Mitsubishi Motors i MiEV

DDB · Mar 12, 2007

$17,000 buys you a top speed of 81 mph and a range of 81-99 miles. Not bad ;D in 2009-2010, we should see some real choices for consumers in the EV realm.

Mitsubishi Motors has delivered prototypes of its i MiEV research electric vehicle to two utilities in Japan: Tokyo Electric Power and Kyushu Electric Power. (Earlier post.)

The i-MiEV is powered by a compact 47 kW motor that develops 180 Nm (133 lb-ft) of torque and a 330V, 16 kWh or 20 kWh lithium-ion battery pack. Top speed is 130 kph (81 mph), with a range of up to 130 km (81 miles) for the 16 kWh pack or 160 km (99 miles) for the 20 kWh pack. The motor is coupled to a reduction gear and differential to drive both rear wheels.

The research vehicles will be used to collect data on driving performance and battery-charging capabilities, with this information to be used in designing vehicles for field trials. Mitsubishi Motors will deliver 10 more i MiEVs to Tokyo Electric Power later this year for use as business vehicles as part of the trials.

Mitsubishi plans to sell the commercial version in 2010 for less than ¥2 million (US$17,000).

Fuji Heavy Industries, the maker of Subarus, has also begun field trials of 10 EVs placed with Tokyo Electric.

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2007/03/mitsubishi_deli.html#more

DDB · May 8, 2007

One step closer. The article (below) indicates Mitsubishi is establishing a joint venture to help produce batteries for the i MiEV for production year 2010.

-Dave

Mitsubishi Corporation (MC), Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) and GS Yuasa Corporation are establishing a joint venture (JV) company to manufacture large-capacity and high-performance Lithium-ion batteries that can be used in electric vehicles (EV). The three partners aim to complete the details and set up the new company sometime within the next 6 months.

Mitsubishi will use the batteries in its next-generation EV i MiEV (i Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle), which it plans to introduce to the market by 2010. (Earlier post.) The new JV company will also supply the batteries to other automakers for EV and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) applications and for energy storage use in industrial applications.
I_miev_3_l
Mitsubishi Motors’ i MIEV. Click to enlarge.

The 3.7 V, 50 Ah LEV-50 cells from the new company are based on the LIM series of large-format Lithium-ion batteries manufactured by GS Yuasa (currently the only mass producer of large-format Lithium-ion batteries in Japan). The partners will work to enhance the cell-structure and electrode materials to deliver improved energy and power densities.

GS Yuasa is expected to own a 51% share of the new company, with MC and MMC owing 34% and 15% respectively. The new company’s headquarters will be located within GS Yuasa's Kyoto head office. During the first stage of development, ¥3 billion (US$25 million) will be invested to install automated mass production lines within GS Yuasa’s Kyoto head office plant, capable of manufacturing 200,000 cells per year. Operations are slated to commence by 2009.

GS Yuasa, with 2006 revenues of more than US$2 billion, was established as holding company in April 2004. It has 87 subsidiaries and 45 affiliates which participate in the businesses of storage batteries, power supply systems, lighting equipment, specialty and other electric equipment.

The company has worked with Mitsubishi Electric on a number of products in the past.

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2007/05/mitsubishi_and_.html#comments

danny · Jun 18, 2007

Mitsubishi 'i' car to go electric in 2011

http://www.autospies.com/news/Mitsubishi-i-car-to-go-electric-in-2011-16446/

tonybelding · Oct 20, 2007

Mitsubishi MiEV

We too often overlook Mitsubishi's persistent research into BEVs.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/motors/article360284.ece

I don't see this as a Tesla killer. . . But Th!nk probably should be worried.

TEG · Oct 20, 2007

The article says:
"And it is nippy around town. It does 0-62mph in less than 14 seconds – great for an electric."

OK, first of all, "nippy" (as a Britishism for "fast") sounds peculiar to us yanks. When I first read that I thought they must mean that the A/C is stuck on.

Secondly, who says "0-62 in 14 seconds" is zippy/nippy? Hasn't Tesla proven that EVs should make no excuses for performance. 14 seconds is lame acceleration for any kind of roadworthy vehicle.

Article: "It has the same boot space as the petrol and the same Tardis-like interior, with room for four adults and luggage."

So does "Tardis like" imply "bigger than it seems from the outside", or "lots of odd looking manual controls with plenty of bits that like to fall off, and the need for a good kick to work properly"?

