Chiltern Transport Consortium Goes Pure-Electric And Takes Delivery Of First Mitsubishi I-Miev

CIRENCESTER, UNITED KINGDOM – May 18, 2011: Mitsubishi Motors in the UK is delighted to announce the delivery of a Mitsubishi i-MiEV to Thames Valley Police, which is the lead authority for Chiltern Transport Consortium. Chiltern Transport Consortium provides a cross-border shared service, back office support function for all the fleet requirements of Bedfordshire Police, Civil Nuclear Constabulary, Hertfordshire Constabulary, and Thames Valley Police.

The vehicle has been handed over today at Soul’s Mitsubishi in Milton Keynes and has been commissioned with Thames Valley Police corporate livery. The pure-electric vehicle (EV) will be used for routine non-emergency duties in and around Milton Keynes city centre.

Chiltern Transport Consortium’s Environmental StrategyThe long term goal of Chiltern Transport Consortium is to provide sustainable transport solutions to its police customers that meet all operational requirements whilst minimising impact on the environment. To this end it is continually monitoring the development of emerging ultra-low carbon vehicle technologies and recommending their adoption at the earliest opportunity.

Chiltern Transport’s Fleet Manager, Dave McDonald said:

“We believe this is not only necessary to protect future generations from the worst effects of global warming but also to protect the public purse from the inevitable and relentless rise in fuel prices in the coming years. On the principle that we are all in this together we will work with customers, suppliers and other stakeholders to radically reduce and eventually eliminate our fleets’ dependency on fossil fuels.”

Mr McDonald continued to say:

“The purchase of the Mitsubishi i-MiEV for use by Thames Valley Police in Milton Keynes not only signals Chiltern Transport Consortium’s commitment to this endeavour but also promotes electric vehicles as a viable option for other fleets and individuals.”

Mitsubishi i-MiEVs Key Advantages
The Mitsubishi i-MiEV is the lowest priced mass-produced pure-EV available in the UK. Along with excellent contract hire, additional finance packages, and ultra low running costs, the Mitsubishi i-MiEV is a very strong environmentally friendly proposition.

Strong Residual Values
Independent advisor CAP has predicted the Mitsubishi i-MiEV will retain 43% of its on-the-road price after the £5,000 government incentive Plug-In Car Grant (P-ICG) and after three years and 30,000 miles, which is better than most combustion engine rivals.

Safety – 4 Euro NCAP
Safety is very important for Thames Valley Police and the i-MiEV comes fitted as standard with a full complement of safety systems to help prevent and reduce the effect of any impact. In recognition of its on-board safety features, the Mitsubishi i-MiEV has become the first electric vehicle to be crash-tested by the renowned Euro NCAP organisation.

Mitsubishi Motors Environmental Strategy
Mitsubishi Motors believes that pure-EVs powered by clean electricity are one way of replacing fossil-fuel burning cars to solve the transportation issues of the future and is the first vehicle manufacturer to bring a pure-EV to the global market.

Mitsubishi Motors is investing heavily in carbon reduction programmes at every stage of its operations, including design, production, tailpipe emissions and end-of-life recycling, as a part of its Environment Initiative Programme. Mitsubishi Motors has a clear environmental roadmap in place for the near future and environmental policies in place up until 2020. It is intended that electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles will account for at least 20% of total production by 2020.