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Record Breaking Mitsubishi Electric Vehicle Run at Pikes Peak by Greg Tracy.
Tracy climbed Pikes Peak in the Mitsubishi I-MiEV Evolution III and shatters Monster Tajima's 2013 Electric Modified Class record by 38 seconds with a 09.08.188 record time.
Greg Tracy came in 2nd overall beating everyone in the competition except for overall winner Romain Dumas in his Honda powered 2013 Norm racer.
Mitsubishi Australia were kind enough to loan EV News an Outlander PHEV for a week long test drive and we're not surprised it is already the best selling plug-in EV in several markets around the world.
The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is the first 4x4 SUV to combine 'series' and 'parallel' hybrid systems. It has all the benefits of a plug-in electric car with a part-time duty cycle 87 kw 2.0 L 4 cylinder MIVEC (Mitsubishi Innovative Valve timing Electronic Control system) petrol engine that can run in either series hybrid mode, where it is used to top up the 12 kWh lithium ion battery mounted under the cabin, and/or can also runs in parallel mode to drive the front wheels.
The electric powertrain is based on 2x 60 kw / 166 Nm BLDC permanent magnet synchronous motors that run on up to 300 volts. It's a bit like having an iMiEV motor on each axle. Given the 1810 kg curb weight, EV mode acceleration is reasonable, but applying anything more than half throttle activates the ICE to assist. In this parallel mode the PHEV has a combined maximum output of 207 kw available for hard acceleration which 'feels' like a V6.
Mitsubishi engineers have done an excellent job on NVH (noise, vibration and hashness) for the part-time duty cycle ICE (internal combustion engine) in the Outlander PHEV. Unlike the Holden Volt we drove last year where the ICE became fairly annoying after a few hours in the car, the ICE powertrain in the PHEV is so quiet that, without the assistance of the LCD 'energy use' dash display graphic, it's hard to tell whether the ICE is actually running or not!
The official ADR fuel economy rating for the PHEV is 1.9L/100km, with a maximum range of 824 kilometers from it's 45 liter fuel tank. I had originally planned to drive the PHEV to Melbourne (1,800 km round trip) to test highway range and the adaptive cruise control system (more on that later) but for business reasons the trip was postponed. Instead, during the 7 days I had the PHEV, I never needed to lift the fuel filler flap even once and returned the vehicle with more than 100 km range still indicated on the dash having covered 700 km of urban driving.
The vehicle was plugged in each night so we started each day with a full battery. The 12 kWh battery gives an EV mode range of approx 50 km. The PHEV provides a couple of options for managing your charge via two centre console mounted buttons. The 'CHRG' button allows the driver to manually turn on the ICE to charge the battery while the 'SAVE' button conserves battery charge and engages the ICE to drive the Outlander PHEV like a regular front wheel drive petrol vehicle. We were still experimenting with the save mode when we had to return the vehicle.
At highway speeds, aerodynamic load is at it's maximum and given the fact that brake regeneration on expressways is minimal combined with the relatively small amount of energy contained in an electric cars battery (12 kWh) compared to a regular fuel tank (405 kWh) , we experimented with using 'Save' mode on any steady-state motorway with a posted speed limit of 100 km or more in an effort to save the battery for lower speed urban roads where brake regeneration can be maximised and losses such as aero resistance are minimal.
Unfortunately it wasn't a very scientific experiment so I can't provide any figures. Even without using save mode at all the PHEV still achieved minimal fuel burn using the same strategy of using the ICE in parallel mode at highway speeds so perhaps it would take longer than a 700 km test drive to get the most out of these manually operated features.
All Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV press cars are the top-of-the-range Aspire model which comes with a feature that seems perfectly suited to an electric powertrain, adaptive cruise control. As an EV powertrain can brake and accelerate with a single input from the throttle pedal, this allows seamless control of a vehicles variable speed relative to other traffic.
Adaptive Cruise Control was my favorite feature on the car and was turned on at every opportunity. In traffic it takes over everything but the steering. In built-up heavy traffic with speeds as low as 1 km/h the system will slow and accelerate in response to the traffic ahead. In stop-start traffic the system can bring the vehicle to a complete hold, only signalling to the driver to push the brake pedal once the vehicle is stationary. The vehicle will not move away from a dead stop, but cruise can be resumed once over 10 km/h.
