Mitsubishi Pushes Up Roll-Out For ‘i’ Electric Car
Published December 8, 2011
By Jeff Cobb
Earlier this week we saw how a startup electric vehicle maker dropped out of business saying support for the market is weak, but don’t try telling that to Mitusubishi.
The far-more deep pocketed company said it will push up plans for nationwide roll out for its four-door electric i from an originally planned December 2012 nationwide roll out to June 2012.
The plug-in commuter will be here six months sooner perhaps in part because it is six thousand dollars less than a Nissan Leaf while offering only 11 miles less EPA estimated range (62 vs. 73).
2012 Holden Volt makes early debut: circa-$40,000 price potential
The 2012 Holden Volt electric car has made its debut in Australia a year ahead of its showroom launch as the local car maker begins the hype for a vehicle it calls an industry ‘game changer’.
Holden unveiled the Volt to the Australian media in Sydney today, though the vehicles are actually rebadged left-hand-drive Chevrolet versions of the car.
The cars can only be driven legally on Australian roads by Holden employees so media and politicians invited to the launch – the latter comprising Federal Minister for Transport and Infrastructure Anthony Albanese and Lord Mayor of Sydney Clover Moore MP – were restricted to trying the Volt in the confines of a warehouse.
The local car maker is only likely to sell a few hundred units annually, but says the Volt, which will still look similar to the design of the Chevrolet version, is more about changing perceptions of the brand to closer associate Holden with cutting-edge technology.
“The notion of making early-term profits on massive capital investments like Volt … I think GM is on record that isn’t about making near-term or short-term profits,” says Holden boss Mike Devereux. “This is a long-term investment by the company in what we think will become one of the pathways to the future of motoring.
2012 Mitsubishi i Ranked Top in Fuel Economy
The Toyota Prius has lost its crown as the most fuel-efficient vehicle.
When the EPA published the 2012 Annual Fuel Economy Guide that revealed the new fuel economy leader as the all-electric 2012 Mitsubishi i with an official EPA rating of 112 for combined mpg. Of course there’s a footnote explaining that “since electricity is not measured in gallons, a conversion factor is used to translate the fuel economy into miles per gallon of gasoline equivalent (MPGe)”.
To be fair, the EPA also lists the leading conventional vehicles (now including hybrids) in each class where an electric vehicle trounces the opposition. Since the Mitsubishi i is classified as a subcompact, it is the Chevrolet Sonic and Ford Fiesta that are tied in second place with a 33 mpg rating.
A couple of months ago I had the opportunity to test drive a 2012 Mitsubishi i around Portland and I was quite enamored with the i as a city car. As with all all-electric cars maximum torque is available the instant you press the gas pedal, sorry I mean accelerator. This provides a lively performance that makes it feel much faster than a stopwatch might reveal. In fact, without trying too hard, I found myself easily beating other drivers away from traffic lights. Of course, I did not come up against any high performance cars but in regular driving there is nothing wrong with an electric car. In fact there’s a lot to like.
If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area you could get to drive a Mitsubishi i without having to purchase one. Today Mitsubishi Motors North America and San Rafael Mitsubishi made the first fleet delivery of the i to City CarShare, which is a Bay Area nonprofit organization founded in 2001.
AMP to unveil all-electric SUV at 2012 Detroit Auto Show
Ohio-based AMP Holding announced today that the company will unveil an all-electric SUV at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show next month.
The company, which is currently known for converting a Mercedes-Benz ML350 into an electric-vehicle, says that the new SUV is based on a ‘vehicle with an All-American image’
AMP said that the new model is designed to attract commercial fleet buyers in the United States. It will be assembled at AMP’s production facility in Cincinnati.
Source: Free Press
Top 10 things you need to know about the Fisker Karma
Welcome to our 12th edition of “top 10 most important things you need to know about” segment. Today we’re taking a look into the most important things you need to know about the Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid sedan. Let’s get started.
Read our other Top 10 things you need to know lists.
Top 10 things you need to know about the Fisker Karma:
- The Fisker Karma was recently awarded the ‘Luxury Car of the Year’ by Top Gear Magazine and Top Gear UK host James May gave it his ‘Car of the Year’ award.
