Mitsubishi testing upgraded i-Miev in Japan
Mitsubishi has been developing an electric version of their i mini-car in collaboration with Tokyo Electric Power Co. since 2005. Early drives of the car by some European journalists have been largely positive so far. The Japanese carmaker has just delivered the latest development iteration of the car that they hope start selling in the next couple of years to their utility partner. The upgraded model has a new lithium battery pack which now sports a 16kWh capacity. Apparently that's enough for 100-mile range. That's quite impressive considering that GM is looking for a 40 mile range from the same battery capacity in the Volt. Of course the Volt is a significantly larger car than the iMiev and is being designed to meet U.S. regulations and customer expectations. The 23-mile improvement is achieved through a smaller, lighter and more efficient motor, a smaller inverter and reduced rolling resistance from the wheels. Tepco has received 10 of the upgraded iMiev models for a test program that should run through March of next year. Related:
[Source: Mitsubishi, via GreenCarCongress]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
mike 10:27AM (2/09/2008)
US Sales? The mythical 2010?
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Wave54 11:48AM (2/09/2008)
From what I've read about the Volt, it never exclusively uses the battery-pack from full charge to discharge. The batteries are not charged above 80% and will only discharge to 30%, thereby only using half of their rated capacity. At 30%, the gas engine kicks in and recharges them back to 80% capacity.
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Yanquetino 2:07PM (2/09/2008)
Sam:
Is this photo of the actual "upgraded" iMiEV that Mitubishi has delivered to Tokyo Electric Power? NOT the iMiEV Sport model? If so, I am disappointed. The latter already boasts a range of 125 miles, a top speed of 110 mph, 2+2 seating, and a much more attractive design with superior aerodynamics:
http://www.zercustoms.com/news/images/Mitsubishi/Mitsubishi-i-MiEV-SPORT.jpg
You would think that Mitsubishi would want to further refine the better vehicle.
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Domenick 2:51PM (2/09/2008)
The i-MiEV Sport is still a concept but who knows what the future will bring.
This version of the i-MiEV has been further refined, as per the article. For a few more interesting tidbits on the i-MiEV stick these urls in your windows media player. Knowledge of Japanese will help but you will see some cool stuff even if you can't follow what they are saying. http://211.10.2.99/200802/iMiEV_1_WMV.asx
http://211.10.2.99/200802/iMiEV_2_wmv.asx
I especially like the water test in the 2nd clip.
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Yanquetino 5:31PM (2/09/2008)
Domenick:
I figured that both models were concept cars, but that the Sport model was a second iteration.
If the original can now go 100 miles with the upgraded battery pack, that might mean that it could boost the Sport model's range to... 150 miles. Not bad!
THANKS for those video links. They were great! I sure wish I knew Japanese, but regardless it was fun to see those otherwise unknown details. I especially liked seeing the "transparent" layout of the batteries, motor, and controller; the navigational screen; the speedometer readings while on the track; the battery packs; the motor; the slalom comparison between the EV and the Turbo; and... that water bath! It looked more like a jet-ski! Pretty impressive.
The news that periodically appears about the iMiEV sure sounds encouraging. I'm glad to know that manufacturers like Mitsubishi and Subaru are leapfrogging plug-in hybrids and heading straight to EVs. I suspect the fact that Mitsubishi's president, Osamu Masuko, drives a pure EV himself probably has a lot to do with that company's vision.
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kert 7:38PM (2/09/2008)
::I figured that both models were concept cars
No, the MiEV in question here is an actual prodction car in late development cycle.
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