It was not uncommon to have the cruise control set to 80 km/h while only seeing 50 km/h on the speedo as the car responded to traffic. The driver can adjust the distance to the car ahead in three steps with a a steering wheel adjustable push-button. In addition this distance automatically adjusts according to speed, with the gap to the car ahead increasing at higher speeds.
The system also handles lane changing fairly well. When the driver changes lanes to go around a slower vehicle the vehicle will respond to the clear lane and accelerate to the set speed. The drive can also momentarily over-ride the system with throttle input to accelerate into a gap while lane changing and the cruise control will resume at the set speed once you lift off the throttle pedal.
One thing we were curious about was what the brake lights were doing in adaptive cruise mode. Apparently the low-speed auto brake system on the Ford Focus strobes the brake lights when active, but we were unable to confirm what was happening on the back of the PHEV in this mode?
As with most hybrids which mix regenerative and friction braking, the PHEV runs a brake-by-wire system with a servo operated hydraulic brake master cylinder. This enables the cruise control to apply friction brakes at very low speed to bring the vehicle to a complete stop. With Adaptive cruise control, driving in heavy urban traffic almost becomes relaxing! I honestly think this is the single best feature of the car and given the fact ABS and stability control are now mandatory on new cars, it seems only a matter of time before adaptive cruise control and autonomous braking also become mandatory features.
Speaking of stability control, the Outlander PHEV comes with Mitsubishi's Active Yaw Control (AYC) and Super All Wheel Drive Control (S-AWC) which was first developed for the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo. Given the SUV's high centre of gravity layout this is probably a very handy feature to have although there was no way I intended to push this vehicle to the limit to test it out. Perhaps the PHEV powertrain will soon be seen in something closer to the ground like the XR-PHEV EVO images recently released, then AYC and S-AWC could be actively engaged for entertainment value on winding country roads without the risk of tipping over.
With a list price of $47,490 for the standard Outlander PHEV and $52,490 for the Aspire, it's little surprise the PHEV has shot to #1 plug-in on debut with 99% of all Outlanders sold being PHEV in several markets around the world.
Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) entered two MiEV Evolution III all-electric racecars, which combine the best of MMC's electric vehicle (EV) and four-wheel drive control technologies, in the Electric Modified Division of the 2014 edition of the world-famous Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (Pikes Peak, June 23 to June 29) in Colorado, United States.
Race Day was held on Sunday June 29 and after posting the fastest time of 9 minutes 08 seconds 188, Greg Tracy won the Electric Modified Division honors and 2nd overall. Meanwhile, Hiroshi Masuoka set a time of 9 minutes 12 seconds 204, finishing 2nd in the division and 3rd overall, dominating the Electric Modified Division. These Race Day results and the performance of the cars during the event speak volumes about the advanced level of MMC’s EV and four-wheel drive control technologies.
The race starts at an elevation of 2,862 meters and takes competitors through 156 corners on a 20 km course to the finish on the 4,301 meter summit of Pikes Peak. With an elevation difference of 1,439 meters, atmospheric pressure, temperature, weather and other conditions vary significantly between the start and finish. A feature of the race course is that it is split into three major sections: Bottom at the foot of the mountain, Middle and then Upper near the summit.
Lined by coniferous trees, the Bottom section starts with its rhythmical series of mid- to high-speed corners but all of a sudden the drivers hit a series of much tighter and difficult turns which demand the utmost care and concentration.
The Middle section is distinguished by some spectacular scenery with oddly-shaped rocks closely bordering the road. This is a very technical section as shortly after the start a series of tight hairpin bends demand precise handling as the car races along the steeply ascending road.
