tonybelding

We too often overlook Mitsubishi's persistent research into BEVs.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...icle360284.ece

I don't see this as a Tesla killer. . . But Th!nk probably should be worried.

TEG

The article says:
"And it is nippy around town. It does 0-62mph in less than 14 seconds – great for an electric."

OK, first of all, "nippy" (as a Britishism for "fast") sounds peculiar to us yanks. When I first read that I thought they must mean that the A/C is stuck on.

Secondly, who says "0-62 in 14 seconds" is zippy/nippy? Hasn't Tesla proven that EVs should make no excuses for performance. 14 seconds is lame acceleration for any kind of roadworthy vehicle.

Article: "It has the same boot space as the petrol and the same Tardis-like interior, with room for four adults and luggage."

So does "Tardis like" imply "bigger than it seems from the outside", or "lots of odd looking manual controls with plenty of bits that like to fall off, and the need for a good kick to work properly"? (maybe they include a "jelly-baby holder")

By the way, the iEV would seem to be competition for not just Th!nk, but also Smart cars, and other EVs from Zap and Miles.

tonybelding

Not necessarily. . . For comparison, the VW New Beetle is supposed to do 0-60 MPH in 13.2 seconds. So, the MiEV is almost as good in 0-60 and probably better in, say, 0-40 times. One might suspect the MiEV's performance is better suited to its role as a "city car" than the Beetle is.

Clarification: The VW New Beetle comes in a lot of variants in the US and Europe, with different engine configurations. Admittedly, 13.2 seconds is the slowest 0-60 time I've seen quoted for it.

vfx

I'm in total agreement that 0 to 60 in anything over 8 seconds is slow. These numbers run counter to EV's longstanding history of quick acceleration.

Maybe this is a problem, quote: "It has a smooth-as-silk automatic gearbox". I give a 50/50 chance the writer did not know what he was talking about vs Mistubishi actually puttig is some sort of gearing to gain miles and loosing speeds off the line. Though this does not make much sense...

Cobos

I think part of the "confusion" about the nippy 0-62 speed of 14s is partly due to the fact it's 0-30 speed might be relatively better (and which IS more relevant for a citycar) as Tony said but also because Europeans aren't used to as fast and powerful cars as the US. Most electrics you have been able to drive has had terrible 30-62 speeds... just look at the Think, it doesn't even list a 0-62 speed, only 0-45.
And generally "normal" cars are slower in Europe. At least looking at the 3 month old review of the new Ford Mondeo (similar to the Fusion in the US) it's normal engine has 130-140hp dieselengine and a 0-62 speed right around 10s and that they say is plenty of speed for overtaking and driving in Norway. So anything below 10s is regarded as fast in Norway :)

Cobos

doug

Mitsubishi's electric car plans revealed - AutoblogGreen



EVWORLD FEATURE: Mitsubishi's Electric Car Future: i MiEV Electric Car | Mitsubishi Motors | G8 Summit

vfx

Hydrids too.
Bloomberg.com: Asia
Interesting they say how they are first.

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vfx

This one about the car coming to the US a year early is burning up the EV webworld.

Mitsubishi could launch i MiEV retail sales in mid-2009 - AutoblogGreen

It's a pretty big deal.

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doug

The article is about the car being available to the Japanese public a year early. It says nothing about US sales:

vfx

Well technically it does not say the they are not coming to the US either.

I reserve the right to read into the story however I like !

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The world loves to be deceived.