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The folks are UK magazine CAR got the opportunity to spend some quality time with the Mitsubishi i-EV recently and they came away preferring it to the conventional gas-powered version. The electric car that looks somewhat like a four-door Smart has an electric motor driving the rear wheels and lithium ion batteries mounted under the floor. The low mounted batteries and electric motor torque actually result in better handling and acceleration than the 660cc gas version. The i-EV has a 100-mile range and leisurely 14 second 0-60 time. Mitsubishi hopes to have the i-EV on sale by 2008 or 2009 at price of $30,000 although that may be tough to reach unless they're willing to sell it at loss.
While there are electric cars available today, no large automaker is offering one. Mitsubishi might just be the first out of the gate with a plug-in car (not a hybrid) called the i-EV (aka i-MiEV). If sources withing the company are telling The Daily Telegraph in Australia the truth, the small electric car could be on sale as early as next year. Apparently, the electric "i" is off the concept stand and onto the streets as an evaluation vehicle. Mitsubishi has been working on this car for a while (see the collection of links below), so it's not crazy talk to suggest it will be available in 2008.
What kind of numbers might the i-MiEV boast? The Daily Telegraph says a 160 km (100 mile) range and a top speed of 130 km/h (about 80 mph). Standard home charging will happen overnight, but a 3-phase 200 volt 50kW QuickCharger will give you an 80 percent charge in half an hour.
Unfortunately, the Daily Telegraph story is only available on Lexis-Nexis, as far as I can tell, so no link.
Ahh, the eco-car next to energy-generating windmills. Is there anything more standard than that these days? Mitsubishi is willing to repeat the theme one more time with the latest batch of promo images of the Mitsubishi i MiEV Sport. You can read about the details of the i MiEV Sport in our post from the other day, so I won't clutter this with too much info on this battery-powered 2+2 coupe. Just enjoy the eye candy, if cute EVs are your thing. You can also discuss how much has changed from the earlier version of the MiEV, a car that somehow looks even more cartoony that the one above.
Our team hasn't even arrived in Frankfurt yet and news is already starting to trickle out about the next big show on the circuit. The Tokyo Motor Show is coming up in October and Mitsubishi has let out some information about their debuts. One of the premieres will be a battery-powered 2+2 coupe dubbed the i MiEV Sport.
The lithium ion battery-powered, all wheel drive coupe will use a pair of in-wheel motors in the front corners along with a third motor driving the rear wheels. Helping the coupe reach its 120 mile range are photovoltaic solar cells mounted in the roof and LED lighting. Additional power comes from a generating fan mounted in the front grille. There are more details in the press release after the jump.
Scanning through Mitsubishi Motors' official announcement of the cars the Japanese automaker is bringing to Frankfurt (available after the jump), the green standouts include the all-electric i MiEV (unfortunately, it will be shown only on the press day; what a missed opportunity) and the big unveiling of the Concept-cX. The Concept-cX is a compact SUV that is Euro V compliant and uses bioplastic interior parts. This SUV certainly doesn't look green, but it has a 1.8-liter clean diesel engine mated to Mitsubishi's new Twin Clutch SST (Sport Shift Transmission) and a diesel particulate filter to clean up after itself. This information on the cX is the same as what Mitsubishi told us a month ago.
Another green option is the diesel engine in the New European Lancer sedan. See the full list of Mitsubishi's offerings after the jump.
On September 11, 2007, Mitsubishi will release the details of its Concept-cX, a clean diesel, Euro V-compliant CUV at the 62nd Internationale Automobil Ausstellung (IAA; commonly known as the Frankfurt Motor Show). Today we got a little preview, in the form of a sketch (above) and a short press release (after the jump).
This is a pretty aggressive-looking CUV, but it's not too harsh on the environment. Under the hood, the Concept-cX has a new high-output, high-efficiency 1.8-liter clean diesel engine, which features a variable geometry turbocharger. In the exhaust system, the Concept-cX has a diesel oxidation catalyst with diesel particulate filter so it's compliant with Europe's Euro 5 emission standards. Inside, Mitsubishi is using "Green Plastic" made from plants.