The Upper section is a very high-speed course taking competitors through many fast corners between craggy rocks and boulders. With little guard railing at the side of the road, this very difficult section brings with it the risk of plunging over the edge should the car slide off the tarmac. This is why the highest levels of vehicle stability are required over the high-speed parts of the section. At 4,301 meters, the mountain summit is higher than Mt. Fuji and the thin air means that cars powered by internal combustion engines lose power the higher up they go. Electrically powered cars, however, are unaffected by the thin air and so this could prove the key section in setting a really fast overall race time.
| Position | Driver | Vehicle | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greg Tracy | MiEV Evolution III | 9:08.188 |
| 2 | Hiroshi Masuoka | MiEV Evolution III | 9:12.204 |
| 3 | Tajima Nobuhiro | E-RUNNER Pikes Peak Special | 9:43.900 |
| 4 | Ikuo Hanawa | HER-02 | 12:18.019 |
| 5 | Janis Horeliks | 2014 Tesla Roadster 360 | 12:57.536 |
Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) announces that it will dispatch a team of technical support engineers for an Outlander PHEV entered in the T1.3 4x4 Electric class of the grueling 2,200km FIA-certified Asia Cross Country Rally 2014 (AXCR) from August 9 through 15, to be run from Thailand to Cambodia. The Two & Four Motor Sports rally team (Two & Four), headed by Kenji Ishida, will run an Outlander PHEV in the race for the second straight year. MMC engineers will provide Two & Four's team technical support for the plug-in hybrid four-wheel drive SUV for the duration of the rally. MMC will utilize valuable data and knowhow acquired by the technical support team in future vehicle development.
The 19th edition of the AXCR will get under way with the Ceremonial Start in the Thai beach resort of Pattaya on Saturday August 9. The next day, August 10, sees the start of the rally proper as Leg 1 takes entrants from Pattaya to Sakaeo. On August 12, Leg 3 of the rally takes the competitors into Cambodia and past the World Heritage site of Angkor Wat. The event finishes in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh on Friday August 15. The AXCR covers a total distance of 2,200 km and offers a grueling test of all-terrain performance and durability as it requires competitors to conquer mountains, forests, swamps and river crossings.
The Outlander PHEV rally car will use competition suspension and reinforced mountings to raise ground clearance and improve all-terrain performance over poor surfaces. The vehicle's S-AWC integrated vehicle dynamics control system will be tuned for competition use to deliver better traction. Other modifications include the fitting of a roll cage and underbody skid plate, the use of lighter engine hood, rear gate and interior parts, and additional sealing and a snorkel for water crossings.
The Swiss Mitsubishi importer has demonstrated that a plug-in hybrid Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV can travel 830 km (518 miles) on a single tank of petrol.
Mitsubishi Motors claims the plug-in hybrid Outlander PHEV has a range of 824 kilometers (512 Miles) in the combined hybrid mode. The Swiss Mitsubishi importer wanted to know whether this is feasible in practice so hired Felix Egolf - a pioneer in the field of ultra-efficient driving over long distances.
Egolf departed on 12 May in a hybrid Outlander from the headquarters of the Swiss importer Härkingen and drove through Basel and the Vosges to Metz. From there he went through Luxembourg and Belgium in the Netherlands. End of the journey was the Dutch Mitsubishi importer in Amstelveen, where Egolf arrived on May 14. The route began in hilly area and 38 percent of the journey performed over highways.
Upon arrival in Amstelveen odometer gave 729 kilometers and the remaining range was further than 90 kilometers. Egolf then drove the Outlander PHEV for a photoshoot to Amsterdam and Utrecht. The onboard computer gave a mileage of more than 830km to when the Outlander PHEV was refueled. For the first time since leaving again There was 45.14 liters of petrol in the tank, which means that consumption 5.44 liters per 100 km. The electricity was approximately 1 kWh/100 km.
Mitsubishi Motors gives the official standard has a range of 824 kilometers. So that, in practice, is actually feasible. Of course, the rider must anticipate well in traffic and clever use of the plug-in hybrid techniek. That is, charge the battery while driving (CHARGE) or save energy (SAVE) and continuous regeneration system utilization, which produce electricity, which is stored in the battery during braking.
EV News will be picking up a Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV for a test drive next week so perhaps we can also test the 800+ km range.
Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) will enter two MiEV Evolution III all-electric racecars in the 2014 edition of the world-famous Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (Pikes Peak, June 23 to June 29) in Colorado, United States. MMC will use two MiEV Evolution III all-electric racecars, which combine the best of MMC's electric vehicle and four-wheel drive control technologies. MMC has competed twice before in the Electric Division in 2012 and 2013, and now with the MiEV Evolution III, hopes to take its first victory, this time in the new Electric Modified Division.