(maybe they include a "jelly-baby holder")

By the way, the iEV would seem to be competition for not just Th!nk, but also Smart cars, and other EVs from Zap and Miles.

tonybelding · Oct 20, 2007

TEG said:
Secondly, who says "0-62 in 14 seconds" is zippy/nippy? Hasn't Tesla proven that EVs should make no excuses for performance. 14 seconds is lame acceleration for any kind of roadworthy vehicle.

Not necessarily. . . For comparison, the VW New Beetle is supposed to do 0-60 MPH in 13.2 seconds. So, the MiEV is almost as good in 0-60 and probably better in, say, 0-40 times. One might suspect the MiEV's performance is better suited to its role as a "city car" than the Beetle is.

Clarification: The VW New Beetle comes in a lot of variants in the US and Europe, with different engine configurations. Admittedly, 13.2 seconds is the slowest 0-60 time I've seen quoted for it.

vfx · Oct 20, 2007

I'm in total agreement that 0 to 60 in anything over 8 seconds is slow. These numbers run counter to EV's longstanding history of quick acceleration.

Maybe this is a problem, quote: "It has a smooth-as-silk automatic gearbox". I give a 50/50 chance the writer did not know what he was talking about vs Mistubishi actually puttig is some sort of gearing to gain miles and loosing speeds off the line. Though this does not make much sense...

Cobos · Oct 20, 2007

I think part of the "confusion" about the nippy 0-62 speed of 14s is partly due to the fact it's 0-30 speed might be relatively better (and which IS more relevant for a citycar) as Tony said but also because Europeans aren't used to as fast and powerful cars as the US. Most electrics you have been able to drive has had terrible 30-62 speeds... just look at the Think, it doesn't even list a 0-62 speed, only 0-45.
And generally "normal" cars are slower in Europe. At least looking at the 3 month old review of the new Ford Mondeo (similar to the Fusion in the US) it's normal engine has 130-140hp dieselengine and a 0-62 speed right around 10s and that they say is plenty of speed for overtaking and driving in Norway. So anything below 10s is regarded as fast in Norway

Cobos

DavidV · Oct 30, 2007

Mitsubishi MIEV Tokyo Auto Show Pics

I'm in Tokyo on my honeymoon and had a chance to drop in on the Motor Show. For those curious about the details on the Mitsubishi MIEV, I have the following to share:

More pics at: http://davidv.smugmug.com/gallery/3738234#214773831

-- David Vespremi aka DavidV

DavidV · Oct 30, 2007

A couple more:

-- DavidV

TEG · Oct 30, 2007

I made it out to the Tokyo Motor show before. It sure is a large event, isn't it!
And even more wacky then the ones in the US.

Were there any other highway capable EVs there to see?

TEG · Oct 30, 2007

By the way, that MiEV looks rather close to production ready.
(No more hub motors)

vfx · Oct 30, 2007

My wife supports nearly every crazy thing I come up with but things would have to be just perfect for me to go to a car show while on a honeymoon.

malcolm · Nov 20, 2007

Petrol version is selling well in the UK according to autobloggreen

http://www.autobloggreen.com/2007/11/19/mitsubishis-i-city-car-selling-well-in-the-uk/

stopcrazypp · Feb 23, 2008

Edmunds: 2010 Mitsubishi i MIEV Plug-In Electric

Edmunds Inside Line
First Drive: 2010 Mitsubishi i MIEV Plug-In Electric
2010 Mitsubishi i MIEV Plug-In Electric First Drive

16 kW lithium-ion battery pack - 22 lithium-ion cells
63-hp/ 133lbft trq rear-mounted, permanent-magnet synchronous electric motor (direct drive)
100-mile cruising range
2,380 pounds (397 lbs heavier than gasoline equivalent)
0-60 9 seconds
Top speed 82 mph

They got a little more than 60 miles of driving with aircon on.
14 hours charge with 100V. 7 hrs with 200V. 80% charge in 30 minutes with Mitsubishi built quick charger.
2.5 million yen ($24,000) in Japan though Japan zero-emissions subsidies will reduce price by 50%.

Editors said it was fairly quick even when shifted into "Eco" mode giving an extra 10 miles. They felt it was a little disappointing in range as they wanted at least 90 miles of real world range.
Concluding remarks:
"For the moment, the i MIEV is a useful city runabout, but it needs a battery pack that's half the size and weight of these lithium-ion cells with twice the range before it can deliver the utility we expect from a real automobile. Right now, the Mitsubishi i MIEV is an emissions solution, not a transportation solution. "

I found the concluding remarks to be a little off since they JUST praised it for better acceleration than the gasoline counterpart even with increased weight. So the weight and acceleration isn't the problem. What is the problem right now is just range. So it doesn't need a pack "half the size & weight with twice the range" it just needs the same size with twice the range.

