Estonia may not ring a collective bell for all of us here living in the Philippines. But this early, we might as well learn more about this former Soviet state located in the Gulf of Finland since it may hold the key to changing the way we move around.
Last March, the Estonian government concluded a deal with Mitsubishi Motors Corp. (MMC) to provide the country 507 units of the Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle, or the i-MiEV.
This is the largest order of i-MiEVs anywhere in the world.
Delivery of the first 50 units was completed last October 21 with no less than Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip welcoming MMC president Osamu Masuko and MMC SVP Akinobu Ogata.
The MMC plans to complete shipment of the entire order to Estonia by the end of this year.
Revolutionary alternative
The i-MiEV is an all-electric vehicle that fits four passengers. It can go as fast as 130 kph and run up to 155 km on a single charge. What makes this car a revolutionary alternative to traditional vehicle is it has no tailpipe emission.
The car runs on a compact, high-output electric motor that is powered by a large-capacity lithium-ion battery system that can be recharged (by plugging it into a power point at home) in around seven hours.
The Estonian government plans to use these i-MiEVs in public facilities as part of the country’s policy to popularize electric vehicles throughout country, utilizing the Green Investment Scheme (GIS) under the Kyoto Protocol.
The GIS refers to specific kinds of international emissions trade conducted under the Kyoto Protocol. Under the GIS, emissions are traded on the condition that revenues generated from transfers of Assigned Amount Units should be used for curbing greenhouse gas emissions or carrying out other environmental measures.
Public facilities
The Estonian government plans to use the i-MiEVs as official transport of its several public facilities (particularly social welfare offices) as part of its policy to popularize electric vehicles nationwide, hoping to reduce CO2 emissions in the country.
In addition, the Estonian government has already introduced subsidies for EV purchases and plans to set up charging infrastructure.
For its part, MMC will work to popularize electric vehicles in Estonia by providing technical support to the Estonian government monitoring CO2 reductions and planning to start sales of the i-MiEV to the public in Estonia this month.
MMC is currently selling the i-MiEV in many countries and regions all over the world, including Japan, Europe, Hong Kong and Australia, and will start sales of the i-MiEV in the United States and Canada within the year.
MMC is also coordinating with other states including the Principality of Monaco, Iceland, Denmark, Singapore and Thailand, countries which are also planning to popularize electric vehicles.