Ethanol-friendly Brazil is getting a new flex-fuel SUV from Mitsubishi. The locally-built Pajero TR4 Flex is a 4WD SUV derived from the also-Brazilian-built Pajero TR4. Unlike its standard sibling, the TR4 Flex's 2.0-liter four can run on any combination of gasoline and ethanol. ECU mods allow for optimum combustion regardless of said fuel mixture, and it pumps out 133 horsepower whether its running on gasoline only or on E100 (no numbers were provided for in-between mixes). When running on 100 percent ethanol, the engine also generates a slightly greater amount of torque. The Pajero TR4 Flex goes on sale in Brazil next month, and Mitsubishi is still targeting FY 2009 for the release of a FFV in the US.
Mitsubishi's serious entrant in the all-electric category, the i Miev, might be finding a home outside Japan. While the company plans to offer the BEV in the middle of 2010 in Japan, the British Car Magazine says that "UK bosses are secretly preparing to launch it here by early 2011."
Gallery: Mitsubishi i MIEV
A more conventional MItsubishi i (Miev stands for Mitsubishi Innovative Electric Vehicle) powered by a 0.7-liter petrol engine, will be sold starting in about ten days. Mitsubishi's UK managing director Jim Tyrrell told the magazine that they expect to sell about 2000-3000 electric i cars in the British islands. No specific price is set, but the petrol version costs £9084 and the BEV-version may be £3000-4000 more.
As part the ongoing testing with the "i MIEV" research vehicle, Mitsubishi has delivered one of the cars to the Chugoku Electric Power Co. Earlier this year, cars were delivered to Tokyo Electric Power and Kyushu Electric Power as well. The power companies are evaluating the kei-car-based EVs and testing them to gauge their compatibility with and overall impact on the electrical infrastructure. The car delivered last Friday is finished in yellow with white doors and "hood" (the car's motor, etc is actually mid/rear-mounted), which are also emblazoned with cutesy Japanimation/Hello Kitty-esque critters. Also: dig the lightning bolt icon on the erstwhile fuel filler door.
On center stage at TalkRadio 790 KABC's Third Annual Clean Air Showcase is the new '08 Lancer and '07 Outlander. The reason? Instead of just throwing some regular models for the masses while they develop full hybrid or alternative fuel versions, Mitsubishi has taken a stopgap measure by greening their current technology. The 2.0L four-clynder in the new Lancer and the V6 in the Outlander both have received a Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle (PZEV) rating. Efforts to make this happen include complex catalyst systems, and evaporative emissions systems that address vapors from things like batteries, plastics and the fuel system.
The event will be held on Saturday, June 9 (tomorrow) in Santa Monica, California at the Third Street Promenade. Entrance is free, and people will be able to get in and even test drive vehicles of their choice. Mitsubishi hopes that by trying as hard as they are, they can convince the public that you don't have to sacrifice performance and driving pleasure to be green to the environment. That's true, but only 143 hp in the Lancer? And 213 for the Outlander SUV? Who's definition of performance are we going by?
An EPA award has been given unto Mitsubishi for a 30 percent more efficient automotive A/C unit. The 30 percent target was set by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and as such will supplement a slight improvement in fuel economy in whatever vehicle it's installed in. With 30 percent less energy required to run the A/C, the alternator doesn't have to work as hard to generate the power it needs. Therefore, less stress and wear are put on the engine, theoretically requiring less maintenance. These are small improvements, but you know what they say about baby steps.
The A/C unit was installed and tested on the current Outlander, with excellent results. Come this fall, it will be installed in all new Outlanders sold in the U.S.
Mitsubishi and GS Yuasa Corporation are forming a new joint venture company to develop and build large format lithium ion batteries for automotive applications. The cooperative effort will kick off with an investment of about $30 million to install equipment at Yuasa's main plant to produce up to 200,000 lithium cells annually. the initial batteries will be based on Yuasa's LIM series batteries and Mitsubishi wants to ensure a supply of batteries for their next-generation electric vehicle, the i MiEV which they want to have in production by 2010. The press release form Mitsubishi is after the jump.