The price might be a little steep as a Fit starts at $14k, but for an EV it's not bad.
Just thought it was an interesting car since it's fairly affordable and is almost ready for sale.

DDB · Feb 23, 2008

I am very excited about this EV...especially since it's a possibility for my first EV. It's made by a major manufacturer so I'm not too worried about warranties and bankruptcies, the price is right, it suits my commuter needs, and it's entering into production sooner rather than later.

That's a bit more than I can say for any other EV out there (Volt, Whitestar, etc.). I'm not too crazy about the range, but it beats the Volt's 40. Trouble is, they haven't said whether it's available anywhere besides Japan and Europe. Sucks!

DDB · Feb 23, 2008

Petition

For those that haven't seen this, someone started an online petition to bring the MiEV to the U.S.

Bring the i MiEV to America Petition

Somehow I doubt this does any good. But you've got to admire guys like Lyle over at gm-volt.com. That's a blogger everyone seems to be paying attention to.

tonybelding · Feb 24, 2008

stopcrazypp said:
They got a little more than 60 miles of driving with aircon on.

I don't get it.

The original EV1 with the defective Delco lead-acid batteries could get 60 miles out of a charge. An EV1 with li-ion batteries would, in theory, have been a 240 mile car. Why can't Mitsubishi do better than this? Surely the A/C isn't that big of a problem in Japan, it's not a hot climate.

The only thing I can figure out is that they want it to be an inexpensive, slow, short-ranged "city car" -- or in other words, a punishment car. That's the role Mitsubishi sees for electric cars.

I'm reminded of the IBM PC Jr. When IBM introduced the first PC, they deliberately reduced its performance to ensure that it wouldn't cut into their established business of mainframe computers. When they introduced the PC Jr, they further crippled it to make sure it wouldn't eat into IBM PC sales. And when people didn't buy it, then all the industry pundits nodded sagely to one another. "Aha, that proves the public doesn't want *home* computers." When all it really proved was that the public didn't want crippled-and-overpriced home computers.

So, I can't help wondering if that's Mitsubishi's strategy here. . . They're making a car that's deliberately limited so that it can't cut into sales of their already established, already profitable gas cars.

BBHighway · Feb 24, 2008

Target Japan

The I MIEV was clearly targeted for the Japanese market, where the shorter range is not as much of a problem. It may also do well in parts of Europe, but wouldn't sell in the US because it's just not designed for that.

Still, it's another piece of the puzzle, another step toward electric transportation, and if it does well in Japan, then maybe Mitsubishi will design another model specifically for the US market.

Or maybe they will choose to partner with Tesla on the Bluestar. Tesla started at the high end, and Mitsubishi started at the low end with the i MIEV. Both companies are gaining valuble experience in the EV market. Mits brings expertise in low cost mass production, which Tesla lacks. Sounds like a great fit for a partnership to me.

stopcrazypp · Feb 24, 2008

tonybelding said:
The original EV1 with the defective Delco lead-acid batteries could get 60 miles out of a charge. An EV1 with li-ion batteries would, in theory, have been a 240 mile car. Why can't Mitsubishi do better than this? Surely the A/C isn't that big of a problem in Japan, it's not a hot climate.

I think BBHighway has the right idea that it was targeted to a market (namely Japan and Europe) where range isn't much of a problem as the cars are mostly going to be used in the city. If you look at the price tag ($24k) then you can see that they sacrificed range for a more reasonable cost. The EV1 by most quotes was said to have cost at least $40k for components alone. I wouldn't go as far to say this is a punishment car per se since it can run highway speeds and looks to be more roomy and comfortable than most NEVs since this IS made by an established automaker. 0-60 in 9 secs isn't very fast, but it's more than adequate for a small car like this and is better than most gasoline mini cars today.

The article talks of a "i MIEV Sport, a futuristic concept car with an aluminum chassis, a hub-mounted electric motor for each front wheel and a single electric motor to power the rear wheels, plus the promise of 90 hp and a 120-mile cruising range. "
2007 Tokyo Auto Show Preview: Mitsubishi i MiEV Sport

Perhaps in the push to the US market, Mitsubishi can use the 120 mile (probably ideal conditions) battery pack instead of the 100 mile (ideal conditions) pack. One thing I wonder is if it can only get 100 miles in ideal conditions it would be unfair to call it a 100 mile pack. US has the EPA cycle to verify claims, but Japan should have one too to verify what is the actual range in normal driving.

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