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Mitsubishi i-MiEV

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Mitsubishi i MiEV
A Mitsubishi i-EV pictured at the Frankfurt Auto Show in 2007.
Overview
ManufacturerMitsubishi
Production2009–present
Body and chassis
ClassKei car
Body style5–door hatchback
RelatedPeugeot iOn,
Citroën C-ZERO
Powertrain
Engine64 HP permanent-magnet motor[1]
Dimensions
Wheelbase2,550 mm (100.4 in)
Length3,395 mm (133.7 in)
Width1,475 mm (58.1 in)–1,658 mm (65.3 in) (no side-mirrors)
Height1,600 mm (63.0 in)
Curb weight1,080 kg (2,380 lb)

The Mitsubishi i MiEV is an electric car launched for fleet customers in Japan in July 2009,[2] and on April 1, 2010 for the wider public. Retail sales began in the Japanese market at a price of ¥3,980,000 (~US$43,000). Mitsubishi expects the vehicle to be eligible for government subsidies of ¥1,140,000, thus reducing the price to customers to ¥2,840,000 (~US$30,700).[3][4]

Sales to the public in Hong Kong began in May 2010 at a price of HK$395,000 (~US$50,631).[5] Sales in Australia are scheduled to begin in July 2010 via leasing.[6] Sales in the U.K. are scheduled to begin in January 2011 at a price of £39,000 (~US$55,870) before the £5,000 Plug-in Car Grant that will be available beginning in January 2011.[7] Production of left hand drive versions is expected to begin in October 2010.[8] U.S. sales are slated for 2011 with a base price targeted below US$30,000, prior to the federal tax credit and other incentives available in California and other states.[9]

Development

Mitsubishi i MiEV (2006)

Based on the Mitsubishi i kei car. i MIEV stands for Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle,[3] as it eschews the in-wheel motors in favour of a more conventional array of batteries, motor and inverter to replace the "rear midship" engine and fuel tank of the conventional car. MMC provided three power companies with vehicles in 2006 and 2007 in order to conduct joint research to evaluate how fast-charge infrastructure may be developed for EVs. Fleet testing by five power companies was conducted in 2007. The car has a range of 130 kilometres (80 mi) for the 16 kW·h lithium-ion pack and 160 kilometres (100 mi) for the 20 kW·h pack. Top speed is 130 kilometres per hour (80 mph).[10] The i MiEV may also be sold in European markets as the Peugeot iOn and Citroën C-ZERO.[11]

Production version of Mitsubishi i MiEV (2009)

The production version of the i MiEV has a single permanent magnet synchronous motor mounted on the rear axle with a power output of 47 kW and torque output 180 N·m. The vehicle uses a single-speed reduction gear transmission and has a 16 kWh lithium-ion battery pack consists of 88 cells.[12] The car's top speed is 130 kilometres per hour (80 mph).[13] Recharging is estimated to take 14 hours from a 110 volt power supply, 7 hours from a 220 volt power supply and as little as 30 minutes from a quick charging station. There are 60 such stations in Japan as of early 2010.[4][14]

Trials and launches

A demonstration battery electric i MiEV.

Australia

During early 2009 the i MiEV was exhibited in Australia at the Melbourne International Motor Show, and afterwards was toured throughout the country. Beginning in mid 2009, Mitsubishi conducted a twelve month field trial with potential electric vehicle customers, such as local, state and federal government bodies, and major fleet operators.[15]

Sales to the public are scheduled to begin in Australia in July 2010 under leasing agreement at a price of A$1,740 a month for 36 months, for a cumulative total of A$62,640 after which the car has to be returned to the dealer.[6][16] The initial shipment will include only 40 units,[15] but Mitsubishi Motors Australia reported that just before the launch it has received applications for more than 100 vehicles from private companies and government departments.[17]

Canada

On January 14, 2009, in Canada, Hydro-Quebec and Mitsubishi signed an agreement to test 50 i-MiEV, the largest pilot test of electric cars in Canada. This test will also allow a better understanding of winter usage of the technology. BC-Hydro and Mitsubishi had previously tested a three-vehicle fleet in British Columbia.[18]

Hong Kong

On 21 September 2009, the Hong Kong Government announced it will procure the first batch of 10 Mitsubishi electric vehicles- the iMiEV - later in 2009, after various government departments have tested the vehicle in the last 6 months.[19] Sales to the public in Hong Kong began in May 2010 at a price of HK$395,000 (~US$50,631).[5]

Japan

The Mitsubishi i MiEV began sales to the public in Japan and Hong Kong in 2010.