- The Fisker Karma turns its rear wheels using two rear-mounted 201.5 horsepower (150 kW) electric motors that are ‘fueled’ by a the lithium-ion battery pack for up to 50 miles. The gasoline engine (260-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter Ecotec direct injection unit) drives a 175 kW electric generator to power the motors. There is no direct mechanical link between this engine and the electric motors – so that makes the Karma a true electric vehicle with extended range – still known to us as a plug-in hybrid.
- There are three drive modes including Auto, Stealth and Sport. The Stealth Mode maximizes fuel-efficiency, giving the car its greatest range on battery power before activating the gasoline engine-driven generator to sustain battery charge. 0 to 60 mph in Stealth mode comes in 7.9 seconds with a top speed of 95 mph. In Sport mode, the Karma cares less about fuel-economy and more about sportiness. The model allows the engine to drive the generator to provide enough electricity for 403-hp, allowing it to go from 0 to 60 mph in 5.9 seconds with a top speed of 125 mph.
- What does the EPA say? The EPA says that when running in electric mode, the Fisker Karma achieves the energy equivalent of 52 miles per gallon city/highway combined. That figure also includes 32 miles of all-electric range, and 20 mpg when its gasoline engine kicks in. Fisker says they still believe that most Karma drivers will hit 50 miles on electric power alone. Total range is estimated around 300 miles.
- Fisker says that a Karma owner with a 40-mile commute who kicks off his day with a full battery charge will need to visit the gas station about every 1,000 miles and would use just 9 gallons of gasoline per month.
- Charging the Karma can take than 6 hours using a 240v household current. A standard 110v power from will take a very long time (like 14 hours long).
- The Karma also features a solar panel on the roof that can extend the driving range for up to an additional 200 miles annually.
- Interior luxury? The Fisker Karma is very luxurious with refined interior wood trim which is 100% sustainably sourced from Fallen, Sunken and Rescued Wood to make sure that no live growth is ever used. It features three interior trims including EcoStandard, EcoSport and EcoChic. The EcoChic trim features 100% post-industry virgin textile Premium EcoSuede. It also has a touchscreen interface to manage audio, navigation, iPod, Bluetooth and climate control systems. A chrome bezel surrounds the flat screen glass surface.
- The Fisker Karma exterior features Diamond Dust paint – the first water-based paint to feature a recycled glass flake mixture that utilizes 35-55% recycled glass. That means it releases no organic compounds into the environment. The paint also features a reflective infrared layer to help cool the interior during hot weather. Pretty cool huh?
- The basic Fisker Karma starts at $ 95,900 with the top of the line model going for $ 109,850.
Dock+Go’s Third Axle: A Backpack for Your Car?
If you own, or have owned, an iPhone, you know the foibles of battery life, or lack thereof. Electric vehicle range anxiety pales in comparison to mobile Apple anxiety. I mean, how else is the world expected to read important Facebook status updates? Thanks goodness for cell phone battery extenders, something the EV market lacks…until now.
While only a concept, Frank M. Rinderknecht of Rinspeed is working on Dock+Go, a third axle system for an electric Smart car. Technical details are scant, but from what the images show, the supplemental axle carries a box that docks to the rear of the vehicle, converting the conventional four-wheeled Smart into a six-wheeler. While the Dock+Go should dramatically increase the electric Smart’s contact patch (not that the anemic vehicle needs it), the true efficacy of the automotive “backpack,” or rickshaw, comes from what can be stored in it. The press release cites heated box for pizza deliveries or toolbox for industrial uses as examples, but where the Dock+Go really glows, electrically, is in its application as a range extender by carrying an auxiliary engine, fuel cell or battery pack. Think Mophie for the iPhone, only bigger.
While it sounds like far-fetched sci-fi stuff relegated to science magazines, Rinspeed announced a Dock+Go concept will be revealed at the 2012 Geneva Auto Show.
Ferrari Millenio Concept: A design study on what an Italian electric supercar could look like
What if Ferrari started going down the electric-vehicle route? Well, at that point I’d probably turn in my driving gloves for a motorcycle – unless design was the only thing that attracted me to a vehicle. That seems to be the case for me with what you see here – the Ferrari Millenio Concept.
The concept is a design study created by Marko Petrovic and shows his take on what a future Ferrari with an electric-motor could look like.
The car is a two-seater with lightweight design and futures several pieces combined in one. No technical specs are available and frankly I’m too busy and amazed by the design that I really don’t care what electric powertrain is under the hood.
