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Mitsubishi cool on electric recharge stations

"There is no real need for street chargers in Australia", says MMAL's vice president of corporate strategy, Paul Stevenson.

As independent groups aim for a series of recharging stations around Australian city precincts, a director of Mitsubishi Motors Australia - which is the first manufacturer to offer Australians an volume electric car - is cooling the plans.

"The recharge issue is not a big problem in Australia," says MMAL's vice president of corporate strategy, Paul Stevenson.  "As battery performance increases, the need for recharge stations decreases."

Despite most car makers having access to advanced electric car technology, production is being restrained by the performance of current batteries.  The Mitsubishi i-MiEV, Australian's first volume marketable electric car, has access to a single fast-charge station in Adelaide.

The station, at MMAL's headquarters, is the first commercial fast-charger (there already are standard chargers) in Australia and is designed for the i-MiEV.  Provider Club Assist claims it will deliver 50 per cent of full charge in 12 minutes, sufficient for a range of about 60km.

It is the first of a roll out of stations being planned by suppliers including Club Assist and Chargepoint.  While Mr Stevenson applauds the infrastructure that will embrace electric vehicle use, he indicates that a large number of recharging stations may be unnecessary.

"I get frustrated that recharging is seen as a barrier to electric vehicle ownership," he says.  "Maybe overseas, but not in Australia.

"In France, for example, all new apartments and offices must have plug-in rechargers.  "Most Australians live in detached houses. Owners will charge their electric car overnight and, with even the current range of as little as 100km, can cover most commuting distances on that single charge.

"There is no real need for street chargers in Australia.  In other countries, with high density housing and no off-street parking, street charging is more valid."

But even that 100km is achievable only in urban use where constant braking regenerates the battery. When Carsguide had its exclusive first drive of the i-Miev in Sydney last month, our proposal to take the vehicle to Eastern Creek in the citys outer west was kyboshed by Mitsubishi, which said freeway running would quickly diminish the charge, making the less than 80km round trip problematic.

Mr Stevenson says there was a simple comparison between electric cars and petrol cars.  "How many petrol stations would we need if we each had one at our house?"

Mitsubishi has leased 115 of its i-MiEV hatchback all-electric cars to government fleets and will start leasing to private motorists from mid next year.  The 2011 i-MiEV will be a second generation model with some changes to the current version, however will not be a wide-bodied car as sold in the US.

Mitsubishi will debut its PX plug-in hybrid SUV at next June's Melbourne motor show, before starting to market the car in Australia in late 2012.