The I MiEV launched in Japan in late July 2009, as a result of Mitsubishi's more than 40 years in development of electric vehicles. Initial sales volume were expected to be small. Mitsubishi is said to target sales to corporate customers in Japan at first to allow local governments and businesses to set up recharging stations around the country. Mitsubishi expected to sell up to 1,400 vehicles by March 2010.[20] But it also expects sales to rise to 5,000 vehicles in the following twelve months, when retail sales starts.

The company said initial sales are constrained by production capacity but expects production to ramp up quickly from 2,000 vehicles in 2009/10 to 30,000 vehicles within three years as it expands production of lithium-ion battery in its joint venture with GS Yuasa Corp. Initial price is set at ¥4,590,000 (US$46,500). The Japanese government is offering subsidies of up to ¥1,390,000, and some local governments are also offering additional subsidies that could bring the price down to as low as ¥2,200,000.[14][21][22]

Mitsubishi reduced the price of the vehicle by ¥619,000 (US$6,700) to just below ¥4,000,000 two days before it went for retail sales in Japan in April 2010 to compete with the upcoming Nissan Leaf. On March 2010, the company has received about 2,000 advance orders in Japan for the vehicle.[4] Production is projected to increase to 9,000 units in its fiscal year 2010/11, and 18,000 in the following twelve months.[20]

On June 2010 Mitsubishi Motors announced that is aiming to cut the price of its electric vehicles to ¥2 million (US$21,890) by fiscal year 2012 to obtain price parity in the showrooms with hybrid electric vehicles. Mitsubishi is expecting that mass production of lithium ion batteries from its battery plant coming online in April 2012 will allow to reduced battery cost from its current ¥2.5 million to less than ¥1 million.[23]

New Zealand

Between January and March 2009 the i MiEV was brought to New Zealand as part of an electric vehicle trial, during which the i MiEV travelled the entire country, testing infrastructure and demonstrating the vehicle to the public.[24]

United Kingdom

In December 2009 Mitsubishi began an electric vehicle trial in the U.K with a fleet of 25 i MiEVs. The i MiEV demonstration is part of the project Coventry and Birmingham Low Emission Vehicle Demonstrators (CABLED ), which is running in the English Midlands with a variety of vehicles including plug-in hybrids and the extended range electric Jaguar XJ.[25] In March 2010, the company reported that after the first three-month period the trial fleet ran an average of 23 miles (37 km) a day, have been parked 97% of the time, and most of the individual trips were under 5 miles (8 km). Another key finding in the test report is that the vehicles were driven in temperatures as low as −10 °C (14 °F) during the winter period, and it was observed a drop-off in usage during extremely cold weather, when only essential journeys are made.[25]

In March 2010, Mitsubishi announced that sales to the public in the U.K. will begin January 1, 2011, at a price of £38,699 (~US$55,870).[7][26] The market launch coincides with the date the £5,000 Plug-in Car Grant goes into effect.[7][27] The i MiEV is expected to be one of only two electric cars initially eligible for the grant.[28]

United States

i MiEV sales in the U.S. are scheduled for 2011 with a base price targeted below US$30,000, prior to the federal tax credit and other incentives available in California and other states.[9]

Mitsubishi i MiEV sales price by market[4][5][7][16]


(without any government tax credits or grants)

Country Sales
price		 Equivalent
US$(1)		 Launched/
scheduled
 Japan ¥4.0 million US$43,900 Apr 2010
 Hong Kong HK$395,000 US$50,700 May 2010
 Australia A$62,240(2) US$54,500 Jul 2010
 United Kingdom £38,699 US$56,800 Jan 2011
Notes (1): Exchange rates as of June 19, 2010.
(2) The i MiEV is available for leasing only, at a price of A$1,740/month
during 36 months totaling A$62,240 as indicated in the source.

Awards

  • "2009 Japan Automotive Hall of Fame Car Technology of the Year" award in October 2009.[29]
  • "Japanese Car of the Year Most Advanced Technology" awarded during the 41st Tokyo Motor Show in October 2009.[30]
  • "Environment Special Grand Prize" awarded during the 25th International Automobile Festival, Paris, France on February 2010.[8]

