumby stood at Port Melbourne with Australian Roads and Ports Minister Tim Pallas and President Masahiko Takahashi of Mitsubishi Australia to welcome the arrival of the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, the first commercial vehicle that is fully electric. Twenty units of Mitsubishi i-MiEV rolled onto the Webb Dock East.
Brumby said in a statement that these i-MiEV units will play a part in the Victorian Government’s trial for electric vehicle. He mentioned that the government is fully committed in their initiative to make the state a greener and cleaner environment; therefore, the $5 million electric vehicle test trial is the government’s way of ensuring that the state is electric vehicle-friendly.
Brumby also mentioned that the Victorian Government is working hand-in-hand with the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV) in looking for at least 180 families who are willing to take part in the test trial. These families will get to test drive the electric vehicles for almost three months. This is a good way to see how the plug-in charging, electricity network, and the test drives will fit into the daily lives of the test applicants and how successful the electric vehicles are in adapting to day-to-day situations. The test trial will also include light commercial vehicles, passenger vehicles, and two-wheelers. Brumby said that the test trial is part of the Victorian Government’s $38 billion Transport Plan and that this will enable the government to see how they can make the these electric vehicles more useful on the road and for the people.
Yuk. Yuk. Yuk. So much ugly in such a small car!