CAR likes the Mitsubishi i-EV even better than the gas version
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.
[Source: CAR]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
david 9:11AM (10/06/2007)
Wasn't the Prius sold at a loss at one point? This car could be huge in the U.S. Plus it could be the first EV on market by a respected brand.
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mikeSeven 9:30AM (10/06/2007)
Sam,
Is this CAR magazines Characteriztion of Acceleration?
0-60 in 14 sec?
Because,
Out in the REAL world 0-45 in 15 seconds is "Brisk" acceleration,
so fast in fact, that if you look around there will be No one behind you.
American's need to remember if it's info from a CAR magazine, it's from the Wacko Fringe that seems to think we all need Mustang GT's to commute to work in.
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Tony Belding 9:56AM (10/06/2007)
It's interesting to observe Mitsubishi and Nissan pushing BEVs while Toyota and Honda mostly are not. I imagine the smaller companies feel a need to advance their technology more aggressively as they play catch-up.
However. . . The guys who are trying hardest are undoubtedly the EV startups like Think, Tesla, Phoenix and Miles. For Mitsubishi or Nissan, it's an experiment. For Think it's their whole business.
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kert 12:38PM (10/06/2007)
Not just mitsu and nissan, theres Subaru R1E as well.
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bioburner 4:04PM (10/06/2007)
ya 0 to 60 in 14 seconds does sound a little on the slow side. What we need to remember is this vehicle is affordable and eco friendly. If you need 0 to 60 in less than 10 seconds and god know I work with a lot of people like that, than this car is not going to be a good choice for you.
This car is an excellent commuter car not a race car.
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Ping Wang 4:13PM (10/06/2007)
now that i've moved into the city, i'm wondering just how i'm gonna charge an EV now that I don't have a garage anymore...
they need to make the batteries removable.
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Domenick 5:21AM (10/07/2007)
Darn! I was hoping that was 15,000 dollars, not 15,000 pounds.
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dean 1:56AM (10/12/2007)
Hmm...I wonder if people would cross shop this with the Chevy Volt.
Anyways, 14 seconds isn't that bad for everyday cruising around town. However, I wonder how it would do when speeding up to freeway speeds and for overtaking. That is really a safety issue. I don't want to be going 45-50 when I hit the 65+ mph freeway. Here's hoping for super/ultra-capacitors to become popular.
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atozinusa 2:33AM (10/12/2007)
Adding to bioburner's comments, what the article didn't tell us is that Mitsu actually deliberately downgraded the i Miev's performance so that users will not feel too much of a drastic change in transition from their gas-powered cars to electric. There's a lot more potential for i Miev than what's on the paper. The car is ready to be launched today, but Mitsu's engineers are tinkering to get addtional 20 km of range. I think it'll go on sale by 2009 under 2 mil yen (16,000 usd). They sell this in US/EU. With a wireless charger they are also working on, this would be my dream car to own in 5 years.
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Stan Wellaway 5:45AM (11/20/2007)
Some significant announcements regarding electric vehicles are scheduled for the upcoming EVS-23 event. The world's biggest EV event of the year, at Anaheim, California, Dec 2-5 (website http://www.evs23.org ) including the launch of the Smith Newton 12-ton all-electric delivery truck. Smith have already sold hundreds of the 7.5ton version in UK and Europe, but this one is specific to US needs. Trucks might seem a bit remote from cars, but seeing these in production and on the road is helping establish acceptance of electric transport as aviable concept. Smith are (logically) addressing the return-to-base delivery fleets, whose owners are buying for hardheaded economic reasons, not just as a green gesture. They are working closely with Ford who will doubtless apply some of the feedback to theior own electric program. Smith EV website is http://www.smithelectricvehicles.com and they have one of the biggest stands at EVS-23.
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