ELECTRIC COMPANY

摘要

Nissan, mtisubishi, and subaru parent company Fuji Heavy Industries are working together to build a grid of charging stations in Japan for EVs. Nissan's interest obviously makes sense, but so does the others'. Subaru's Stella plug-in EV went on sale in Japan earlier this year as did Mitsubishi's i-MiEV electric vehicle. Like the Leaf, the i-MiEV is also coming to the U.S. The i-MiEV (i is the minicar this model is based on; the rest stands for Mitsubishi innovative electric vehicle) is powered by a battery composed of 88 lithium-ion cells connected in series and also uses a permanent magnet synchronous electric motor and a single-speed reduction gear transmission. An on-board charger allows you to charge the battery with 100V/200V AC, taking seven to 14 hours for a full charge. There's also a quick-charge option similar to Nissan's: 30 minutes yielding 80 percent of full charge. Range is as much as 99 miles on a single charge, but with varying congestion, weather, and driving style, that number will be lower. There is room for four inside, but don't be surprised if this car isn't chock full of creature comforts beyond air conditioning and a driver display that shows power consumption, remaining range, and energy recovery. Mitsubishi has yet to announce when the i-MiEV will go on sale in America or how much it will cost.