Listen carefully and you might detect the slight whir of this car's motor, a little wind noise and a faint thrum from the tires. Could this be the sound of driving in the future? Will our streets one day be whisper-quiet even as they teem with traffic? Mitsubishi's electric mini-car, due on the market at the end of next year, points in that direction.
I jumped behind the wheel of the cute electric i MiEV (Mitsubishi Innovative Electric Vehicle) prototype at the company's first on-road drive session in Tokyo. The i MIEV is the latest in a series of electric vehicles that Mitsubishi has exhibited since 2005 — but it is the first one planned for public sale.
Inside, the car is as quiet as an empty church. Even when backing out of the parking lot, you can hear yourself breathe. Apart from its amazing quietness, the i MIEV seems like any current showroom car. Look closer, however, and you notice that the standard four-speed automatic transmission has been replaced by a floor-mounted gear-selector that allows you to choose either Eco mode or D for drive. And where the tachometer normally goes, this i MIEV sports a circular charge meter and battery gauge.