Adding to its extensive range of hybrid vehicles, Charles Darwin University today received only the second all-electric vehicle in the Territory.
CDU Fleet took delivery of the all-electric Mitsubishi i-MiEV from the Mitsubishi Motor Group’s Mark White at an official handover at the Casuarina campus.
Director of Facilities Management at CDU, Steve Teale said the handover was a significant step for the CDU fleet.
“These vehicles are extremely limited in numbers and it really demonstrates the university's commitment to environmental management through the reduction of its carbon footprint,” he said.
“The i-MiEV is a fully electric zero-emissions vehicle. Even when taking into account CO2 emissions at the power plants that generate the power needed for charging the car, it emits only about 30 per cent of the CO2 of a gasoline mini-car.”
Using the on-board charger, the i-MiEV can be charged anywhere with a 100V or 200V power source. The cost per kilometer to drive the i-MiEV is one-third that of a comparable gasoline vehicle. Depending on the cost of electricity, the cost per kilometer can drop as low as one-ninth that of gasoline, for example when charged during off-peak or night-time hours.
Only the second of its kind in the Territory, the i-MiEV is a step towards halting the automotive industry’s impact on global warming.
The i-MiEV is a valuable addition to CDU’s range of hybrid vehicles as the university strives for a more sustainable approach to its management of assets and facilities.