Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. has selected Hawaii to be the first state to receive the North American version of the company's groundbreaking 100% electric-powered Mitsubishi i production vehicle beginning in November of this year.  

With both state and federal tax credits available to those who purchase ‘green’ vehicles the cost to Hawaii citizens could be as low as $16,000. Hawaiian consumers are now able to reserve their own Mitsubishi i with a fully-refundable deposit of only $299.00 by visting Mitsubisihi i's information page here.  

"We thank Mitsubishi Motors for choosing Hawaii as one of the first states to receive the new "i" electric car.  Electric vehicles use a fraction of the fuel needed by traditional cars, so each EV on the road means we're reducing our dependence on imported oil and increasing our ability to reach Hawaii's goal of 70 percent clean energy within a generation," said Estrella Seese, Acting Energy Program Administrator, Hawaii State Energy Office.

Mitsubishi anticipates deliveries of the energy efficient 5-door 2012 Mitsubishi i to dealers in the western United States (specifically Hawaii, California, Oregon, and Washington) in November 2011, with entry into the northeastern market to follow by March 2012 and nationwide availability by the end of 2012.

The Mitsubishi i can be charged using the onboard household charger through either 120V or 240V power sources or by a DC quick-charger system that utilizes a three-phase 220V power supply (80% charge in 30 minutes). The charging times from a very low battery to completely full are approximately 6 hours at 240V and 22.5 hours at 120V. Mitsubishi is targeting a driving range of 85 miles for the vehicle.