Mitsubishi Raises Annual Production of the All-Electric i-MiEV to 10,000 Units

The huge positive response from the UK and other European markets for the i-MiEV has prompted Mitsubishi to raise its output target the all-electric city car that’s set to be introduced in the Japanese market in 2009 with Europe following in 2010, from 2,000 units per year to 10,000 units. To do so, Mitsubishi announced that its joint venture – Lithium Energy Japan – will build a separate plant in Kusatsu, Shiga Prefecture, to supply the additional anticipated demand.

The brand new plant is scheduled to be ready for next April’s start of production of the rear-wheel-drive i-MiEV all-electric city car. The plant will initially produce 1 million palm-size lithium-ion cells a year, which is enough to power 10,000 vehicles. An additional investment of more than 10 billion yen is planned by 2012 to add a second plant and doubling output to cope with demand. -Continued

According to the Japanese automaker, Mitsubishi Motors UK has requested that a proportion of the first 2,000 Right Hand Drive units be allocated to the British market to support a launch in London in 2009, something that is being seriously considered by the company.

"i MiEV" specifications

Base vehicle		"i" mini-car
Dimensions (L x W x H)		3395 x 1475 x 1600 mm
Vehicle weight		1080 kg
Seating capacity		4
Maximum speed		130 km/h
Cruising distance with a single charge (Driving pattern : 10-15 mode)		130 km / 160 km*
Charging time (80% capacity)	15 Amp/200 V (on-board charger)	5 hrs / 7 hrs*
	15 Amp/100 V (on-board charger)	11 hrs / 13 hrs*
	3-phase 50 kW/200 V (Quick charger)	20 min / 25 min*
Motor	Type	Permanent magnet synchronous motor
	Max. output	47 kW
	Max. torque	180 N-m
	Max. speed	8500 rpm
Battery	Type	Lithium-ion
	Total voltage	330 V
	Total energy	16 kWh / 20 kWh*
Controller		Inverter
Drive		Rear wheel drive