Future

A new battery manufacturing plant is scheduled to go online in April 2012, which may bring the price down to US$22,000.[31]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Our Journey Toward Public EV Quick-Charging Begins". Autopia. 2010-05-26. Retrieved 2010-06-02.
  2. ^ "Mitsubishi Motors Begins Production of i-MiEV; Targeting 1,400 Units in Fiscal 2009". Green Car Congress. 2009-06-05. Retrieved 2010-04-04.
  3. ^ a b Yuri Kageyama (2010-03-31). "Japanese Start Buying Affordable Electric Cars". Associated Press. Retrieved 2010-04-24.
  4. ^ a b c d Chang-Ran Kim (2010-03-30). "Mitsubishi Motors lowers price of electric i-MiEV". Reuters. Retrieved 2010-04-25.
  5. ^ a b c "Mitsubishi Begins Sales of i-MiEV to Individuals in Hong Kong; First Individual Sales Outside of Japan". Green Car Congress. 2010-05-20. Retrieved 2010-05-21.
  6. ^ a b "Mitsubishi Motors to Begin Shipping i-MiEV to Australia in July; 2nd Market Outside Japan". Green Car Congress. 2010-06-02. Retrieved 2010-06-02.
  7. ^ a b c d Tim Pollard (2010-03-24). "Mitsubishi i-MiEV (2011) electric car to cost £39,000". CAR magazine. Retrieved 2010-03-24.
  8. ^ a b "Mitsubishi Motors' i-MiEV Awarded with the "Environment Special Grand Prize" at the 25th International Automobile Festival". Earth Times. 2010-03-18. Retrieved 2010-02-08.
  9. ^ a b "Mitsubishi Targets i-MiEV Starting Price Below $30,000". WardsAuto. 2010-04-01. Retrieved 2010-05-21.
  10. ^ http://media.mitsubishi-motors.com/pressrelease/e/corporate/detail1533.html
  11. ^ Leblanc, Yohann (December 9, 2008). "Des françaises électriques à l'accent japonais" (in French). L'automobile. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  12. ^ "Mitsubishi Motors to bring new-generation EV i-MiEV to market" (Press release). Mitsubishi Motor. 2009-06-05. Retrieved 2010-04-22.
  13. ^ "About i MiEV MITSUBISHI MOTORS JAPAN", Mitsubishi Motors, August 4, 2009
  14. ^ a b "Mitsubishi unveils Y4.59 mil electric car". Associated Press via Japan Today. 2009-06-06. Retrieved 2010-04-24.
  15. ^ a b "Mitsubishi i-MiEV headed to Australia: becomes country's first manufacturer-produced EV". AutoblogGreen. 2010-06-09. Retrieved 2010-06-19.
  16. ^ a b "Mitsubishi first to launch EV in Australia". Go Auto. 2010-06-10. Retrieved 2010-06-20.
  17. ^ "Demand for i-MiEV in Australia Three Times Greater Than Limited Supply". Green Car Congress. 2010-07-15. Retrieved 2010-07-15.
  18. ^ Louis Butcher (2010-01-14). "Hydro-Québec s'associe à Mitsubishi pour tester une cinquantaine de véhicules électriques" (in French). Rue Frontenac. Retrieved 2010-05-30. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  19. ^ "Gov't to procure electric vehicles". Government of Hong Kong. 2009-09-21. Retrieved 2010-05-23.
  20. ^ a b "Mitsubishi Motors to triple electric car output". Associated Press via Japan Today. 2010-03-29. Retrieved 2010-04-25.
  21. ^ John Murphy (2009-06-08). "Mitsubishi Launches Electric Car". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2010-04-24.
  22. ^ "Fact Sheet - Japanese Government Incentives for the Purchase of Environmentally Friendly Vehicles" (PDF). Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association. Retrieved 2010-06-06.
  23. ^ "Mitsubishi to cut price of electric cars - Nikkei". Reuters. 2010-06-17. Retrieved 2010-06-23.
  24. ^ "Mitsubishi and Meridian launch electric car trial", Mitsubishi Motors NZ press release, February 10, 2009
  25. ^ a b "First phase results of UK electric vehicle trial complete, average of 23 miles a day". AutoblogGreen. 2010-06-16. Retrieved 2010-06-19.
  26. ^ "Mitsubishi lands iMiev with £38,000 price tag". Reuters. 2010-03-23.
  27. ^ Paul Hudson (2010-02-28). "£5,000 grant to buy plug-in electric cars". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2010-04-23.
  28. ^ Adam Vaughan (2010-02-25). "Electric vehicle grants scheme backfires as taxpayers subsidise £87,000 sports cars". The Guardian. Retrieved 2010-05-15.
  29. ^ "Mitsubishi iMiEV wins Japan Automotive Hall of Fame's "Car Technology of the Year" Award". AutoblogGreen. 2009-10-30. Retrieved 2010-06-19.
  30. ^ i MiEV wins ‘Most Advanced Technology’ award in Toyko
  31. ^ http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSSGE65G0HP20100618

Test drives

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