Featured Story: In Japan, Testing the Market for All-Electric Cars

Monday, 08 June 2009 10:56

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Like Nissan and Subaru, which are rolling out their own plug-in electric cars over the next 18 months, Mitsubishi hopes that they'll catch on with consumers worldwide. But they are still a gamble. Although technological advances continue to reduce the cost and recharging time of lithium-ion batteries while increasing range, electric vehicles are expensive — the i-MiEV costs $47,500 — and the market will take years to reach the level of hybrid sales. "For five to 10 years, EVs will be for city commuters, used in a limited area, while the hybrid is a pure alternative to the conventional vehicle," says Tatsuo Yoshida, senior analyst at UBS Securities Japan. "There needs to be a breakthrough to the battery technology so that the EV becomes a viable alternative to existing vehicles."

As Japan's top automakers, Toyota and Honda, battle it out for supremacy in the hybrid car market, Japan's smaller car companies are taking a different eco-car road. Mitsubishi Motors on June 5 presented its zero-emissions i-MiEV — Japan's first fully electric vehicle (EV) for the global market. Production of the egg-shaped vehicle, which has a range of 99 miles (160 km) on a single charge, kicked off this week; fleet sales will start in Japan next month and the car is expected to reach U.S. buyers by the end of next year. Tooting its own horn, Mitsubishi is calling the new i-MiEV "a pioneer to open the door to the next 100 years."

Read more in the June 5, 2009 Time

"In Japan, Testing the Market for All-Electric Cars "

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