Mitsubishi Motors Corp’s the i-MiEV electric vehicle is displayed during an unveiling at the company headquarters in Tokyo on Friday.
REUTERS

Mitsubishi unveils Y4.59 mil electric car

Saturday 06th June, 06:30 AM JST

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Badsey at 11:59 PM JST - 6th June

Power (watts) = voltage x amperage You pay household in kW hours = 10-20 cents per kWh typically. Solar panels (200-300watts max for the door sized ones and you can expect your true wattage to be about 1/2 that, the cheaper polycrystaline solar panels are even worse) Sharp solar panels are probably the best.

=A car roof of solar panels on a sunny day 300w-500watts maybe. 300w/15v (car battery charge voltage) =20 amps continous. =How many amp (hours) do these batteries need. 1 car battery about 50 amp (hours) = 2 1/2 hrs charge time pet car battery. = it may take a few days or a week to charge this car under the sun with a rooftop solar panel.

=the Toyota Prius uses its' solar panel to run fans to keep the car cool in the summer. But some people run their Priuses off electricity only (extra batteries and a mod) already and the Japanese model has the electric only selection switch.

And your are probably looking at 4-10 times that. So 5 hours to charge
Badsey at 12:04 AM JST - 7th June

Imagine all the money you now keep domestically instead of buying foreign oil. -Best way to fight yourself out of a recession and a good reason for Japan to offer incentives.

And how many old (and young) people (Japan) really drive a car everyday anyway? Charge it up solar or off household current at off-peak times. Many would even stay at home until the car is charged up because they wouldn't want to waste the money on fuel.
Freespeech at 01:13 AM JST - 7th June

Hey Masuko-san, this is just wishful thinking !

No emissions : yes if the electricity you use for recharging is produced without emissions from the powerstation.

160km range : maybe, if you are ready to take the risk of having the car dying under you just when you return home and park it ; and if you drive extra careful (strong accelerations are "dame", just creep along), and avoid driving at night because switching the lights on will shorten the range, and of course no use of A/C which is an energy guzzler.

Believe one who has been in the car industry, at the carmaker's who is presently world champion for the number of e-cars sold, and who of course has driven e-cars : they are only good for the fleets of some companies where they are sure to come home and be plugged at regular intervals (assuming, of course, that the companies are willing to pay the heavy price and the extra-cost of battery maintenance because these darn things do not last the entire lifetime of the vehicle they are in, and changing an entire battery pack is awfully costly ; actually, the best way is to buy the car and have the batteries on a lease contract that includes automatic replacement when needed).

BTW, how come that neither Masuko-san nor the incredibly competent journalists tell us which battery technology is used on this little thing ?

Probably another Mitsubishi dud, after the direct-injection gas engine etc etc...
Badsey at 01:59 AM JST - 7th June

Yeah, those hybrids -no one will ever buy them. And why would anyone want a car that may last 20yrs+.

This car needs to be marketed as a platform (and new brand) and let the consumer/aftermarket decide what he needs. With newer tech the prices will go down and efficiency up. This is a car that is upgradeable and flexible to the consumer.

All the components in cars are going electric anyway. =more efficient.
dontpanic at 02:07 AM JST - 7th June

"how come that neither Masuko-san nor the incredibly competent journalists tell us which battery technology is used on this little thing?"

Looking at the gen on other websites the batteries are Lithium Ion made by Yuasa in Kyoto.

Dont see why some (Badsey) say battery cars free you from foreign oil. It seems to me you swap foreign oil for Peruvian lithium. And in many cases the foriegn oil still gets burnt in the power station.

Nope, still not an adequate alternative to efficient combustion engines.
Badsey at 02:49 AM JST - 7th June

These Li-Ion batteries must be used immediately because their life span is short (~3yrs even if not used!) =All the more reason for a consumer choice.

Japan is mostly nuclear, if you want to put up solar cells, or a windfarm that is your bag.

People couldn't understand the iPhone either, but with 30k programs available and the SDK what is their to understand? People want a choice and this car platform could offer them that choice. =I want a dashboard choice, I want a solar roof choice, a hybrid or electric motor only choice. People are more different than you realize, but the basic framework is there.

Example: I only drive a car maybe 2 out of 14 days. A solar roof would be a good choice for me. I live in a colder area = electric motor would be great for starting, but bad for heating = my car may need a diesel (fuel oil) heater. 30-60 miles in those two days typical = I am in the range of the electric car specs.
dontpanic at 05:18 PM JST - 7th June

Badsey, if youre only using your car for 2 days every fortnight you might want to consider renting or car sharing. Cheaper, no depreciation worries and you wont kill your batteries from lack of use (a replacement battery pack will cost the better part of a million yen).

Like the iPhone I think people get it, but unlike the iPhone electric cars are just not developed enough yet to revolutionise to revolutionise the market. As Masuko san says, give it ten years or so.
Badsey at 08:26 PM JST - 7th June

My car is like a drop off point = a junk station. Plus it's a 2000 = practically worthless. I am figuring it will last many more years though since I only drive it 1-2k miles a year now.

=My next car maybe all electric (or at least a hybrid) or maybe a Japanese mini-truck with the fold-down sides (very practical). I like the new Harley XR1200 also.
Nessie at 09:38 PM JST - 7th June

*batteries sold separately
BurakuminDes at 11:18 PM JST - 7th June

It's good, but it's not sporty like the Prius. It would be better with a lower profile, alloy wheels, aerodynamic kit, a bigger engine and hopefully much faster. Also, it's probably too quiet, which I dislike in a car.
saborichan at 09:36 AM JST - 8th June

Yes, we wouldn't want cars that are quiet, eh? Though actually, that raises an interesting point. We're all so adapted to using our hearing as one of our safety checks when crossing a road. How will it be with superquiet electric cars? We'll have to adapt...

According to another story on this, a hi-speed charger that they may put in various locations takes only a half hour to charge. But that's still too long for even a few cars to line up for in this country...
pointofview at 01:25 PM JST - 8th June

No emissions? great! What happens to the batteries? 4.59 million? Most people cant afford it. Nice idea but to the majority of the global population, despite their cries for a cleaner environment, probably wont buy it. Comfort, speed, reliability and style are what people still want.
LFRAgain at 01:33 PM JST - 8th June

I want fuel efficiency and something that doesn't stink.
andrewfx51 at 01:40 PM JST - 11th June

At around $40,000 US, the money you save on fuel would pay the car off over time. In these times, I would be willing to sacrifice style and speed for fuel efficiency and reliability.
dontpanic at 01:15 AM JST - 12th June

"the money you save on fuel would pay the car off over time"
It would take 10 years to pay off the difference between this and the basic 660cc car with petrol savings.