OREANDA-NEWS. June 22, 2012. Trade House - NIKO , an official importer of Mitsubishi cars to Ukraine, handed over the first 3 Mitsubishi i-MiEV (Mitsubishi innovative electric vehicles) to DTEK within the project on exploration of the opportunities for electric vehicles (EV) industry development in Ukraine.

 Mitsubishi i-MiEV EVs will go to Donetsk to reinforce DTEK's corporate car fleet. To ensure day-to-day operation of the EVs, a charging infrastructure will be built. It will help to study the possibility of the EVs integration into the electricity networks.

 “Electric vehicles are thought to be our innovative future that starts today with the supply of Mitsubishi i-MiEV to the first client. The EV technologies solve several pressing problems for the mankind. Being an alternative to conventional fuel, they ensure reduced environmental load due to no CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. According to the strategy developed by Trade House - NIKO , at the initial stage of the entry into the Ukrainian market, Mitsubishi i-MiEV will be supplied to corporate clients, since this will help prepare the market by developing a charging infrastructure and service maintenance of the new transport,” says Andrey Nagnibida, the General Director of Trade House - NIKO.

 “DTEK strives to develop new energy technologies, thus, use of EVs in Ukraine fits well into the concept. Environmental protection is one of our strategic tasks. DTEK develops alternative energy, invests billions of hryvnias in the environmental projects and implements the complex energy efficiency programme. Use of EVs is still a pilot project. However, if proven to be success, the project will become part of DTEK’s environmental programme and may affect not only the current car and petrol station model, but the whole electricity network model. We will be happy to support this upcoming trend to become a reliable partner for world’s leading manufacturers and the first Ukrainian company developing charging networks,” Aleksandr Tolkach, DTEK’s Director for External Affairs, commented on the supply of first batch of electric cars.

 In December 2011, the companies signed the memorandum of cooperation within the joint project of exploration of the possibility for EV use in Ukraine and development of EV infrastructure. The joint project will help to collect practical information on EV and infrastructure operation in Ukrainian metropolises (Kiev and Donetsk) and in the long term to design a concept to introduce individual electric cars in large Ukrainian cities.