1,000 Mitsubishi"i"s headed to Bloomington-Normal, IL by 2014— Autoblog Green

Japanese automakerMitsubishimanufactures vehicles at a facility in the central Illinois town of Normal. In fact, the automaker officially confirmed that it will transfer production of itsOutlander Sportfrom Japan to Normal, joining theGalant,EndeavorandEclipsethat currently run down the Illinois site's assembly line.

Aside from manufacturing vehicles in Normal, Mitsubishi has announced that it will supply the Bloomington-Normal communities with 1,000battery-powered"i"s– a slightly larger version of thei-MiEV– by the end of 2014. The Japanese automaker, along with the Bloomington-Normal Electric Vehicle Task Force, will orchestrate the delivery and deployment of the battery-powered vehicles and charging station manufacturer Eaton Corp. will work with local officials to install a citywide network of chargers by year's end.

The first batch of 300"i"s should hit dealerships in central Illinois by the end of 2011, with hundreds more scheduled for delivery in subsequent years. Prior to the i's arrival, the city of Normal will lease a pair ofEuro-spec i-MiEVsfor testing and evaluation purposes. Mitsubishi hopes that its partnership with Bloomington-Normal will"usher in the era of the electric vehicle."

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