Eco-friendly production vehicle to lead the way into the automobile's next century

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 17, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Building on the company's more than 35 years of involvement in advanced electric vehicle development, Mitsubishi Motors has unveiled its first all-electric production vehicle bound for the North American market.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101117/LA03265)

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20101117/LA03265)

Based on the very popular gasoline-powered "i" minicar in the Japanese market, this roomy and practical four-door 2012 model serves as the basis for the new 100% battery-powered Mitsubishi "i" for the North American market. The zero tailpipe emission "i" will be the first North American production vehicle to be powered by Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle (MiEV) technology – cutting edge drivetrain engineering that will serve as the basis for future ultra-environmentally-friendly vehicles from the company. Gone are conventional automotive systems including a gasoline engine, transmission and a fuel tank, having been replaced by advanced components including a lithium-ion battery system, electric motor and an efficient battery charging system in the all-new "i". This electric vehicle has already proved itself a viable and reliable form of transportation as Mitsubishi has been selling the car in its home market since the summer of 2009; production has already commenced for the European-spec i-MiEV, with deliveries beginning later this year.  

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Electric cars are charging into the marketplace

Stalled for nearly a century, electric cars are about to move into the fast lane when the first of a new generation of vehicles reaches dealer showrooms next month.

Every major automaker plans some sort of electric or plug-in hybrid offering over the next several years, a wave of competing technologies reminiscent of the beginning of the automobile age.

General Motors Co. this month will start shipping its Chevrolet Volt, which uses a gas engine to generate electricity when the batteries run out. It will be available for sale in December. By year's end, Nissan Motor Co. will launch its Leaf, which is powered only by batteries. Ford will come out with an all-electric version of its Focus compact car next year.

Many of the new generation electric vehicles will be on display at the Los Angeles Auto Show, which opens to the public Friday at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Other alternative-fuel vehicles, such as Honda's hydrogen-powered FCX Clarity, also will be showcased.

"Electric vehicles are finally real and not an R&D project," said Mark Sogomian, a partner at Ernst & Young.

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Mahindra mulls electric vehicles for US market

NEW DELHI:Auto major Mahindra & Mahindra plans to enter the US market with its electric vehicles from group firm REVA's portfolio within next five years, a top official said today.

The announcement comes at a time when the homegrown firm is fighting a legal battle with its erstwhile sole US distributor for delaying the launch of its pick-up truck in the American nation.

"US is an important and big market for electric vehicles. We are looking at that market. We will be there before our target of full global presence in next five years, but exactly when, that we have not decided yet," Mahindra REVA Electric Vehicles chief of operations R Chandramouli said.

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Nissan aims to sell 500,000 electric vehicles annually by 2013

Automaker Nissan Motor will sell 500,000 electric vehicles annually by the end of 2013, Renault Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn told reporters on eve of the market debut of the Nissan Leaf.

Nissan is launching its all-electric Leaf, which has a 100 mile range, in December. It plans to sell 20,000 Leafs in the United States over the next year.

Ghosn predicts that because of strong consumer demand, Nissan will be "capacity constrained" for the Leaf for the next three years.

Nissan and Renault will each have four electric vehicle models by 2013.  Nissan also plans to produce 200,000 battery packs annually and 150,000 vehicles in the U.S. alone by 2014 in its Leaf factory in Tennessee.

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