Mitsubishi hopes to transform its electric i-MiEV into a mobile generator that's designed to provide emergency back-up power whenever and wherever it's needed.

Mitsubishi i electric vehicles arrived in the Port of Baltimore and will soon ship out to dealerships throughout the eastern US. But will it make even the slightest dent in the EV market?

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy today announced that the Mitsubishi i electric car was rated the greenest car in its 14th annual environmental rankings of cars and trucks. The small EV unseated the Honda Civic Natural Gas car, which held the top spot in ACEEE’s green car rankings for the past eight years—and represents a sea change in green car technology. In this year’s rankings, the all-electric Nissan LEAF came in second place. This year's impressive showing for electric cars likely establishes future dominance for EVs in green rankings from ACEEE and other organizations.

Plug-in cars are going to face a serious challenge in the marketplace during the coming decade--not from naysayers or anti-EV fanatics or pro-petroleum pundits. The biggest challenge is going to come from the variety of alternative choices. I tested several recently.

While Mitsubishi says it will move forward the nationwide launch of its i electric hatchback in the US to mid-2102, because of demand. But we won't be able to confirm potential demand until the end of December, when the first full month of sales are reported. The tally of sales of the i in November was just four units.