Mitsubishi had previously announced plans to introduce a new clean diesel engine in 2010, but with the introduction of the new Euro 5 emissions standards has decided to move that up by a year. The main Mitsubishi engine plant in Kyoto, Japan will start building the new 2.0L diesel in early 2009 for installation in European market cars. After the European introduction Mitsubishi will bring the new engines to other markets including the US. The Mitsubishi press release is after the jump.
Mitsubishi has just announced a 2.4-litre, 4 cylinder petrol engine as a new option for its Australian ML Triton SUV range. Joining an existing 3.2-litre common rail diesel engine option which puts out 118 kW / 158 hp of power and 347 Nm / 256 ft-lbs of torque, the new 2.4-litre petrol can offer up only 94 kW / 126 hp of power and 194 Nm / 143 ft-lbs of torque.
And get this, the existing oil burner returns 9.1 L per 100 km / 25.8 mpg while the new petrol can only manage 10.9 L per 100 km / 21.6 mpg!
To make matters worse, not only does Mitsubishi refer to the new engine as "economical" and "lively", it also says it has "class-leading economy". Compared to what? Obviously not the diesel version.
But... it's cheap.
Analysis: Don't get me wrong, there is absolutely a place in this world for entry level vehicles at low prices, but talking about how fuel efficient a model is when it is so clearly outclassed by other options in the same range just doesn't make any sense to me. Don't try to tell me how fantastic 21.6 mpg is because these days, it just isn't.
In the year 2000, as the IT world scrambled to fix computer problems and people bid farewell to the '90s, Ford and GM Holden - with their Falcon and Commodore, respectively - stood supreme as the dominant forces of the dominant large car market in Australia. Just seven years on and that market has shrunk from 35.9 percent to just 13.5 percent in the light of rising fuel prices which has seen a massive movement away from large family cars to medium-sized cars. The Falcon and Commodore are now fighting each other over a diminishing market while simultaneously trying to hold off the other locally produced six cylinder competition in the form of the Mitsubishi 380 and the Toyota Aurion.
Such has been the slide in demand for big cars that Holden just announced that 600 jobs will be axed at their Adelaide plant.
The market movement towards smaller cars has led both Ford and Holden to announce new entrants into the already cut-throat medium sized car market which is currently dominated by Asian vehicles like the class-leading Toyota Camry along with the Mazda6, Honda Accord Euro and Hyundai Sonata. Holden is about to release the Daewoo made Epica and Ford is bringing the Mondeo back later this year.
Analysis: The Mondeo and the Epica both look to be good quality cars at a good price but they're in for a real fight to gain traction in the medium-sized car market because it is already dominated by good quality cars at a good price. Fuel prices have clearly had a massive impact on the car market in Australia as fuel economy becomes a critical factor in the buying decisions of many consumers.
Our team hasn't even arrived in 
Scanning through Mitsubishi Motors' official announcement of the cars the Japanese automaker is bringing to Frankfurt (available after the jump), the green standouts include the all-electric 
An EPA award has been given unto Mitsubishi for a 30 percent more efficient automotive A/C unit. The 30 percent target was set by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and as such will supplement a slight improvement in fuel economy in whatever vehicle it's installed in. With 30 percent less energy required to run the A/C, the alternator doesn't have to work as hard to generate the power it needs. Therefore, less stress and wear are put on the engine, theoretically requiring less maintenance. These are small improvements, but you know what they say about baby steps.
Mitsubishi had previously announced plans to introduce a new clean diesel engine in 2010, but with the introduction of the new Euro 5 emissions standards has decided to move that up by a year. The main Mitsubishi engine plant in Kyoto, Japan will start building the new 2.0L diesel in early 2009 for installation in European market cars. After the European introduction Mitsubishi will bring the new engines to other markets including the US. The Mitsubishi press release is after the jump.