The MiEV Evolution III racecar is an improved and evolved version of last year's MiEV Evolution II. Main components including high-capacity battery, high-output electric motor and electric powered 4WD consisting of four electric motors have been retained with improvements made to give better motive and cornering performance. To reduce weight in the pipe-frame chassis the design has rationalized and some structural materials have been replaced.
Total motor output of four motors has been boosted from 400 kW to 450 kW and to ensure all the extra power is put down on the road surface the tires have been uprated in size from 260/650-18 to 330/680-18. Accordingly downforce has been increased with a new carbon cowl design and with wind-tunnel optimization of the spoiler and other detail shapes. Evolutionary development of the S-AWC integrated vehicle dynamics control system has improved traction control performance and has reduced wheel slip by controlling vehicle attitude more precisely when near the limit of adhesion. These improvements allow the driver to extract the full potential of the racecar's awesome handling with confidence and reassurance.
The race team will feature the same drivers as last year. One MiEV Evolution III will be driven by two-time Dakar Rally overall champion Hiroshi Masuoka, who piloted the MiEV Evolution II to second place honors in the Electric Division last year and also act as team captain. The second MiEV Evolution III will be piloted by Greg Tracy, six-time Pikes Peak motorcycle champion whom last year drove a MiEV Evolution II to third place in the Electric Division, his first time challenging the race on four wheels.
The team technical director and chief mechanics are mainly all engineers in MMC's Development Engineering Office. Responsible for the maintenance of the racecars during the hill climb event, they will also be gathering data and knowhow which will be fed back into the advance development of MMC EV technologies, its S-AWC (Super All-Wheel Control) integrated vehicle dynamics control system and into the company's "e-EVOLUTION" - a fusion of electric motor drive and the S-AWC system.
Length x Width x Height (mm) | 4,870 x 1,900 x 1,390 | ||
Drivetrain | 4WD using 4 motors | ||
Motors (Made by Meidensha) | Configuration | 4 (2 front, 2 rear) | |
Maximum output (kW) | 450(112.5 kWx4 motors) | ||
Battery (Made by LEJ) | Maximum capacity (kWh) | 50 | |
Chassis | Steel pipe frame | ||
Cowl | Carbon | ||
Suspension | Front | Double wishbone | |
Rear | Double wishbone | ||
Brakes (Made by ENDLESS) | Front | φ 380 mm disc with 6-pot calipers | |
Rear | φ 330 mm disc with 4-pot calipers | ||
Tires (Made by Dunlop) | 330 / 680-18 | ||
Wheels(Made by Enkei) | 13J-18 | ||
Control system(Made by dSPACE) | Production i-MiEV ECU with MicroAutoBox*1 | ||
Mitsubishi Motors, a company with a spectacular history in races like the Dakar Rally and World Rally Championships (WRC), has developed a special concept model for Vision Gran Turismo: This is the "Mitsubishi Concept XR-PHEV Evolution Vision Gran Turismo".
In the development of this special concept model, Mitsubishi Motors introduced their design team, Advanced Vehicle Research and Development Group, and Aerodynamic Engineering Development Group into this project in the same process they would normally follow to plan and develop real motorsports vehicles.
The styling of the car follows the basic concepts of the "MITSUBISHI Concept XR-PHEV" shown at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show, while pouring in know-how gained from years of motorsports experience into its every detail. The result was the evolution of the concept into a stoic racing machine.
The "Athlete Form" design concept was advanced further, emphasizing the driving features aggressively. The iconic front grill is a study of next generation Mitsubishi automobiles, and the shape that forms a wedge starting from the triple diamond mark is designed in the image of an athlete at crouching position on a starting line, evoking an intense image of tension and potential.
Utilizing advanced development technology from the Plug-in Hybrid EV System, the spontaneous power of the motor and powerful torque of the engine is transmitted through an 8 speed dual clutch transmission (DCT) to drive the 4 wheels. It's overwhelming drive performance is controlled precisely with the S-AWC vehicle dynamics control system that distributes the drive force optimally to the 4 wheels, producing a handling characteristic that moves the car exactly as the driver desires.
In addition, the carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) body reduces weight and greatly contributes to its agility, and the downforce produced by the aerodynamic form of the front and rear diffusers produces excellent cornering performance. The large diameter 20 inch aluminum wheels gives an impression of a tough suspension system, and the powerful appearance of the front and rear fenders is in the image of toned muscles of a powerful athlete.
