Mitsubishi I-Miev News

The price of a new battery electric vehicle is still out of reach for many Australians.A big chunk of EVs available in Australia right now are built by premium brands and cost north of $100,000.There are a growing number of models that are priced under $8

Cars are either being built worse -- or companies are getting better at detecting faults.a range of models made over the last 10 years replacing potentially deadly Takata airbags in 1.3 million cars in Australia. a second, airbag-related recall for the Priusreplacing potentially deadly Takata airbags in 1.3 million cars in Australia

The electric dream is fast turning into a nightmare - Australian sales of electric vehicles have dwindled to a trickle.

But do we really care more about volts and hertz than kiloWatts and Newton-metres?

A month after the NRMA switched on NSW’s first high-speed electric-car charger, one of the two vehicles it was designed for is retreating from the showroom.

...in the US.The Pikes Peak event is an annual automobile and motorcycle hill climb to the 4300 metre summit of Pikes Peak in Colorado, with entrants covering an elevation difference of almost 1500 metres.The i-MiEV Prototype is a prototype based on MMC's all-electric i-MiEV model, the first 100 per cent electric vehicle (EV) to go into mass production which is already on the road in Australia, Japan, Europe and North America, with plans to expand to other markets.The i-MiEV Prototype is to be driven by Hiroshi Masuoka, in many parts of the world known as a legendary race driver.During the course of decades of racing success, Masuoka took on the brutal Dakar Rally 21 times, winning it consecutively in 2002 and 2003, driving Mitsubishi Pajero and PajeroEvolution models respectively.The i-MiEV Prototype will use the same EV components as the current production i-MiEV.Mitsubishi wil use the data it gathers to enhance the durability and reliability of pure EVs and plug-in hybrid EVs, which it will be bringing to market in the near future. 

Having created the first ever mass production electric car, the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, the innovative Japanese automotive company is certainly not resting on its laurels.  Mitsubishi continues its push on electric power in many different directions, taking advantage of its research and development knowledge to do everything from competing in electric motor sport to powering houses – that’s right, powering houses with cars!, more about that in a moment.  First, there are the obvious directions of improving the motor and battery efficiency of electric vehicles to increase their driving range; and of pruning production prices to make them moderately affordable. EVs are today extremely expensive and this is the biggest hurdle to be overcome.  Mitsubishi is also expanding the models to include a small van version based on the i-MiEV, even a crossover SUV. The all-new Mitsubishi Outlander, which is coming to Australia soon, will be offered as a plug-in petrol-electric hybrid in some markets. The final design of the hybrid Outlander hasn’t been – and may not come to Australia in any case. Our petrol is still too cheap and the reluctance of many Australians to admit that climate change is a reality means we may not see the low emission Outlander downunder.  The Japanese giant is also working on plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (P-HEV) that also run on petrol as the best way to extend overall trip distances. But admits this is at the cost in mass and dollars of carrying two engines and two ‘fuel tanks’.  Range extenders, which use a petrol engine as a battery charger when power runs low are being built by other makers, particularly General Motors. During an interview with three Australian motoring writers, Mitsubishi president Osamu Masuko, declined to comment when I suggested range extenders were not an efficient way of running electric vehicles. The fact that General Motors had just suspended production, probably temporarily, on its range extender Chevrolet Volt may have been a factor in Masuka’s reluctance to become involved in a discussion. We will keep in touch with this controversial area of EV design. As well as the practical side of electric vehicles Mitsubishi is also working at two totally different extremes. Mitsubishi is keen to show that electric cars are more than economy-based vehicles, that they can actually take on petrol and diesel cars in competition. On July 8th a special high-performance Mitsubishi i-MiEV will tackle the famous Pikes Peak hillclimb in the USA. The competition car currently in the last stages of development is based on the structure of the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, but has a special single-seat sports body and has an electric motor reputed to be developing somewhere between 250 and 300 horsepower (187 to 224 kW).  This will not be simply a demonstration run by a Mitsubishi electric special, there are reports that as many as six other electric cars will compete in this year’s Pikes Peak. It’s likely to be many years before electric vehicles are regarded as mainstream on the streets – and in competition – but events like this, the world’s best known hillclimb, certainly keep them in front of the motoring public.  At the other extreme from the Pikes Peak EV challenge is the Mitsubishi electric vehicle that can be used to power your house. That’s right, park your i-MiEV outside your house, plug it in and the vehicle’s batteries can run all the electrical systems within the house. The idea isn’t to do this car-to-home connection on a routine basis, but to have use the EV as a standby in case of a power outage on the electricity grid.

