Robert Llewellyn's First Electric Car Is Reborn!!

Robert reconnects with a pioneering electric car in which he covered many a mile when it arrived back in 2009: The groundbreaking Mitsubishi i-MiEV. But this particular car is rather special: thanks to some tasty upgrades it’s been made more capable than it ever was in period, all while repurposing its outgoing tired components. Is it time for Bobby to add an I-MiEV to his garage once again?

00:00 Intro
1:26 Reconnecting with the i-MiEV
2:38 Major upgrades!
5:47 Joy of simplicity
7:14 New specs
9:02 A bonus upgrade

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#Imiev #mitsubishi #electricvehicles #batteryswap #ev #battery #electriccar

[sailingoctopus]

I bought a Peugeot-badged one of these at auction four years ago for £3, 600 here in the UK. It's now over ten years old and still gets 67 miles of range in the summer and that's on very hilly terrain. Great car with lots of charisma and cheap as chips to run. The only money we've spent on it in four years is £70 on a new 12V battery and two new front tyres for £35 each plus fitting. It just sailed through the MoT.

Cheapest motoring ever.

[judebrown]

Yeah, this is what it's all about. Companies like this should be springing up all over the world soon. Good on them and good on you Robert for showing how it should be done.👍👏

[jms]

I have a 2010 iMiEV with this upgraded battery pack, as supplied by Oz Electric Vehicles. It's a brilliant little runabout and I'm getting between 230 -250 km per charge. I kept the original 50Ah cells and used them to make an off-grid solar charging station on my shed, which charges up during the day and then trickle charges the car overnight, so it's always charged in the morning. I haven't bought petrol or used grid supplied electricity to charge it for nearly a year now. I look forward to seeing what others have re-used the old batteries for.

[thewildcroft]

Just traded in our Leaf for a Kona. There was literally nothing wrong with it other than the range, we need more companies like this!

[rushja]

This is perfect, recycling, keeping sensible, usable cars on the road. We need shops like this everywhere on the planet!

[turbokadett]

As a UK iMiev owner I've been following the work of Oz Electric Vehicles for years. Their hard work and what they've achieved is fantastic and deserves to be rewarded.
The issue is cost. If I were to go through the process of landing an upgrade kit here and fitting it myself the cost would easily outstrip just buying a good used EV with more than double the range and a lot more creature comforts.
It souldn't be like this but sadly that's the state of play. I wish them all the best and if the cost of getting a kit in the UK were to half then I'd be seriously considering it.

[benjaminnead]

I bought a used 2012 i-MiEV 8 years ago here in the US. The North American trim ones are slightly wider than the European and Asian versions. It's a marvelous little car that, I think, was largely underappreciated at the time. The original battery in mine started to fade in capacity in 2020 and I was able to get a warranty replacement. I take care of this car and will surely be driving it for years to come. The work this crew in Australia is doing is marvelous.

[KiwiEVadventures]

What absolutely wonderful memories. I remember this video well and not long after this, I ended up with a Peugeot iOn clone of the iMiEV. I even put a kitchen in the back with a fridge and running water! Looking forward to seeing Rob and the team this weekend at Everything Electric in Sydney!

[The_Hero_Is_Back]

My first EV was a Peugeot-badged iMiev. On our third EV now but still miss the iMiev’s sheer ability as a run-around for shopping, quick trips, even weekends away. It was like owning a four wheeled Vespa and not much wider either!

[MrKOenigma]

Where i live, there's also a small workshop that has specialized in older used EVs. They keep em running, install bms, bigger batteries, etc

[HaakonOfTheShadows]

Way back in the day when there was only two DCFCs in Brisbane, I used the AC charger out the front of that shop to help get my Nissan Leaf from Ipswich to the Gold Coast. Great to see they are still trading and innovating.

[Preske]

240km range is not a bad range, especially considering the size and where that type of car typically drives. This is a good thing these guys are doing.

[carolinebois]

Thanks to Robert's iMiev videos way back, we bought a second hand Peugeot iOn several years ago. The car's heading for her teens, high mileage now, but still as good as new. Although we've added a second EV to the family, the iOn is still our daily runabout. Just adore our 'mini tardis', and will certainly treat her to an upgrade battery some day. She's a keeper!

[tombac]

I still have the Peugeot Ion and i am agree That this is a marvellous car, I love it . Why you need more to go from A to B. The only thing ist is limited and lacking in this day is, range ! I would like this upgrade here in Spain .

[Gomisan]

This stuff is what so many people are missing about electric vehicles. The batteries have an amazing potential life beyond the initial install and that has flow on effects to all areas of the renewable ecosystem.

[kowosky]

I was working on a highland estate as a renewable energy manager. My commute was 20 miles each way and the single track twisty roads were eating the tires off my BMW so I nabbed one of these in Edinburgh for 5K at the time. It was a pre-production ex Scottish power car. The drive back to Ardnamurchan was some laugh I stopped at just about every charger I could the last being in the Glencoe ski centre. I just made it to my house with 0 on the battery and a turtle on the dash. It was one of the most fun cars I ever had and i am a petrol head as well as a long time EV enthusiast. I loved this thing it was perfect for single track highland roads and with B mode on the regen was fantastic. One day it just stopped I knew the battery itself was fine because I carefully monitored it but Mitsubishi told me it needed a new one and that was it. As I was leaving the county soon I sold it off to a chap I thought could save it and I was delighted to hear he did. It was just a trivial component as I thought. The memory of passing an Audi in it full chat at 70, motor screaming still gives me a smile.

[SydneyEV]

Luckily we still get 80Km range from a full charge in our Imiev, last check a few months ago, from turtle to full, took 11Kwh from its original 16Kwh capacity. ours is a 2010 model.

[zapfanzapfan]

It is only when looking back one can see the incredible progress that has been made. I still have the same car I had 15 years ago but the progress in EV:s has been amazing over those years.

[MoosesValley]

The i-MIEV is so cute. Love seeing things getting repaired, upgraded, up cycled. Saving old ICE cars with blown motors from the wreckers and converting them to electric, and giving old EVs new life with upgraded batteries and features is so great to see. I do believe EVs (and maybe hydrogen cars) are our future. New battery tech under development will double (or more) the range and also eliminate the fire risks, and prices are coming down fast. BTW, OZ Electric Vehicles are just down the road from me. Going to stop in and say Hi and see what EVs they have for sale.

[alteh]

Love how global this channel can be at times. One day watching a review of new sports ev in China, then a 3 wheeler in the UK and now you're down the road from me showing resto mods. Love the variety. Bring the Everything Electric show to the Brisbane Exhibition Centre next year!