Subaru EV could arrive as early as 2009
Subaru has been field testing a fleet of R1e battery electric cars for some time now in Japan and had previously indicated that they want to have an electric car in production by 2010. It now looks like 2009 is the time frame for the start of production, at least in limited quantities. Following an initial run of about 100 units the first year, Subaru wants to ramp up production to help drive down battery costs. Subaru is targeting a price of $17,500 by 2012-13. Within a few years after that the company wants EVs to be available for the equivalent of about $13,000. The first production cars may based on the G4e that was shown at this years Tokyo Motor Show.
[Source: GreenCarCongress]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
stevefazek 1:05AM (3/07/2008)
I tow my 17' Boston whaler montauk with a mercury 90. She weighs just over 2000 lbs with a trailer, with my subie bit sluggish but does the job. I've put a uhaul tailor on it and towed wood and junk. Covers 99.5% of my moving tasks. Only dumb hicks think they need a truck that can handle anything. Its cheaper just to rent a big truck when you need one. Driving a 6000lb suv cause you tow a large boat or camper for a couple days a year isnt justification. Its like arming infantrymen with nuclear bombs just in case they need one.
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mike 10:25AM (12/26/2007)
Available in the US?
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Dave B 10:57AM (12/26/2007)
Good question. This is exciting. What are the specs?
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Throwback 11:07AM (12/26/2007)
The G4E is the best looking Subaru in a long time. hopefully they keep the styling. I doubt it will ome to the US before the Volt. I suspect many companies are waiting to see how the Volt sells in the US before bringing their cars here.
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Yanquetino 11:46AM (12/26/2007)
This is very encouraging news. I hope that Subaru really can ratchet up production. The sooner the better! Our previous and current primary cars have been Subarus and we really love them. However, we have pledged to only buy pure-electric vehicles from this point forward. It would be great if we could stick with our preferred brand.
I have to applaud Subaru (and Mitsubishi) for pursuing pure EVs rather than hybrids --either parallel or series. The latter waste weight, space, and electric range. What we need are not hybrid vehicles, but hybrid garages, i.e., an R1e or a G4e for 95% of our driving (commuting, shopping, errands), and an Outback workhorse for the other 5% (snow, cross-country trips, towing).
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rar 12:00PM (12/26/2007)
Yanquetino, an Outback for workhorse towing? I guess you don't tow very much with a 2700lbs
maximum towing capacity?
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Benjamin Jones 12:45PM (12/26/2007)
This should be really neat to see out on the road in the future. All the hype goes to companies like Tesla when in fact, a smallish large company like subaru (all my other annoyances with the company aside) can do it a full year ahead of schedule!
Perhaps the next time someone in Europe or the US complains about the pace of improvement that's being demanded, we can wave the relatively inexpensive electric vehicle by a major manufacturer in their faces, :)
-------
Benjamin Jones
http://www.ecomodder.com
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Yanquetino 1:00PM (12/26/2007)
Rar: yup, you're right. I don't tow very much: just a West Wight Potter 19 sailboat. Fully loaded for overnighting it probably weighs nearly 2200 lbs. The towing capacity on our Outback is 3000 lbs., so we've still got a bit of room to spare.
Of course, I realize that "workhorse" needs vary greatly: others use a Hummer to haul an Airstream. However, I would reiterate that, even in these cases, a pure EV would also suffice for 95% of their commuting and errands. Most of us just don't have the luxury of going camping --or sailing-- on a daily basis.
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Phil L. 1:07PM (12/26/2007)
rar -
Many Subarus are surprisingly capable and under-appreciated tow vehicles.
The tow capacity varies wildly depending on market; the US generally sees a tow rating far lower than the rest of the worl (which tells you far more about the liability law environment in the US than the vehicle's capabilities).
Quick example: The 2001 Outback (which is what Google found first) gets a 1600 kg tow rating in Australia (3520 pounds). Of course, pay attention to transmission and engine options.
Back to the real topic at hand: Does anyone know if the Subaru R1e or similar the Mitsubishi EV that's been in the news would be able to meet US safety standards? If not, they'd have to be NEVs in the US - and the marketplace would not pay what they're worth for such limited use.
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rar 1:10PM (12/26/2007)
Yanquetino, my boat has a little more weight so I need a truck to pull it. I would like to purchase a EV or a car like the Volt for the daily drive when I don't need a truck. I hope ev's can become mainstream before to much longer.
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mike 1:15PM (12/26/2007)
Good Commuter Car and it helps tell the Arabs to go to He**.
Being Electric, it's got to have a PLUG.
So, that's cheaper fuel with no possibility of embargo.
And that fuel could be from wind power.
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Mort 4:16PM (12/26/2007)
Woo hoo! That's what I'm talking about! Now was that so hard?
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Domenick 5:50PM (12/26/2007)
Hehe, I hope this news makes GM (and Ford and Chrysler)sweat. ^_^
Or even better, consider trying to compete.
A sub $20,000 electric car should be a huge seller. Especially if it looks like the G4e.
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susan.kraemer 5:59PM (12/26/2007)
Autobloggreen,
could you please get Subaru to tell you explicitly that they will sell this in the USA? Green Car Congress only "assumes" they would...
I have contacted them about the R1E and they always have said its only going to be sold in the ECE market(ie the entire rest of the civilized world,) not here in the US.
Please, find out! Fantastic news, if so!
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Chris M 7:18PM (12/26/2007)
I suspect that they will start with the local Japanese market first. Whether they will sell in the US and Europe probably depends on whether they hit their price and performance targets. If they can make it freeway capable, with a range over 150 miles, and a price under $30,000 US they probably will.
It looks like the next few years are going to be really interesting for the EV market!
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rob 8:53PM (12/26/2007)
If they sell it here depends heavily on how many vehicles they can continue to reclassify as trucks, I suspect.
They may find they need to sell a few to offset the "not great" mileage of the Outback and WRX, and the abysmal mileage of the Tribeca, in order to avoid CAFE penalties.
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Richard 10:40AM (12/27/2007)
They definitely won't keep this "daughter of the Tribeca's 'flying vagina' styling."
This was going to be the corporate grill, but it was abandoned soon after the Tribeca's sales trends were analysed and R Farago of TTAC published is now legendary review of the B9 in the San Francisco Chronicle.
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