ChargePoint CEO James Brown says they have installed more than 50 public charging stations since their first was installed on May 24, 2010. "Since then we have installed points from Townsville to the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Adelaide, Perth and New Zealand," he says. This comes as the company has become the first in Australia to feature on satnav units, thanks to a collaboration with digital mapping company NAVTEQ. "Integration into the NAVTEQ map means drivers can easily navigate to their nearest electric vehicle charge points with a minimum of effort," he says. The navigation software will also allow motorists to unlock the charging stations ready for the recharge before they pull up at the outlet. "We would see the viability of our business going hand in hand with the introduction of more electric vehicle models this year," he says. "2012 will be a watershed year and profitability will come in a couple of years when the scale of electric cars on the road takes hold. At the moment we are still in that investment period." Brown says the next step is a rollout of stations into regional areas. "It's like an octopus with tentacles lowly spreading," he says. "We would anticipate upwards of 3000 ChargePoint charging stations within three years." ChargePoint has more than 300 users even though the number of manufacturer model EVs is only about 150 because most EVs have several registered users. ChargePoint customers can sign up via the internet or phone for free. The charging stations take about four hours to fully charge a 15amp EV such as the Mitsubishi i-MiEV or the coming Nissan Leaf. Brown says a full charge from flat would cost about $3 and provide more than 100km of range, compared with more than three times that cost for a petrol-powered car. While ChargePoint does not yet have quick-charge stations that can recharge an EV in as little as 20 minutes, Brown says they are "working on getting quick charge stations now".

And it may be just over the horizon - or coming to a Mitsubishi i-Miev near you. Three leading companies in the field have joined together to develop a wireless system for electric vehicles (EVs).WiTricity Corporation, IHI Corporation and Mitsubishi Motors have agreed to join forces to research and develop easily deployable EV wireless charging systems.The plan to make the wireless technology readily compatible with electric grids will make life easier for EV users in the future.The partnership structure of three major players in the wireless charging, electric infrastructure, and EV areas coming together will accelerate the popularisation of wireless charging systems for EVs.The charging systems are usable "right out of the box" and can be develop for individuals, governments, and other entities including power companies in order to make it easier and quicker for them to roll out such systems.