Electric cars will be so affordable and have such a long range between re-charges that petrol cars will not be able to compete in the next generation of cars, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation president Osamu Masuko predicts.
He said car and battery manufacturers were working on a seven-fold increase in battery capacity, increasing potential car driving ranges to more than 1000km, and major reductions to battery cost, one 20th of 2009 prices, that would drive the growth in electric cars.
“Once these things are achieved, the petrol engine can't compete,” he said, adding: “In 10 years time, we might see a dramatic change.”
He likened the rise of EVs to that of mobile phones, which had had a major impact on old style land-line telephones.
“The world is changing, and it is definitely advancing, this battery technology,” he said.
Mr Matsuko said the lithium-ion batteries for an electric car in 2009 cost as much as a Toyota Yaris, but had more than halved since.
He said the Japanese government had a target to reduce the cost of batteries for cars to one 20th of the price of the 2009 variety, and with seven fold capacity.
A 2009 electric car could travel 150km, he said, meaning the EV of the future should do more than 1000km.
Mr Masuko said Mitsubishi would not be able to meet future fuel consumption and emissions regulations in the United States, Europe and China if it did not introduce electric and PHEV cars into its mix.
He said car companies who failed to meet the regulations would have to pay penalties.
“Paying penalities is not realistic,” he said.
Mr Masuko said the fact that China – along with Bolivia and Chile – controlled one of the few sources of raw lithium for the making of current batteries was a concern, meaning the product was often used as a political bargaining tool.
However, Kazakstan supplies were now coming on stream, reducing the risk of supply instability, he said.
In the longer term, new battery substances possibly would further reduce the reliance on Chinese lithium, he said.
Mitsubishi Electric today announced it has developed a prototype electric vehicle (EV) motor drive system with a built-in silicon-carbide inverter. The EV motor drive system, the smallest of its kind, will enable manufacturers to develop EVs offering more passenger space and greater energy efficiency.
Mitsubishi Electric plans to commercialize its new EV motor system after finalizing technologies for motor/inverter cooling, further downsizing and additional efficiency.
Features
| 1) | Downsized motor drive system with integrated all silicon-carbide inverter
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| 2) | Improved motor cooling performance
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Global demand for EVs and hybrid EVs (HEVs) has been growing in recent years, reflecting increasingly strict regulations for fuel efficiency and growing public interest in saving energy resources and reducing carbon dioxide emissions. As EVs and HEVs require relatively large spaces to accommodate their robust battery systems, there is a strong need to reduce the size and weight of motor systems and other equipment to ensure sufficient passenger space.
Patents
Pending patents for the technology announced in this news release number 94 in Japan and 29 abroad.
Retail sales of Mitsubishi's Outlander plug-in hybrid (PHEV) only commenced on 21 October in the Netherlands and it has immediately become the best selling car by a significant margin.
2,736 plug-in Outlanders were sold in November (from a total of 2,766 Outlanders) accounting for a market share of 6.8%. The second highest selling car in the Netherlands for November was the Renault Mégane with 1,505.
In EU guise the permanent electric 'Twin Motor 4WD' has a claimed maximum driving range of 824 km, electric only range of 52km, fuel consumption of 1.9l/100km, CO2 emissions of 44 g/km and a maximum speed of 170 km/h. Braked towing capacity is 1,500kg.
The battery pack takes five hours to recharge using a standard European 230V/10A domestic supply but just 30 minutes (to 80%) using a quick charger to CHAdeMO standard.
MMC insists the Outlander PHEV is neither "a mere adaptation of an existing internal combustion engine vehicle nor a dedicated plug-in hybrid EV system high tech showcase" but a further variant of the Outlander – alongside standard petrol and diesel versions "and developed as such from the start of the programme: a unique/no-compromise proposal in the industry and "the first self-power generating twin motor (permanent) 4WD PHEV".
Mitsubishi said dealers had booked 10,000 signed orders across the continent since December 2012 and was "Much expected by dealers and customers in a region forecast to be its largest global market". The automaker expects EVs, hybrids and PHEVs to account for 20% of its production by 2020.
