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Masataka Saito, Tokyo-based general manager of Mitsubishi Motors, hopes his company's i-MiEV electric vehicles will become a huge success in the coming years.

Mitsubishi launched the i-MiEV model earlier this year making it the world's first 100-per-cent electric vehicle to be mass-produced.

Unlike Toyota or Honda, both of whom have introduced petrol-electric hybrid models over the past few decades, Mitsubishi's strategy has been to completely replace petrol with an all-electric engine.

The result is a 1,100-kilogram mini-car, which drives like a petrol-run vehicle but has zero-emission.

"It's no longer a golf cart [like the first few electric vehicles]. The i-MiEV can be a decent second car for city use. It has a maximum speed of 130 kilometres per hour and a driving range of 160km," says Saito, head of Mitsubishi's EV business development department.

Saito's challenge is to make the still-expensive i-MiEV economically viable for Japanese consumers.

With hefty subsidies from both central and local governments of up to ¥1.39 million (Bt515,900), the price could fall to around ¥3.2 million per unit.

Initial customers are local government officials and power companies in Japan. So far, the firm has received orders for 650 units and the deliveries are due next year.

"We're not selling to individual customers yet. Mass marketing should start some time next year.

"In my opinion, the last 100 years - since Henry Ford invented the T-model in 1908 - were the golden years of gasoline vehicles.

"However, the next 100 years should be the era of electric vehicles. The i-MiEV just marks its humble beginnings," says Saito.

The i-MiEV allows users to charge the car's lithium-ion batteries overnight at home. During the day, motorists could opt for a quick 30-minute charge at selected locations.

Initially, a total of 70 charging stations at shopping centres, convenience stores, franchise restaurants, gas stations, parking lots etc are being planned for Tokyo.

According to Saito, electric vehicles will become popular if the initial demand is created with government subsidies and tax incentives as well as government support as initial buyers.

In addition, infrastructure construction also needs government subsidies and cooperation between companies and local government units.

For example, the Tokyo area should have around 15,000 i-MiEV models |by 2013, so that there is a critical mass to further popularise the vehicles so the |per-unit price could fall to around ¥2 million over the next few years.

The ¥2-million price range is comparable to the Prius gasoline-electric hybrid model, which is currently widely popular in Japan.

Mitsubishi aims to sell 1,400 units of i-MiEV this year and another 5,000 units next year. Initial targets for overseas markets are 250 units and 1,000 units for 2009 and 2010 respectively.

As for Thailand, Mitsubishi bets on what it calls "bridge technology" to electric vehicles as it has already introduced compressed natural gas Lancer models whose operating cost is sharply lower than that of petrol-run vehicles.

In addition, the firm is supporting the Thai government's bio-ethanol project using indigenous molasses to produce fuel like E10, E20 and E85 for its so-called flexible-fuel vehicle models.

According to Saito, it will likely take five to 10 years before Thai consumers are ready for 100-per-cent electric vehicles.