Having signed a letter of intent, Mitsubishi will provide the California-based utility with the electric compact for research and demonstration purposes. Both companies plan to benefit from the i MiEV study by procuring usable data that will pave the way for electric vehicles in the California market. The car will begin selling in Japan in the summer of 2009.

"We are hoping for the opportunity to introduce the small, four-passenger Mitsubishi i MiEV to PG&E's fleet in the fourth quarter of this year so that we can begin real-world U.S. testing," said Tohru Hashimoto, Corporate General Manager of the i MiEV Business Promotion Office of Mitsubishi Motors Corporation. "The joint partnership will yield valuable data and a greater appreciation of the practicality of an all-electric vehicle in California."

Similar efforts are underway in Southern California Edison (SCE), the state's other major utility, where both companies are said to run analogous tests on vehicle-to-grid integration. For more on the I MiEV, including features and technical specs, go here.