Mitsubishi Confirms i MiEV headed for US; Oregon and Portland General Electric Join Partnership Program
09 April 2009
At the New York International Auto Show (NYIAS), Mitsubishi Motors North America President and CEO Shinichi Kurihara confirmed that the company is developing the i MiEV for sale in world markets, including the United States. Fleet sales of the electric vehicle begin this July in Japan.
Kurihara also announced that the State of Oregon and Portland General Electric (PGE) are joining Mitsubishi in the i MiEV partnership program. Details of the programs are being finalized, but the findings from these real-world, independent tests will play an important role in further advancing the car’s development for the US market, Mitsubishi said.
PGE is rolling out a network of charging stations across its service territory in Oregon and the addition of i MiEVs further facilitates its support of next-generation electric vehicles. PGE currently has more than a dozen charging stations up and running.
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| The battery pack of the i MIEV. Click to enlarge. |
The i MiEV’s 16 kWh battery pack consists of 22 modules, each one consisting of four cells that can be installed in either a vertical or transverse position under the i MiEV’s floor. (Earlier post.) The i MiEV’s onboard charger automatically adapts between a standard 110 outlet - which takes 12-14 hours - or half that time on 220. There is also a fast charge connector that allows the battery to reach 80% of capacity in 30 minutes.
The proprietary lithium-ion batteries are purpose-built for automotive applications by Lithium Energy Japan, a joint venture among GS Yuasa, Mitsubishi Corporation and Mitsubishi Motors.
Looks good - note that it has 88 cells, not 6800 like the Tesla.
It sounds like the management listened to the engineers on that one.
Also, the 80% 30 minute charge looks good - it would be "have a meal while waiting", rather than a cup of coffee, but it would still work.
I really hope this EV is good, as most up to now have been disappointments (in terms of performance, looks or cost).
If you get the engineering right, you then have to get the regulatory environment right (low taxes, charging stations, low charge rates at night, etc. )
If you get both of those more or less right, I think people will flock to EVs as second or city cars.
If you add an ICE swap/rent system so you can swap your EV for an ICE (SUV, whatever), for a number of days, you could then use these as primary cars, not just second cars.
Posted by: mahonj | 09 April 2009 at 09:01 AM
Or just bring a generator on limited occasions when more range is needed. (Same as Chevy Volt, but generator is detachable)
Posted by: shane | 09 April 2009 at 03:10 PM
The AC Propulsion T Zero had a trailer with a 2 cylinder Kawasaki engine in it. Interesting idea, it actually steered its wheel with the car to make it handle better.
Posted by: SJC | 09 April 2009 at 05:04 PM
Chances are that car towing companies will be big beneficiaries from introduction of battery-only powered vehicles, especially in Canada and countries/regions with similar winter climate.
The fact is that in Toronto average waiting for CAA emergency truck goes from 10-20 min (non-winter) to over 1 hr on some mornings when temperature suddenly drops from -5 degC to -15 degC, mostly due to bad batteries.
People who park their cars in heated garages, then take them out in very cold weather, park them somewhere for shorter or longer periods are likely to need towing. They may be able to start their car, then soon afterwards battery gives up and they need to abandon their car.
SOC meters in BEVs won't be very precize when temp drops, and SOC will probably depend also on less predictable factors, like age and state (ie how much battery was used, and abused) of batteries.
For swappable batteries, SOC will be even less predictable.
Posted by: MG | 09 April 2009 at 06:16 PM
"Canada and countries/regions with similar winter climate."
If they avoided the coldest areas of Canada or even the entire country it wouldn't be much market share they lose out on. California has a larger population than the entire country of Canada...
Posted by: Patrick | 10 April 2009 at 11:57 AM