Australia’s cheapest electric car? Tiny EK X EV imported by Mitsubishi to test demand

Mitsubishi Australia has announced it has launched a new case study that could open the
door to the introduction of a new category of electric cars that could cost around $10,000
less than Australia’s current cheapest EV.

As part of its case study, a Mitsubishi eK X EV has already been imported, with the five-door,
four-seat battery-powered kei car arriving in Adelaide last week.

Now that it’s here in the country the tiny eK X will be used both in customer clinics and
dealers that will feedback their impressions of the prospect of a cheap EV that will be
priced from around $30,000.

If there’s good feedback and concerns over a potential poor performance in ANCAP crash
testing are addressed, the eK X could be green lit for our market, but not until the current
generation has either been facelifted or replaced, say reports.

It’s not the first time Mitsubishi has experimented with low-cost EVs. Back in 2013 it
launched the MiEV electric car but that car was quietly withdrawn just three years later.

Co-developed in Japan alongside the Nissan Dayz, the current fourth-generation Mitsubishi
eK has been on sale since 2019, although the all-electric version only made its debut in
2022.

Measuring in at just 3395mm long and just 1475mm, the little electric car still manages to
weigh 1080kg but is powered by a single electric motor that produces 47kW and 195Nm of
torque.

Powered by a small 20kWh battery in Japan the eK X is claimed to have a range of around
180km on the WLTP test cycle.

As well as lowering the cost of EVs in Australia, cars like the Mitsubishi eK X could be useful
in the future following the introduction of C02 standards across the car industry.

No timeline has been given for when a decision will be made and what work around
Mitsubishi is planning to ensure the small kei car complies with ANCAP safety requirements.