Mitsubishi's electric goal gets closer

[abdulhakeem]

31 December 2007

Mitsubishi is hoping to bring forward the launch of its electric i-MiEV car after signing an agreement with a supplier of lithium-ion batteries.

It is hoped that the deal will help Mitsubishi develop smaller, lighter lithium-ion batteries with a much greater range than current batteries much quicker than it would have managed on its own.

The i-MiEV is scheduled to be sold in the UK in 2010 for around £15,000.

Estimates suggest that the cost of electricity to charge the car would be just £50 per 10,000 miles, while carbon dioxide emissions from the vehicle will be zero.

The battery-powered four-seater supermini will undergo trials in the UK next year. Mitsubishi's goal is to achieve a range of 100 miles from each charge.

video (http://video.google.de/videoplay?docid=-1183509851103192502&q=i-miev&total=50&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=1)

http://www.whatcar.com/news-article.aspx?NA=229771

[abdulhakeem]

i-MIEV SPORT: Mitsubishi Launches New Electric Sports Car

by Jorge (http://www.inhabitat.com/2005/03/15/jorge-chapa/)
November 6, 2007

One of the most innovative electric sports cars by Mitsubishi, the i-MIEV Sport (http://media.mitsubishi-motors.com/pressrelease/e/motorshow/detail1673.html), was just shown off at the Tokyo Motor Show. This cute and sporty beetle-esque electric car comes with optional photovoltaics for solar power, and will be powered by a pack of Li-ions that will allow drivers to go about 100 miles before needing to recharge. While concept electric vehicles are released every year that never make it into production, this snappy little vehicle gives us hope for the future, because it will go into production in 2009 (http://www.forbes.com/markets/feeds/afx/2007/10/26/afx4265440.html).

The i-MIEV (http://media.mitsubishi-motors.com/pressrelease/e/motorshow/detail1673.html) (Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle) is Mitsubishi’s flagship environmentally friendly vehicle. Amongst the technologies to which it is privy to, the electric plug-in lithium battery powered vehicle offers energy saving LEDs, heat absorbing glass to reduce heat gain within the vehicle and the interior components of the vehicle use plant-based resin technology developed by Mitsubishi, which they claim is environmentally friendly.

And then, there’s the way in which the vehicle gets power. Sure, it is an in-wheel motored, plug-in vehicle, a technology which is gaining traction from most auto makers. But the i-MIEV (http://media.mitsubishi-motors.com/pressrelease/e/motorshow/detail1673.html)also comes equipped with an auxiliary photovoltaic generator on the roof, a power generating fan inside the front grill and is also able to recharge its lithium battery when the car brakes, recuperating wasted energy.

Whether or not this vehicle is what ends up on the road in 2009 remains to be seen. But it appears that Misubishi, at least in principle is commited to thinking slightly outside the box.
+ i-MIEV @ Mitsubishi Motors (http://media.mitsubishi-motors.com/pressrelease/e/motorshow/detail1673.html)
+ Japan’s Mitsubishi Motors aims to launch i-MiEV electric car in 2009 (http://www.forbes.com/markets/feeds/afx/2007/10/26/afx4265440.html)

http://www.inhabitat.com/2007/11/06/transportation-tuesday-toyota-i-miev-sport/