Mitsubishi Motors announced on Thursday that it has handed over the keys to the first US fleet of 2012 i-MiEVs.

Mitsubishi Motors announced on Thursday that it has handed over the keys to the first US fleet of 2012 i-MiEVs. The happy buyer is City CarShare, a car-sharing organization based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Mitsubishi has several other fleet orders in the pipeline, from corporations, municipalities, utilities and nonprofits in various states.

“We are very pleased to introduce the all electric Mitsubishi i into our fleet. This vehicle brings us one step closer toward our goal of having 50% of our fleet run on alternative fuel as part of our mission to decrease carbon emissions in the Bay Area,” said City CarShare CEO Rick Hutchinson.

Reaction to Mitsubishi’s four-seat hatchback EV has been so positive that the company has decided to move the car’s nationwide launch forward by six months. The i, with a starting price around $29,000, is now scheduled to go on sale in all 50 states by June 2012, Mitsubishi President Osamu Masuko told Automotive News. He also confirmed the company’s plans to produce an EV version of Mitsubishi's Mirage subcompact.

Image: Mitsubishi