Mitsubishi has announced its second all-electric MiEV product. Two years after the release of the i-MiEV city car, the company is set to launch the uncomfortably named MINICAB-MiEV1 in Japan next month.
Hailing from the company’s existing minicar-class (read: tiny) van, the newcomer will come with a choice of two sizes of battery pack, allowing buyers to tailor their purchase to their usage patterns. Mitsubishi claims the base 10.5kWh battery provides a cruising range of up 100km on a single charge, with a 16kWh pack good for 150km.
Pricing strategy is first and foremost about affordability, Mitsubishi says. The company has kept development and manufacturing costs down by combining elements of existing products, namely a standard minicab body and chassis modified to fit the now well established drivetrain from the i-MiEV. The electric minicab inherits its drive battery, motor, inverter, on-board charger, air-conditioner and rear suspension direct from the i-MiEV. With government eco-car subsidies, it has kept the base model to about AUD$23K and the long-range model to around AUD$27K.
Configured like the i-MiEV, with the battery underfloor and the motor, inverter and other EV components beneath the cargo area, the electric minicab retains the same cargo space and 350kg payload capacity as its petrol counterpart.
The MINICAB-MiEV1 will available for lease or purchase.
Since going to market in Japan in mid-2009, the i-MiEV has sold about 5000 units in Japan and about 17,000 units all up worldwide, including those going to PSA Peugeot Citroën for rebadging.
Asked about the possibility of seeing the MINICAB-MiEV1 in Australia any time soon, local Mitsubishi spokeswoman Lenore Fletcher told motoring.com.au that no decision has been made yet.
“We’re obviously very interested in all the company’s alternative-powered vehicles,” she said. “We already have the i-MiEV here, and we’re keeping a close eye on the development of all the eight new EVs and plug-in hybrids our parent company will be releasing in the next five years.”
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