Mitsubishi i-EV plug and play

The i-EV (innovative electric vehicle), which is based on the cute-as-a-button “i” mini-car, has moved from motor show concept to street evaluation vehicle with sources within Mitsubishi now suggesting it could be on sale as early as next year.

Mitsubishi has been refining the the i-EV in association with Japan's largest power companies and gathering data on the practicality of a fully-electric rechargeable battery vehicle.

Running a high capacity lithium-ion battery pack, which sits under the passenger cell, the i-EV's target range is 160km on a single charge with a top speed of 130km/h.

The batteries can be recharged by either plugging the car into a home mains connection overnight or through a QuickCharger, a 3-phase 200 volt 50kW power pack that can boost the battery pack to 80per cent of capacity in 30 minutes.

The lightweight high-efficiency electric motor, with an output of 47kW and 180Nm, is both quieter and more powerful than the 660cc engine in the petrol “i” car.

A quick spin in the little electric car at Mitsubishi's Tokachi proving ground in Hokkaido; showed just how close to being production ready the i-EV is. All but indistinguishable from the outside and barely so from the interior except for the differing dash display, the i-EV is a hoot to drive.

Eerily quiet with maximum torque from the instant the throttle is pressed, the i-EV is quick off the mark and handles just like its petrol brethren. Despite the weight of the batteries the i-EV weighs just under 100kg more than the petrol car and is packaged to fit four adults in reasonable comfort.

While the electric version of the “i” may be some way off, there is a confidence that the petrol version will find its way into Australia after being well received at the Melbourne Motor Show in March this year.

“The door is definitely not closed on that car,” Mitsubishi's Lenore Fletcher says. “We had a very positive response to showing the car in Melbourne and Robert (Mitsubishi Australia's president and chief executive Robert McEniry) is very keen to get it for Australia.”

The car has been a runaway success in the 12 months it has been on sale in Japan.

It is understood that an initial issue with the narrow-bodied Japanese version of the “i” not meeting Australian design rules for side intrusion, because of the absence of side intrusion beams in the doors, could be solved as early as next month with a wider “i” expected to be unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show.

“As always ... price is the key but it would be a perfect car to slot in under the Colt,” Fletcher says.

The “i” is powered by a rear-mounted mid-engine turbocharged 660cc three-cylinder Mivec engine, driving the rear wheels via a four-speed automatic. The engine is a shared development with the Smart ForTwo and develops 47kW and 94Nm with a top speed of 144km/h while tipping the scales at just 900kg.

Mitsubishi will show its diesel-powered Concept ZT, which could well preview the eventual design course for the 380 family car, and the Concept-cX, which shows the future for Mitsubishi's compact SUVs at the Tokyo show.

Concept-ZT is powered by a new fuel-efficient, 2.2-litre diesel engine producing 140kW of power and 400Nm of torque, mated to a new Twin Clutch Sport Shift Transmission.

The sleek family car puts an emphasis on safety with a lane-drift warning system that steers the car back into the lane, all-around multi-monitors, automatic parking function and a pop-up hood to reduce pedestrian injury.

It also has a pre-crash safety system that uses millimetre-length radar waves to detect cars ahead and obstacles in the adjacent lane.

The wedge-shaped Concept-cX compact SUV is powered by a new 1.8-litre diesel engine producing 100kW of power and 280Nm of torque, mated to the Twin Clutch SST.

It is driven by a four-wheel-drive-based integrated vehicle dynamics control system used in the Outlander.