Test drive Mitsubishi electric car

frankthetank

Caught this.

I'd buy one tomorrow if i could.
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sicophiliac

Nearly 10 grand less than a Smart car and probably 1/4 the cost to drive. You aren't the only one who would buy one tomorrow if they came out.

frankthetank

Maybe the Bush Admin should order 100 million of them...

Just put it on the US Government Visa card
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sicophiliac

LOL haha you know with the obvious sarcasm aside 100 million times 13000 is 1.3 trillion bucks, we blew that on Iraq so in this crazy world that proposal isn't even too far fetched.

frankthetank

It would cost me about $1.75 to fill the tank. If that could get you 90 miles....

Maybe GM should buy it, rebadge it as a Volt Smile

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misterno

It will cost you 1.75 to charge the battery but how much will it cost you to replace the battery after say 50K miles?

$10K and probably more.

joe1347 · Heavy Crude Joined: Sep 05, 2005 Posts: 153

If Mitsubishi was smart, they would send over a few dozen to the USA and have them tour around the country. I suspect that they would create quite a bit of positive buzz as well as bring more prospective customers into Mitsubishi dealerships - which isn't a bad thing nowadays.

Interesting that the car is only $13,000. Seems much too cheap given what we're been led to believe regard lithium battery prices. Athough 90 miles range is a little shorter than most would be comfortable with. Any details on how large is the battery (kw-hrs).
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heroineworshipper

What an incredibly difficult road the last 30 years of battery research has been. Still peaking with golf cart remakes after all these years. Still as close to becoming freeway legal as they were 30 years ago. Maybe when gas hits $20 they'll reduce safety requirements, but suspect commuters will book hotel rooms in Silicon Valley instead of drive home every day.
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joe1347 · Heavy Crude Joined: Sep 05, 2005 Posts: 153

Electric_Economy_2025 · Heavy Crude Joined: Apr 01, 2008 Posts: 143

I would buy one at 15k even , 100mpc and 75mph and about 100k life on the battery pack this EV is prefect for me and my family.

mos6507

The price they have listed has to be for the gas car. I don't think they are close to selling the BEV version to consumers. They'll get there eventually but the wait is interminable.

Bottom line is this is equivalent to the Honda EV+ or the Rav4EV. It's nothing groundbreaking. It's simply taking an existing micro car and electrifying it. The only new wrinkle is the battery chemistry.

All the automakers could do this sort of thing if they had a suitable chassis. GM could have an Aveo EV, for instance, or the pending Chevy Beat microcar. You don't absolutely have to engineer a car from the ground up to be an electric vehicle if you have batteries with enough energy density to them. You just have to have some convenient place to stow away the pack.

lowem

That's the best idea so far for the battery pack location - under the floorboards! It's out of the way, you get plenty of space, *and* the added weight lowers the centre of gravity resulting in a more stable ride.
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bigfnman · Tar Sands Joined: Apr 06, 2005 Posts: 32

Can someone design the body so it doesn't look like I am driving down the road in an egg?

mos6507

Vegas

The ultracute anime thing that japan likes doesn't appeal to white mans blue eyes. Needs some crome running boards, mudflaps, and bulging wheelwells. Fins?

If they come to the market at that price, they will stop selling gas cars in a couple years.

Retail on that batt, buying it at thunderskys pricing, is about $3k.
The high power density LI batts are about double that. I don't think that rig need the high power stuff, @50kw peak it is only drawing 120-140a. The lower power density lion chems deliver that easy.