The good news is that the cars of the future are not boring electric "golf carts" but sleek and sexy machines.Take for example the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics Concept, or even the updated Toyota Prius C. Just as smart, but also featuring powertrain technology that is much further down the line, is the Hyundai Blue2 Concept, powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, or the Mitsubishi Concept PX-MiEV with a plug-in hybrid system that extends the use of the vehicle in electric mode.Here is a sample of the green vehicles on the stands at this year’s show:BMW Vision EfficientDynamics Concept: Making its Australian debut, this is the concept for the coming BMW i8. A conventional 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo-diesel mated to a pair of electric motors powers this four-wheel-drive 2+2 sports car. The hybrid combination pumps out 265kW of power and 800Nm of torque, and can run on electric power alone for up to 50km, diesel only for 645km or a combination of both. The lithium-ion battery packs charge in just 2.5 hours from AC mains or 44 minutes on quick charge.Ford: The new Liquefied Phase Injection LPG technology in the Ford Falcon EcoLPi has improved power and torque and decreased fuel consumption (12.5L/100km) and CO2 emissions (203g/km). Ford will also show its long-awaited diesel Territory with a 2.7-litre V6 boasting fuel economy of 8.2L/100km.Holden: The Ecoline Series II Cruze range with a new generation 2.0-litre turbo diesel (5.6L/100km) is Australia’s most fuel-efficient locally-built car. The stand will also feature the Cruze 1.4-litre intelligent turbo induction (1.4 iTi) petrol engine (6.4L/100km manual) and other Ecoline models, including the Commodore E85 flex-fuel and Spark Ignition Direct Injection V6 powered Commodores and Captivas.Honda hybrids: Honda will show the stylish Honda CR-Z coupe petrol-electric hybrid that arrives here later this year, as well as its second-generation Insight hybrid.Hyundai Blue2 Concept: This is the Korean company’s first sedan-style Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) powered by hydrogen. It delivers power of 90kW and fuel economy of 2.8L/100km. Being a concept car, it comes with a host of future electronic aids, such as an automatic opening door system, roof and side cameras to replace mirrors, and a motion sensor-operated infotainment system.Lexus LF-Gh Concept: This concept features the hybrid system already in the Lexus fleet, but is the first time the spindle-shaped grille that will become a feature of future designs will be seen here, and hints at a future grand touring sedan. Lexus Australia chief executive Tony Cramb says the LF-Gh reaffirms that hybrids can be sleek and stylish.Mazda Minagi: This is a crossover concept specifically engineered to be the first with frugal SKYACTIV technology diesel and petrol engines and transmission. The car is an insight into the coming CX-5.Mercedes-Benz C-Class: The range now includes the updated 7G-Tronic Plus seven-speed automatic transmission for improved economy. Diesel models come with the ECO start/stop function as standard, and the C250 diesel coupe boasts economy of 5.1L/100km. At the top end of the Benz range, the S350 diesel BlueTec luxury saloon has economy figures of 7L/100km.Mitsubishi ?i-Miev-based electric vehicle concepts: The i-MiEV is about to hit the showrooms and Mitsubishi already has an SUV variant, which will be on its stand. The Concept PX-MiEV has a plug-in hybrid system with fuel economy better than 2L/100km. It is powered by two permanent magnet synchronous motors and a 1.6-litre MIVEC engine. The PX-MiEV also features Smart Grid technology that allows the battery to power home appliances during a blackout or at peak times when electricity tariffs are high.Nissan Leaf: The all-electric Leaf hits showrooms next year. The World Car of the Year features a satnav system linked to the "Global Data Centre’’ in Japan so you just press a button to find the closest recharging stations.Toyota Prius C concept & Prius V: The latest in the Prius family are a funky coupe concept (C) and a people mover (V). The Prius C concept shows how stylish the Prius can be and the V shows how spacious it can be. The V also features a lightweight-resin panoramic moon roof, weighing about 40 per cent less than a regular glass roof of the same size. It will be the first to feature Toyota’s new Entune multimedia system with mobile internet and Microsoft’s Bing search engine. The system will offer live weather and traffic updates, along with monitoring the best fuel prices in town.Volkswagen Golf BlueMotion: The BlueMotion has the same 1.6-litre engine with the same output at 77kW and 250Nm as the 77TDI, but its fuel use is just 3.8L/100km compared with 5.12L/100km (77TDI) and CO2 of 99g/km (133g/km 77TDI). The gains are made from a lower idle speed, stop/start technology, aerodynamics and low rolling resistance tyres.Volvo V60 diesel plug-in hybrid: The world’s first diesel hybrid plug-in goes into production next year. The driver can choose from three modes: Pure, which is all-electric with a range of up to 50km, Hybrid with an average fuel consumption of 1.9L/100km and CO2 of 49g/km, and Power, which boosts total diesel and electric power to 200kW and 640Nm of torque with acceleration to 100km/h in 6.9 seconds. The turbodiesel drives the front wheels and an electric motor drives the rear axle. It can be recharged via a regular power socket in 4.5 hours on 10A charge.PLUS: There will also be displays by infrastructure companies including Better Place EV, which has announced plans to begin rolling out infrastructure in Canberra this year.