i-MiEV: 'Peace of mind' with solar design

Electric iMiEV cars can use a new high-efficiency system that lets users lock in energy costs for 25 years. Photo / Supplied

Mitsubishi NZ and green company SolarCity have joined forces to offer new i-MiEV owners a rooftop solar system that will provide the plug-in car with enough power to offset the energy used for charging.

The carmaker's sales and marketing manager, Daniel Cook, says the partnership is designed to give customers the right resources and technology to make powering the i-MiEV as efficient as possible.

"i-MiEV electric car owners want a greener and cleaner way to drive," said Cook. "The energy the solar PV panels generate in a day exceeds what is needed to offset the energy used in the average daily commute, significantly reducing the total cost of ownership."

Andrew Booth, CEO of SolarCity, says the aim is to give i-MiEV owners the peace of mind that they never have to spend an additional dollar on energy for their car in its lifetime.

"The high-efficiency solar system we are using will be sized specifically for recharging the i-MiEV," says Booth.

"It is engineered to provide enough power for about 1250km of travel per month, and comes with a power output guarantee, allowing each customer to lock in their energy costs for the next 25 years.

"Forty per cent of New Zealand's energy is provided by oil and our key export and tourism industries also rely on it."

New Zealanders own 3.3 million vehicles, according to a Ministry of Transport survey, and Booth says they will become increasingly expensive to run as the price of oil rises.

"With this in mind, it is apt that this initiative is being launched in Auckland, New Zealand's most populated city," he says.

University of Auckland School of Architecture and Planning head Hugh Byrd says the combined technology of solar PV panels and electric cars not only makes the cars more efficient but also reduces noises levels and carbon emissions and other pollutants that impact air quality.

"In main urban areas, 90 per cent of New Zealand's vehicles travel less than 69km a day, which is well within the range of the current generation of electric cars," says Byrd.

The 1.5kW SolarCity system is comprised of solar photovoltaic modules that produce an average of 1900 kilowatt hours of electricity annually. The power generated is distributed to the grid using the New Zealand-made Enasolar Inverter.

For i-MiEV car owners, the complete solar system starts from $9999 and is designed to be installed on the home or garage roof.

Included in the price is a monitoring system, which can track the performance of the system on the internet.