After I cooled off, I thought I posted the following on that TIME piece, but for some reason it hasn't shown up:
This disjointed biased opinion piece with a catchy title and negligible substance which never answered the question seems to have had the goal of incensing EV advocates simply to garner comments. Yes, I fell into this trap.
Picking out the i-MiEV and referring to it as "golfcart-like" and "mostly an afterthought" tells me the writer has not done his homework nor even talked with an i-MiEV owner: the i-MiEV has most of the accoutrements of a modern vehicle: Active Stability Control, enhanced ABS, six airbags,etc., a top speed of over 80mph, brisk acceleration, and good handling thanks in part to the battery pack centered and down low underneath the seats. Entry and egress are superbly easy, there's plenty of elbow room in the interior, and the tight turning radius (rivaled only by a London taxi) coupled with small exterior dimensions makes maneuvering and parking in tight quarters a breeze. As to its suitability for its intended purpose as an urban workhorse, just consider the capacious flat-floor aft storage with the seats down offering more volume than all other EVs except the RAV4EV SUV and Tesla S.
Regarding "range", the article compared an i-MiEV with the Volt - I'd like to remind you that the Volt has an EPA electric range of 35-38 miles (vs. the i-MiEV's 62) and notice how repeatedly Volt owners crow over not having bought gasoline for months! The i-MiEV's range is more than adequate to satisfy over 90% of Americans' daily-driving needs, with over 200 miles/day easily achieved using only Level 2 charging. With CHAdeMO quick charge standard in the 2014 model, the perception of limited range will only be further dispelled.
Mitsubishi has produced over 30,000 i-MiEV's since 2009 which have been successful around the world, hardly an "afterthought".
"Lacks sex appeal" - to which sex are you referring? All the women and girls I know think the i-MiEV is "cute", and the innumerate pecker-challenged monster SUV and Pickup Truck crowd has other priorities.
"Only 12 sold last month" reflects the almost complete unavailability of this vehicle across the country. The price cut of next-year's i-MiEV model is welcomed and in-part reflects the Yen-$ exchange-rate shift of the past couple of years . Rather than a "Major Problem", the inexpensive i-MiEV will open the door to a fresh demographic which has heretofore been unable to participate in the EV 'revolution' - across the country and not just in California.
Yes, I own an i-MiEV and have over 22,000 very-satisfied miles on it. The iMiEV has become the PRIMARY car in the family, with the ultra-efficient Gen1 Insight hybrid relegated to long trip use. I can't wait for the new iMiEVs to show up as I have family members chomping at the bit.