Mitsubishi Electric Car
The Mitsubishi Company is a conglomerate of independent outfits united together under the same brand. The Company has an interesting history, starting out as a shipping concern in 1870. Then they moved into mining, shipbuilding, banking, insurance, warehousing, trade, paper, steel, glass, electrical equipment, aircraft, oil, and real estate.
The company made the famous Japanese Zero during WW2. The Zero was formidable in combat from Wake Island to Kamakazie raids on aircraft carriers.
After the war, Mitsubishi began ventures into petrochemical and nuclear areas. The company is now the largest Japanese trading company with 200 firms in 80 countries and over 50,000 workers. EVs are under serious development in Japan
For the record, The Japan Electric Vehicle Club has just set a world distance record for an electric car on one full charge. 17 drivers completed 1,456 laps on an oval track in Ibaraki Shimotsuma. The speed was 40 km/h (25mph), the car a converted Daihatsu Mira. The EV total distance added up to an amazing 1003km (623 mi).
The iMiev is the latest of a series of electric cars developed since the company began investigation into the technology in the 1970s. The iMiev began life as a converted 2005 Dodge Colt with 2-in wheel electric motors for power. After several variations of the in wheel design, the iMiev as is today was developed in 2006.
The car was first produced in 2009. It is one of the first of a new wave of electric cars on the market. Utility companies and other agencies have been field testing the Miev platform since 2007. Results have not generally been made public. However, there are reviews available from individuals testing the car. Read more